Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on PSVR2: is it worth it?

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 finally has full PSVR2 support, and if you own the headset, you’ve probably been wondering whether this is the moment to dust it off. The short answer is yes, with some important caveats depending on which PS5 you’re running.

I’ve given Flight Sim a go on PC with my PSVR2 when Sony released the PC PSVR adapter and have to say it’s quite the experience. Now, PSVR2 support arrived on console as a free update via Sim Update 5 in April 2026, covering 125 aircraft and available at no extra cost to existing PS5 owners of the game.

Developed by Asobo Studio in collaboration with Microsoft, the mode was reportedly inspired by how Gran Turismo 7 brought VR to PlayStation, which remains one of the most polished VR implementations on any console. It’s a high bar, and MSFS gets closer to it than you might expect.

What flying actually feels like in PSVR2

The cockpit is where this experience lives or dies, and it absolutely delivers. Sitting inside a virtual aircraft in full VR is a genuinely different thing to watching it on a flat screen. You can read the gauges, reach for the switches, and feel the scale of the world outside the windscreen in a way that flatscreen simply cannot replicate. Real pilots who’ve tried it have noted that the spatial awareness and instrument positioning feel legitimately close to the real thing.

The sense of scale is the standout. Flying low over a mountain range, banking over a coastal city, or descending through cloud cover towards a runway carries real physical presence. Flying the Cessna over familiar geography, your own city or coastline, gives it an almost eerie quality. People have described it as a childhood dream made real, which sounds hyperbolic until you actually try it.

Helicopters deserve a special mention. The Guimbal Cabri G2 in VR creates a genuine sensation of being suspended in mid-air, which is exactly what it should feel like. The Red Bull Air Race content, pulling through low-altitude gates at speed, is jaw-dropping in the headset.

Visuals and performance: the honest picture

This is where things get more nuanced, and where your expectations need calibrating.

The cockpit interior looks sharp and detailed. The PSVR2’s OLED display gives you vivid colours and deep blacks, which works particularly well for instrument panels and night flying. Scenic locations with good photogrammetry data, the Grand Canyon at dawn being the frequently cited example, look genuinely stunning.

Outside the cockpit, however, the picture is more complicated. Distant environments can appear blurry, terrain in less-photographed areas lacks detail, and dense urban environments like Tokyo or New York can look cartoony at low altitude. The game uses Flexible Scaled Rasterization (foveated rendering via the PSVR2’s eye tracking) and frame duplication rather than native 90fps rendering, which helps maintain playable frame rates but means you’re not getting a crystal-clear image everywhere you look.

One underappreciated factor is your internet connection. MSFS streams the entire world in real time. If you’re on Wi-Fi with a mediocre connection, texture quality and pop-in will be noticeably worse. Switching to ethernet (wired internet) can make all the difference.

PS5 vs PS5 Pro: which do you actually need?

This is probably the biggest single question for most buyers, and the community consensus is fairly clear. The PS5 Pro provides a noticeably smoother and sharper experience, particularly outside the cockpit. On the base PS5, visual quality takes a hit in complex environments, and frame drops in dense city flyovers can be significant enough to cause issues.

That said, it’s not black and white. The Pro can still stutter over somewhere like Manhattan at low altitude with settings maxed out. And neither machine matches what you’d get from a high-end gaming PC running something like an RTX 4090. However, the total cost comparison shifts things significantly. A PS5 Pro, PSVR2 headset, and a copy of MSFS 2024 puts you somewhere in the region of €1,200 to €1,500 in the Irish market. A comparable PC VR setup would cost considerably more.

If you’re on a base PS5 and primarily buying a headset for this game, either upgrade to the Pro or wait to see how future patches improve performance. If you already own the headset and a standard PS5, it’s still worth trying, just manage your expectations for city environments.

Controls: Sense controllers, DualSense or HOTAS?

The PSVR2 Sense controllers allow you to physically interact with cockpit instruments, flicking switches, turning knobs, and pressing buttons in 3D space. It’s genuinely immersive and works well for lighter aircraft like the Cessna, where every button including the cabin lights is functional and reachable. If you stick at it and really give these the time they need to feel natural, it can be a very immersive way of taking the controls of a plane.

For more demanding flying, particularly if you want to use the simulation seriously, the DualSense is a solid alternative that many players prefer for its precision on throttle and flight controls, but it simply will not be as immersive as the PSVR2 controllers or a HOTAS setup. HOTAS (joystick and throttle) requires plenty of manual rebinding and isn’t plug-and-play. Welcome to the world of PC-gaming/simulation. A mouse can be used alongside the headset for instrument interactions, which some players find more reliable for clicking small controls accurately.

None of this is a dealbreaker, but it’s worth knowing before you commit to a control setup.

Tips for getting the best experience

A wired ethernet connection is the single biggest quality-of-life improvement you can make. Wi-Fi will degrade your world texture quality noticeably, especially in areas with dense photogrammetry data.

Start with smaller, simpler aircraft like the Cessna 172. They’re less hardware-demanding, every instrument works properly, and they’re forgiving for first-time VR fliers.

Fly over less complex terrain first, islands, canyons, and mountain ranges look significantly better than major cities at low altitude. Gaining altitude above 10,000 feet also smooths things out considerably in populated areas.

If you’re on the Pro and chasing visual clarity, setting exposure compensation to around -0.3 in the display settings can sharpen perceived edge detail. Disabling live weather and live traffic reduces the streaming load if you’re struggling for performance.

Motion sickness is worth flagging. Even with smooth playback, some players experience discomfort during aggressive manoeuvres or turbulence. Starting with slow, stable aircraft and shorter sessions gives you time to adjust.

PSVR2 vs PC VR for MSFS 2024

For those weighing up options, here’s a straightforward breakdown of the key differences.

Setup with PSVR2 is significantly easier. There are no base stations, no driver conflicts, and no PC configuration required. You plug the headset into your PS5 and you’re flying within minutes. PC VR, whether through a Quest 3, Valve Index, or even the PSVR2 itself, involves more complexity both in setup and ongoing maintenance.

Visual quality on a high-end PC with a 4070 or 4090 is noticeably better, particularly for distant terrain and resolution. I’ve used my AMD 7900 XTX and really enjoyed the visuals, but with great instability.

The PSVR2’s OLED display has strengths of its own, particularly in colour depth and contrast, and its strong stereoscopic overlap reportedly helps mask photogrammetry imperfections that are more visible in other headsets.

Cost is where PSVR2 wins clearly. If you don’t already have a capable gaming PC, the console route is far more affordable for a comparable level of cockpit immersion.

Is PSVR2 worth buying for Microsoft Flight Simulator?

If you own a PS5 Pro and have any interest in aviation, geography, or just want one of the most transportive VR experiences available on console, this is absolutely worth your time. The cockpit immersion is remarkable, the world feels genuinely vast, and the setup is straightforward enough that you’ll be airborne in minutes.

If you’re on a base PS5, the experience is still worthwhile but you’ll need to be selective about where and how you fly. Dense cities at low altitude are not your friend. Stick to scenic routes, higher altitudes, and less photogrammetry-heavy terrain, and it holds up well.

If you’re comparing it to PC VR, you already know PC VR is technically superior at the high end. The question is whether you want to spend several times as much to access that ceiling. For most people, PSVR2 on PS5 Pro offers an extraordinary experience at a fraction of the cost.

It’s not perfect, and it will get better with future updates. But as a landmark moment for console VR flight simulation, it’s hard to argue with what Asobo have managed to pull off on PS5 hardware.

Should you invest heavily to get up and running if this is all you want to try? My gut says no, believe it or not. Typically, you’ll get some hours out of this, scratch the itch, and then it all gathers dust. You’re better off deciding if your setup will offer plenty more satisfaction in other areas before commiting.

Frequently asked questions