subject: How to Choose a Good Jet Simulator [print this page] How to Choose a Good Jet Simulator How to Choose a Good Jet Simulator
Choosing and buying a good Jet Simulator is not easy. You'll find yourself reading review after review only to end up more confused than when you started.
This article does not intend to differentiate between the various flying simulators available on the market, however it will hopefully help you look out for features and differences that will allow you to make the right decision in your purchase.
There are plenty of flying simulators available on the market, some of them being really good and some being atrociously bad.
The good ones come in various guises ranging from professional full featured systems used by professionals and engineers, to highly playable combat simulators which will re-enact a classic dogfight.
It's therefore important that before you commit yourself to one particular simulator you know exactly what you're getting for your hard earned cash.
You'll need to narrow down exactly what you're looking for from a flying simulator. Are you a budding pilot who wants to familiarise or brush-up on their skills? Do you want to re-create and experience difficult flying environments with changeable weather, night-time flying, system failure and more? Or do you just want to go head-to-head with another player online and blow them to smithereens?
Once you've decided where exactly you fit, you can start looking at all the available products on the market that meet your need.
Most flying simulators will run quite happily on most home computers, however to experience high visual graphics, realism and playability you'll need to ensure your computer is up to speed to handle all the processor intensive requirements for a seamless experience. Check the minimum system requirements from the manufacturers of the simulator; this will often include the minimum memory required, graphics requirements, hard-drive space and operating system needed.
For a safe bet it would be better to have a computer which exceeds the minimum spec by some degree.
Next would be to determine what features the flying simulator will give you. Is it going to meet your own personal minimum specification/requirements?
Different flying simulators will naturally have their own unique features, these include but are not limited to:
real-life physics and dynamics of the aircraft
ability to fly different aircrafts, e.g. fighter jets, commercial airlines, helicopters, etc.
air-to-air combat
real-time environmental elements, e.g. accurate terrain maps, scenery
real system lag - just like in real planes
option to connect other peripherals, e.g. joystick, yoke and multiple monitors for added realism
and much more....
One thing worth noting is that jet simulators that focus more on air-to-air combat may lose some of the realism for the sake of playability.
Now which simulator is right for you all depends on what you are after in an airplane simulator.
You'll need to do some homework before you take the plunge - find out what type of simulator you need, determine whether your computer can meet the minimum requirements easily and then tick off all the features that you want
Hopefully this will ensure that you get a great flying experience without leaving the comfort of your chair.
