A new patch has landed in MSFS, fixes issues with VR, TrackIR, weather, and more

Last November, the GOTY Edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator brought with it a broad platform update, Sim Update 7, that introduced the usual necessary changes and fixes to move the simulator forward. Unfortunately, as is often the case, it also created new problems, such as a particularly nasty one for TrackIR users, who were left with continuous disconnections between the head tracker and the simulator.

Fortunately, today the MSFS team released a much-needed patch that fixes these issues. Beta testers have been enjoying it for quite some time, but now it’s everyone’s time to fly with improvements such as the aforementioned TrackIR fix, but also with fewer crashes, better weather transitions, improved rendering of fog, and more.

Those flying in VR should also have a significantly improved experience, specifically related to toolbar interactions or the use of VR controllers. Check below the full changelog, also available on the official

As usual, fire up MSFS to get a prompt to install a patch, which comes at around 700MB. Make sure to also check the Content Manager inside the sim, as you may have some updates there as well. Some popular components such as the Reno Expansion Pack and the Working Title G1000 NXi have been updated today as well. Furthermore, take special attention to the contents of your Community Folder. Some packages may need to be updated to be compatible with this new version of MSFS. Otherwise, stability issues may ensue.

Speaking of updates, we are now in January, which means the Australia World Update will be around the corner very soon. Stay tuned for that later this month!

msfs flight simulator flying on the ground — Abnormalities.

Release Notes Sim Update VII (January Build 1.21.18.0)

Stability

Several crashes have been fixed across the title

Weather

Improved management of high proximity METARs to avoid hard weather transitions

Fixed abnormal temperatures above FL450

Fixed custom weather preset save data

Live Weather clouds on ground should now be displayed as fog

Rain and fog now correctly receive shadows from clouds above
Fixed “10SM” metar visibility

Fixed live weather refering to AMSL instead of AGL

VR

Fixed the issue that prevented interactions with the toolbar in VR
Added some of the VR controller specific controls (e.g. switch between proxi and raycast modes) that were not available in the binding menu

Fixed the rotate and drag buttons that did not respond well with WMR VR controllers
VR controllers are now working when using Legacy cockpit interaction system

Peripherals

TrackIR support has been fixed

Fixed unable to pan / drag WorldMap using a custom mouse profile. Add a slot in Control Menu

Planes

Fixed HUD shader support for for 3rd party planes
Fixed Reverse Throttle

Fixed livery overriding mechanism for WASM modules
Fixed glass cockpit remains off when starting from cold & dark for the Volocity
Fixed white rendering of the Copilot HUD in the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner

World

Fixed an issue where roads could blink
Fixed color banding introduced in Sim update 5

Reno

Performance optimization for Reno multiplayer races

Reno stands are no longer misplaced during RTC
Fixed “Too high” notification when starting a time trial

UI

Assistances preferences should no longer be set to Easy without user’s input

Localization update across all supported languages

SDK

Fixed crash when loading a project
Fixed aircraft no longer compiles because of glTF errors

Fixed game crashing when trying to add a PaintedHatchedArea in the Scenery editor
Changed “Parking not linked to the main graph” to warning
Fixed disabled interactions with the sim when Aircraft Editor is open