MS Flight Simulator X screens are perty

Well, that didn't take long. Bill Gates announced the next version of Flight Simulator last night during his keynote speech at CES and today FSPlanet has some exclusive shots of the game and a FAQ with the developers. Of note:

• They are "adding a new mission-based element to give fans a more objective driven experience with a sense of progression and skill development."
  

• "While Flight Simulator X will not require Windows Vista, it will be optimized for the latest in Windows gaming hardware and fans will get the best experience by running on Windows Vista."

• "For the first time Flight Simulator will ship on DVD only."

• "Backwards compatibly with existing 3rd party content is and has always been a priority..."
  

Check out the screens, they look pretty incredible. Maybe that mission-based element will keep some of us from falling asleep at the controls.