Updated
Updated · The Verge · Jun 15
Google Opens 2007 Google Earth Flight Simulator in Web Browser
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Jun 15

Google Opens 2007 Google Earth Flight Simulator in Web Browser

3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Jun 15

Summary

  • Google on Friday made Google Earth’s long-hidden Flight Simulator available directly in a web browser, eliminating the need to download the desktop app.
  • The mode, tucked inside the desktop version since 2007, now appears on the Google Earth website under “Explore Earth” and the Tools menu’s final “Flight Simulator” option.
  • Satellite basemap delivers the most photorealistic experience, while Google directs users to a help page for keyboard and mouse controls that can take practice to master.
  • The simulator is less complex than dedicated titles such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, but crashes do not end a session permanently—the game pauses and lets users reset to a safe altitude.

Insights

Is Google Earth's flight simulator a true innovation or just a gateway to its new professional mapping services?
Can this browser-based simulator's global scenery overcome its technical limits to compete with dedicated flight simulation games?