X-Plane 11 flight simulator will release this year, with Linux support

It doesn't technically say that X-Plane 11 will support Linux. It has no reason not to though, but the whole question of support has been surprisingly absent.

It doesn't technically say that X-Plane 11 will support Linux. It has no reason not to though, but the whole question of support has been surprisingly absent.

They have supported Linux for around 8 years (at least, that's as far back as I can find information on). No reason they will stop now.

I agree. Although they have said that the actual Linux usage numbers are such that it does not make support a given, they have no reason not to since it's easy to support. I suppose they also may have a few professional customers using it on Linux.

The new fog/haze rendering looks great. That is something that has been really bad.

Screenshots here on facebook.

It doesn't technically say that X-Plane 11 will support Linux. It has no reason not to though, but the whole question of support has been surprisingly absent.

My bad, they confirmed it under Facebook:


"Blair Carruthers
Blair Carruthers Hi there! Is there a linux implementation?
Unlike · Reply · 3 · Yesterday at 5:49am
X-Plane by Laminar Research
X-Plane by Laminar Research Yep!
Unlike · Reply · 3 · Yesterday at 5:59am"

Facebook X-plane

I don't think they've finalized the system requirements yet, which is probably why none of the hardware/OS systems have been listed yet (or at least none I could find).

Thanks, added it in for clarity.

Ah, so all those comments actually contained something useful! Nice.

I won't be switching over instantly though. I'll have to see how well the support for current payware aircraft is going to turn out in XP11.

That looks stunning. I wonder what the system requirements are compared to the previous version?

Well this offer doesnt apply for existing owners and definitely not for steam users even if you buy it now on steam.

On the other hand I find their prices extremely high but I guess this game is build having in mind that ONLY pilots will buy their game since they earn a lot of $$$.

Paying $1,000 for a simulator including all their DLC's I find it a bit too much!


Last edited by wolfyrion on 10 October 2016 at 4:33 am UTC

Frankly their current UI is a pain, but in term of gaming it is from time to time very enjoyable to have such a quite game. (Just like Euro truck simulator 2 or american truck simulator).

Btw at least in France you can grab an XPlane 10 copy in a pretty metal box for 60 euros (and become a DJ for the many DVDs to insert for installation)

... ONLY pilots will buy their game since they earn a lot of $$$....

Hahahaha, if only that were true!!! Once upon a time what you said was very true, but in the last 10 years salaries and working conditions have plummeted drastically for pilots, and in many parts of the world it is now usual for pilots to pay to work for a few years.
Anyway, I already own X-Plane 10 and it is a quite realistic sim, I usually use it to brush up my skills before a check ride and it serves very well for that. If you are interested in aviation, I can highly recommend it. I suppose X-Plane 11 will only be better.

On the other hand I find their prices extremely high but I guess this game is build having in mind that ONLY pilots will buy their game since they earn a lot of $$$.

Your reasoning does not apply because it's not a game. It has no goal to finish. It will not sacrifice difficulty and complexity in order to appeal to the general public. It is "just" a simulation of flight that tries to be as accurate as possible. It's targeted at those that choose aviation as a hobby, which is expected to be expensive. And the pricing of the sim and third party addons is based on what a relatively small number of hobbyists are able and willing to pay for it. And frankly, if you see the complexity of some of the addons, I sometimes wonder if it's enough to get a return on their investment or whether its also largely driven by the hobby aspect.

Technically this is the same deal as with Train Simulator. Except that TS tends to disguise itself more as a game, which means not everybody understands what the deal with it is.

Well this offer doesnt apply for existing owners and definitely not for steam users even if you buy it now on steam.

On the other hand I find their prices extremely high but I guess this game is build having in mind that ONLY pilots will buy their game since they earn a lot of $$$.

Paying $1,000 for a simulator including all their DLC's I find it a bit too much!

Laminar Research doesn't sell any DLC themselves. All of the DLC listed on Steam is from 3rd party developers, and it's all optional stuff like additional aircraft and scenery. If you buy just X-Plane 10 (or 11) then you'll have a 100% complete and fully functional global flight simulator out of the box with tens of thousands of airports and around a dozen high-quality aircraft. Don't worry, this isn't one of those "you only get the complete experience if you buy the DLC" deals.

As for the $60 price tag, that's actually pretty typical for a AAA game these days, and it's a steal for X-Plane. X-Plane 10 was released in, I think, 2011 and has been actively developed and regularly updated since then. In fact, the latest update, version 10.50, was pushed out around a month ago. Laminar isn't like most developers who will release one or two patches and then turn their full attention to the next version.

Not to mention that X-Plane has always been the cream of the crop as far as flight simulators go. And Laminar Research isn't just coasting, either. Even without competition, they continue to produce an innovative and high quality product.

There's not much choice in flight simulators on any platform, being such a niche market, but X-plane is very good and these new feature look very welcome. The current UI looks like something from the DOS days, but honestly once you learn what is where it's no problem. I'm looking forward to version 11 enhancements.