Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 free VR update has a release date, and it's soon

Microsoft Flight Simulator is getting full VR support on PC as a free update later this month.

The developers at Asobo Studios revealed the news in a recent live update session on Twitch, as spotted by Polygon. The virtual reality features are set to go live as part of Sim Update 2 on December 23, meaning it will be just in time to recreate holiday travels in virtual reality. OK, that is admittedly the least exciting way I could have found to describe the thrill of launching into flight and feeling like you're really there.

"We are going to open VR for everyone," executive producer Martial Bossard explained. "It's not only the sim experience in VR, but also all the menus, so you won't have to put it on and off as we did for the alpha. So everybody gets access to VR now - for free! It will also be open to all devices, to the Oculus family, Valve family, really every family of headset is going to be supported."

This is a change from the studio's previously announced plans to launch VR with exclusive support for HP's upcoming Reverb G2 headset, and it's good news for virtual reality enthusiasts across all devices. If you're looking to buy Oculus Quest 2 or if you already have one, you should be able to use that to play as well. However, you will need a PC capable of running Microsoft Flight Simulator in VR mode and a link cable, which are both sold separately, to hook it all up.

Up next after Sim Update 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator is planning on adding a bunch of UK locations in a January update.