Robert Randazzo from PMDG has taken to the PMDG Forums to share some more information about the Boeing 777-300ER for Microsoft Flight Simulator and reveal an update for the 737 series on Xbox, which has now been released.
PMDG 737 Series Update on Xbox and PC
Console users are no longer disadvantaged by not having the PMDG’s UFT (Universal Flight Tablet) available in the aircraft, as the latest aircraft Marketplace update brought the 737 series to the latest version 3.00.0091.
The delay in the tablet was caused by certain issues of the Xbox version of the simulator not communicating with external applications, which brought the UFT to life in the aircraft. This matter was resolved after the PMDG team discussed the problem with Asobo Studio, who then updated the SDK and improved certain parts of the simulator, allowing in-game aircraft to communicate with external scripts and applications.
Even though the tablet is now available on the Xbox version of the 737, its users are required to have a keyboard to insert proper data into the UFT, as the On-Screen-Keyboard is quite problematic at times according to Robert.
The PMDG wanted to resolve this problem by developing their On-Screen-Keyboard for the aircraft. However, Xbox detects it in its way and runs the default, incorrectly working keyboard. The team is currently trying to resolve this issue.
Lastly, Robert mentions that as all the team’s resources are now focused on the 777-300ER, there are no changes done to the PC version of the 737 series at the moment. The moment the long-haul aircraft is launched, they will split the resources between these two series, bringing especially the 737 to the 777 standard, as the PMDG 777 is at the moment more technologically advanced than the PMDG 737.
Something More on PMDG 777-300ER
After the recent reveal of the first variant and the Q&A hosted by Robert, the PMDG team continues with the development of the 777-300ER, which is confirmed to be the first variant of the lucky seven to be released.
Robert then mentioned that the aircraft is basically release-ready, and he is happy with the current condition of it. However, he still wants to hold the aeroplane in the development cycle for a little longer before release to polish the little details. This includes sounds, textures, minor model improvements and so on. Furthermore, the modern navdata conversion is in beta testing with the 777 as well, together with lateral navigation improvements supported by Navigraph’s newest format. Datalink capability will also be available in beta testing very soon.
The team uses this time to polish the aircraft and make it as complete as possible before the initial release. Despite that, PMDG is currently working without a set release date. Lastly, Robert also shared a single image showing the landing gear of the 777-300ER. On the other hand, he has some more previews prepared for us to share in the coming days.
