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| X-Plane v 9.0 | 
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| From: Valusoft
Category: Video Games
List Price: $39.99
Buy New: $33.90
You Save: $6.09 (15%)
New (5) Used (5) from $25.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 1604
Format: Dvd-rom
Platforms: Windows Xp, Windows Vista
ESRB: Everyone
Media: DVD-ROM
Batteries Included: No
Age: 5 - 20 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 00044
Model: 71662
UPC: 740569000447
EAN: 0740569000447
ASIN: B000LQ4CXY
Release Date: April 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 8 | | NEXT » |
 Dilbert works there! November 11, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I dare you to find a customer service phone number anywhere in their literature or website. I've had the product for two weeks and have been exchanging emails with their "customer service" for most of that period. No joy. I've got 16GB free on two year old Windows XP machine built for high end graphics use and can't even get it to install. I've never seen a company so good at avoiding direct contact with paying customers. Buyer beware!
 Staunch MS Flight Simulator Flyer converts to X Plane 9.0 October 15, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I have purchased every Microsoft Flight Simulator since FS '98, and have found each one to have it's own unique quality. So when Flight Simulator X came out, I was eager to see it's contribution to my ever increasing world of flight simulation. While I enjoyed it, it was not as promised. The DX10 feature was the biggest let down, as even on max settings it looked nothing like what we were promised. Oh, it looked okay as flight sims go, but it lacked the real punch I expected from a Microsoft Flight Simulator.
The flight physics are still adequate, set to maximum realism it can be fun, even. However, I still felt something was lacking. So, in a fit of boredom, I purchased X Plane 9. $[...]? "Well", I thought, "we'll see what we can get out of a flight sim that costs a third less than FSX standard."
I installed the program on my PC. It took about 30 minutes to install the primary program, and about 10 minutes to install the North America/Europe scenery disc. That's right, scenery on separate DVDs, and it's all worth it.
I started up the program and configured my graphics settings. Just for a hoot, I set them all to maximum settings. 4X Anti-aliasing, Ansitropic filtering, 1680x1050x32 resolution, turned on the rain and weather effects, and started it up. It loaded in about 20 seconds, which was 3x faster than FSX, and the opening shot was enough to catch my breath. It was superb. I'm not talking just nice resolution, the realism was astounding. Everything looked and moved like I was actually flying through a real world environment. So I flew around for a while, and the handling feels better. It responds more like an aircraft would whether it be rainy, sunny, windy, what have you, the plane behaved accordingly. FSX had done this also, but it was only mediocre compared to the flight physics this program was employing.
I wasn't won over yet. I wanted to see if I set FSX to the exact same specs, how it would respond.
Firstly, FSX doesn't have the same detailed customization as X-Plane 9. You have about half those settings. However, what I came to see was whether FSX could produce a visually stunning image as X-Plane 9. I set everything up, maxed out, as best as I could. There weren't as many visual options either for FSX as there were for X-Plane.
After I mimicked the settings for FSX as I had for X-Plane, I started up the simulation.
I was disappointed. FSX didn't do too bad, but when I tried to take off, I was rewarded with frame skips and stuttering. FSX couldn't reproduce the visuals and physics without cutting it's own performance. This was supposed to be the power of DirectX 10? Pfft. At max settings in X-Plane, I had seamless flying, with rain and thunder, lightning, drops splattering the windshield and shearing up the side, off the wings, too. Unlike FSX where you just see gray colored lines and a reflective runway as if it were wet.
I will state one thing, however: If you like using your keyboard, you can in X-Plane, it's just a little tougher to use. X-Plane does mouseflight (which is neat once you get the hang of it) and Joystick control, which I highly recommend. You will find a more satisfying experience that way.
I am now an X-Plane fan, and unless Microsoft can give me their performance, physics and detail, I'm not sure if I'll even be interested in their next release. Who knows. In the meantime, I'll be flying X air. ;)
~Pastor J
Flight Simulator X or X-Plane 9? October 10, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Danielle Townsend's review is incorrect. She apparently left realism mode on "easy". The only reason the turn coordinator wouldn't work is if she left "auto-rudder" turned on, which will result in turns always being coordinated and the coordinator always centered. Also on easy mode, single prop planes won't pull left, etc., making it less realistic. However, I have realism mode set to hard, and I don't really notice any difference between the flight models of FSX vs. XP9.
Anyway, more to the point, I'm not a pilot, just someone who wishes they were. So, I bought Flight Simulator X Deluxe Addition and the Acceleration expansion...and I bought X-Plane 9 since it seemed like the only competition out there. So, I figured I'd write a review since I could make comparisons.
If all you care about if flying from point A to point B and want a large variety of differing aircraft, then you may very well want to get X-Plane 9. If you want to get an idea of what it's like landing the space shuttle or flying on Mars (I was bored after 5 minutes), then get X-Plane 9. If you want to install 60 GB of data onto your hard-drive only to find that the Seattle and San Francisco skylines are GENERIC buildings instead of real models, then X-Plane 9 probably won't disappoint you. You CAN download mods (additional GB) to get more, accurate scenery, and there ARE a lot of cool planes on X-Plane 9...I love the Cirrus "The Jet" default plane...however,
For all other people, definitely get Flight Simulator X. Flight Simulator X installs more easily. It takes up less space on the hard-drive (only 2 DVDs instead of 6 or 7). Has a wealth of information on learning to fly. Has "Flying Lessons" with, granted, a guy who has the corniest sense of humor I've ever heard...but humor aside...still really cool and as far as I (a non pilot) can tell, seems like the tests are fairly realistic with the exception that you "can" bypass startup, mixture, rudders, etc., so that it's less realistic if you choose to. FSX also has a wealth of missions that give you more things to do than just fly from point A to point B. You can take off from the San Francisco airport, see models of real buildings in the city, and fly under the Golden Gate Bridge in great detail...you can fly over Seattle and see Qwest field, Safeco field, the Columbia Tower, Space Needle...etc. If you get the Acceleration pack you can also fly a military jet and try your hand at landing on an aircraft carrier (X-Plane 9 does aircraft carrier landing too, btw).
X-Plane 9 has "situations"...where (for example) someone flew to an aircraft carrier and saved the game on approach so that you wouldn't have to do the "flying to" part. However, this doesn't really compare to FSX's Flight Lessons and Missions. Overall, XP9 simply lacks the polish and "little details" that are in FSX, which makes FSX much more interesting for people like me who want to be given flight lessons and missions...and want to see real scenery.
 FLYING HIGH September 28, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
GREAT GAME WITH LOTS TO DO. NEEDS A LOT OF MEMORY. IF YOU LOVE SIMULATOR GAMES GET THIS ONE.
flying a real plane is much less complicated August 10, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have owned this sim. for a whole day and have yet to been able to get a Cessna 172 off the ground. I am an ATP rated pilot and have never encountered anything as complicated in real life as X-Plane 9.
It is strictly for people that love to mess with computers.
I own both versions of Flight Sim. and do enjoy them.
I was given X-Plane 9 as a gift. After I delete it I'm worried about what to tell my friend that gave it to me. Thanks but no thanks?
The flight engineers panel of the Boeing 747 is a child's toy compared to this monster.
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