(Out now!) Orbx announces South America Mesh for Microsoft Flight Simulator

Update, July 22 – Following just a few days after the initial announcement, Orbx released today this massive mesh update for South America. Enjoy more defined mountainscapes in your flights across the Andes, or anywhere else in this vast and diverse continent! Available now through Orbx, priced at around $13.00 | €12,80.
Orbx has announced a new product in its Mesh series for Microsoft Flight Simulator. After bringing us more detailed elevation data for New Zealand, Alaska, and the Himalayas, Orbx is now reaching out to the vast South American continent with entirely new and enhanced elevation data, adding more detail to the mountain peaks and other terrain irregularities in the simulator.
South America is an often overlooked continent in MSFS, usually with lower resolution satellite imagery than North America or Europe. There is, however, a thriving community of developers creating airports all around the region, so there’s definitely a lot of interest in improving the scenery there. There are even some hints at a future World Update to be focused on Brazil!
South America is a continent of extremes, with a tropical climate in the north and harsh mountainous conditions to the south, so there’s a huge variety of impressive landscapes to explore from the air. With that in mind, Orbx is now preparing a vast overhaul of the South American mesh data in MSFS, hoping to generate more defined landscapes that more accurately reflect the real-world appearance.
This is the largest area covered by Orbx Mesh yet, as it stretches across the whole continent. Prepare for a hefty installation at around 25GB, which is to be expected with such an extensive coverage.
With South America Mesh, simmers will fly over more defined terrain, but the difference may be subtle. Big terrain irregularities like mountain ranges or valleys are where improved mesh data can be more readily appreciated, with more defined peaks, rock formations, etc. For example, the Andes will become less rounded and, therefore, more realistic.
As with all the existing Mesh products from Orbx, this self-contained product makes no changes to the existing files and doesn’t come with any noticeable performance impact.
Marcelo E. Virgili
Great!!! Having been born in Salta, Argentina, at the slopes of the Andes, and “retired” private pilot, and having Flown the simulator from the time of its inception, I love the idea of improving the magnificent landscape of that region with impressive mountains, river, glaciars , forests, etc. and great airports and challenging airstrips!!!! Indeed there is a fascinating “Bush Trip” that plays in Southern Patagonia!!! tat I have flown a couple of times,,,
paulbinet
For the sake of the truth, I hope natural monuments like Torres del Paine and Cuernos del Paine might have been well depicted in all its glory within the mesh. Amen.
aurel
There was an undocumented change in a SU9 hotfix that broke a lot of free and commercial mesh products, among them all the OrbX Mesh products: New Zealand, Alaska, the Himalayas. It took weeks until updates for New Zealand and Alaska became available. After two months, we’re still waiting for an update for the Himalaya mesh. Visit your favorite Nepalese airport, Lukla, with the mesh enabled, and you’ll find that the issues are not just cosmetic.
I have to wonder why OrbX decided to publish a new mesh product in July, when a lot of the potential customers enjoy their summer vacation, instead of prioritizing fixes for existing products. Must be an Australian thing.