Two Petabytes of Data are Used to Build Flight Simulator's Earth By Kevin Tavore, 14 Jun 2019 FollowtopicsMicrosoft Flight SimulatorMicrosoft FlightXbox Game StudiosXbox Game PassOnline MultiplayerSimulationKevin Tavore Have you ever wondered why Microsoft Flight Simulator doesn't simply use a real scan of the Earth rather than trying to render the surface digitally? Well, apparently it would take two petabytes of data to get the job done. If you're unfamiliar with the unit, well, it would take 40,000 discs and that just seems slightly impractical to install. Luckily, Microsoft's team used their technical skills to analyze that data and create the realistic Earth we see in the game.How did Flight Simulator come back anyway? At E3, PCGamer sat down with Phil Spencer to learn a bit about the game. Spencer recognized all the passionate fans who've been waiting nearly 13 years for the next game in the series. It was a PC staple for a long time, and Microsoft wants to send a message to PC gamers that they care. Flight Simulator, Spencer says, fits that bill nicely.If you don't have a PC, don't worry. Flight Simulator will also be making its way to consoles. Once we found out when, we'll let you know.We've got the full list of Microsoft Flight Simulator achievements - check the list for guides to unlocking them.More Microsoft Flight Simulator stories: Xbox booth at Gamescom to have Stalker 2 and more playable in "world debuts" Xbox Games Showcase Extended 2023: All reveals and Xbox Game Pass announcements Xbox Games Showcase Extended 2023: Start time, how to watch Asobo unveils the "next generation" of Microsoft Flight Simulator Best Xbox open world games Upcoming ReleaseXbox One Written by Kevin TavoreKevin is a lover of all types of media, especially any type of long form story. The American equivalent of Aristotle, he'll write about anything and everything and you'll usually see him as the purveyor of news, reviews and the occasional op-ed. He's happy with any game that's not point and click or puzzling, but would always rather be outdoors in nature.