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X-Plane 9 | 
 enlarge | From: Graphics Simulations Corporation
Category: Video Games
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $39.99
You Save: $20.00 (33%)
New (11) Used (1) from $34.88
Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 3454
Format: Dvd-video
Platform: Macintosh
Genre: Flight Simulation Games
ESRB: Everyone
Media: Video Game
Batteries Included: No
Operating System: Macintosh
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 1055
Model: 1055
UPC: 740569000454
EAN: 0740569000454
ASIN: B0015392CI
Release Date: March 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | The most realistic flight model available for personal computers. It comes with subsonic and supersonic flight dynamics, simulating aircraft from the Bell 206 Jet-Ranger helicopter and Cessna 172 light plane to the supersonic Concorde and Mach-3 XB-70 Valkyrie. | | • | Includes over 40 aircraft spanning the aviation industry (and history), and several hundred more are freely downloadable from the internet. | | • | Land at any of over 18,000 airports, as well as test your mettle on aircraft carriers, helipads on building tops, frigates that pitch and roll in the waves | | • | Weather is variable from clear skies and high visibility to thunderstorms with controllable wind, wind shear, turbulence, and microbursts. Rain, snow and clouds are available for an instrument flying challenge. Real weather data can be downloaded, allowing you to fly in the actual conditions that currently exist! / Stunning new global scenery and atmospherics, including reflective water and volumetric fog | | • | Includes detailed failure modeling, with 35 systems that can be failed manually or randomly, when you least expect it! You can fail instruments, engines, flight controls, and landing. |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
X-Plane-9 is the most comprehensive and powerful flight simulator available for the personal computer. It simulates anything that flies: from single-engine fixed wing props to multi-engine jets; gliders to dirigibles; helicopters to spacecraft to VTOLs such as the V-22 Osprey and AV8-B Harrier.It comes with subsonic and supersonic flight dynamics, simulating aircraft from the Bell 206 Jet-Ranger helicopter and Cessna 172 light plane to the supersonic SR-71 and Mach-3 XB-70 Valkyrie. Includes 40 aircraft spanning the aviation industry (and history), and several hundred more are freely downloadable from the internet. Downloadable US scenery available.
New advancements implemented in X-Plane 9 include all-new, highly detailed aircraft with full 3D interiors; stunning new global scenery and atmospherics including water and volumetric fog; support for the latest generation hardware including dual-core CPU's and the latest video cards; and much more. Includes Plane-Maker, which lets the player create airplanes, and World-Maker, which lets the player create scenery. Also included is Weather Briefer that makes a weather briefing based on actual weather conditions.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 A Solid Sim With Few Flaws September 7, 2008
Docendo discitur. (Alaska)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As other reviews have mentioned, this definitely isn't a game. I purchased it to practice before beginning flight school. There are some "game"-like features, such as a combat mode, but they comprise a very small portion of the sim. As far as realism, this game seems to encompass just about everything. I will sum up this review by listing a few pros and cons.
Cons:
From ground-level, the ground around you (apart from the runway) seems blurry. This, of course, is because it is to be viewed from a distance, but it would have been nice if they added a transition effect so that you can appreciate the sim's graphical capabilities from any altitude.
The plane-to-earth speed ratio seems slightly out of proportions; after taking off and flying for about three minutes it is possible to look back and still see the runway looming behind you. I don't seem to have much of this problem with the larger planes. Cessna Skyhawks are rather slow, but this seems to be pushing it.
It is possible to land on large bodies of water.
The trees are not solid, so when when I was expecting to crash terribly in my little Cessna, I was unpleasantly surprised.
No air traffic. (You can turn on the combat mode if you can't help yourselves, but then all the planes will come after you. Then again, it is something to see a 747-400 trying to knock a Cessna out of the sky).
Flight dynamics didn't seem as realistic as promised.
Pros:
Amazing, blow-you-away, high-res aerial graphics.
Ultra-realistic flight environments and full-function cockpits (it is possible to fly the planes using only your mouse).
A plethora of performance-tweaking functions, including 16x anti-aliasing.
The water looks SPECTACULAR.
The entire world to fly over, including almost all of the airports in the world.
Great customer service.
So, overall, this is a very solid sim. I haven't encountered any bugs so far, and the game instantly recognized my CH Products Flight Sim Yoke. It runs beautifully on my computer, with super-high frame-rates and resolution. I highly recommend this to anyone wishing to experience the joy of flight from their home.
Here are my system's specs: 2.8 GHz iMac with 2 gigs of RAM and a 512 MB nVidia GeForce 8800GS Graphics Card.
 Could Never Get the Game to Install September 3, 2008
J. Jenkins (Shawnee, KS United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
After receiving the first game, the 1st disc wouldn't read. Customer support said they would send out a new disc. We never received it. Amazon exchanged the game for a 2nd game. Still, the first disc wouldn't read. After attempting to load it onto more than one MAC (thinking the problem may be the MAC), the disc wouldn't load. We are very disappointed in the fact that customer support is not available for help and that they lied about sending out a replacement disc. We are in the process of returning the 2nd game at this time. BEWARE...OUR EXPERIENCE WAS HORRIBLE! One star is too high of a rating.
 Absorbing, demanding flight simulator for serious aviation enthusiasts July 29, 2008
S. Pickering Pick
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
X-Plane 9 is my first experience of the X-Plane series, and given the mixed reviews I was not expecting to be so thoroughly impressed. On my platform (Mac) it is smooth, stable, fluid, intuitive, engaging and very demanding; in short, everything a serious flight simulator ought to be. I bought a Saitek AV8R-01 (Aviator) flightstick, which is designed for Windows platforms but which functions perfectly with my Mac, and the flying simulator is almost flawless. I have a G5 with 2GB RAM, which is about the bare minimum for running X-Plane 9, but it is still very stable. I am overwhelmed by the options and expandability of this software. X-Plane 9 is not a game - it is a training tool and experimental platform for aviation enthusiasts. For the price you will not find another simulator that can hold a candle to it. If you've ever flown a real aeroplane, you'll recognise the attention to detail, the sensitivity, the functions, the instruments and the full-immersion of the flying experience.
An undeserved bad rap July 13, 2008
John W. Collins (Geyserville, CA United States)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I am neither a pilot nor a "gamer" but I used to enjoy MS Flight Simulator, and when I went exclusively to a Mac several years ago my only regret was that I has to leave Flt.Sim. behind. X-Plane 9, which I just discovered, is even better than I remember Flt.Sim.
I bought an inexpensive joystick (Logitech Extreme 3-D Pro, about $35 at Amazon), and then installed X-Plane 9 on my iMac. The installation took about an hour but it went flawlessly. The joystick was recognized by the program, and I was easily able to calibrate it by following the very clear instructions.
I selected the Cessna 172 as my trainer plane and a local airport as my home field (again following the clear instructions). The first flight was not a thing of beauty but I was able to take off, circle the field, and make a safe, albeit shaky, landing.
This is not a toy and some of the "gamers" who complained about the lack of instructions or the problems in controlling their aircraft were probably using jets and/or multi-engine aircraft for their initial flights, and expecting instant gratification.
I have substantial learning to do (and it's a steep curve) but even at this early stage, I can say with confidence that this is a superb and flexible program which is well worth the investment of money and time for anyone who wants to enjoy a true flight simulator on their Mac.
 X-plane 9 June 28, 2008
Edw L. Leslie MD (Waukegan,IL USA)
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
Scenery not as good as Microsoft Flight Simulator X.Mecanics are counter-intuitive;not very easy.Harder to program the Logitech Force joystick than FSX. Flight dynamics OK. Not worth the price.
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