For the past week, I've been everywhere from Los Angeles to Tokyo without leaving my bedroom in Queens, thanks to Microsoft Flight Simulator, a fantastic PC simulation game that is the perfect escape from these pandemic times Asobo Studio's game is breathtakingly beautiful, recreating every mile of the globe with near photorealistic precision

Microsoft Flight Simulator can be as realistic and hardcore as you want, allowing you to complete international flights in real time while managing every part of the plane from takeoff to landing But that's not how I've played it

Instead, I would pick a city and just hover, reminiscing about visiting places like San Francisco or Nashville, reminiscing about a time when jumping on a plane was a part of life I was overwhelmed with nostalgia for simpler times, and at the same time in awe of the technological feats that Microsoft and Asobo have accomplished

Since launching Flight Simulator, I have been able to pinpoint my apartment, childhood home, college campus, and favorite landmarks around the world And thanks to the game's active pause and drone camera features, I can freeze the action, zoom freely around New York City, and find offices I haven't been able to get to in months Playing Flight Simulator is like using a more immersive and detailed version of Google Maps, and I can't stop

And that's no coincidence The flight simulator utilizes Microsoft technologies such as Azure cloud computing and Bing maps to realistically map the entire planet It is not perfect, as players discover structural anomalies and outdated areas But flying over New York or California from afar feels like looking down on the real thing

That is, of course, if you have the right rig to run it; my system with a Core i7 CPU and an Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti graphics card is running the game on the default medium settings, but for an ideal experience Microsoft recommends RTX 2080 or AMD Radeon VII is recommended

This is where the Xbox Series X comes in The flight simulator will eventually be included in the Xbox Series, but no release date has been set yet If released, it could be the ultimate technological showpiece for Microsoft's new box, just as the "Forza Motorsport" series was for the Xbox One generation And with the release of "Halo Infinite" pushed back to next year, a surprise fall launch of the flight simulator would be a great way to sell gamers on the power of the Xbox Series X But thanks to Xbox Game Pass, that won't be necessary Microsoft's subscription service ($5 to $15 per month) already boasts more than 10 million subscribers, and all first-party games will be included upon launch So people who wouldn't normally pay $60 for a hardcore simulation game might be tempted to fire it up since it's already part of their subscription I certainly do, and I don't think I'm the only one

In short, Microsoft Flight Simulator is a stunning technological achievement that anyone with a solid gaming PC and a Game Pass membership should check out And its breathtaking exploration experience may soon prove to be an ace in the Xbox Series X