https://www.techpowerup.com/270513/microsoft-flight-simulator-lands-on-august-18th-in-three-versions
 
Microsoft has been preparing its Flight Simulator game, with photo-realistic graphics and realistic flying experience. Today, we got an update on game progress and when it will become available. Already up for pre-order, the Flight Simulator will come in three different versions. While all editions feature dozens of planes and over 37,000 airports, the difference is in the number of detailed airplanes and airports. For example, the standard edition comes with all 37,000 airports, but only 30 of them are super-detailed. In standard edition, there are also just 20 planes that are super-detailed. When paying for a deluxe edition, you get 25 planes and 35 detailed airports. The premium deluxe edition features 30 planes and 40 airports. The standard edition costs $59.99, deluxe edition costs $89.99, and the premium deluxe one costs $119.99. You can pre-order the game here while waiting for August 18th launch.
 
I fully expect this simulator to be a great one. Microsoft has been working on this simulator (game) for a long time.
 

 
I've read a number of very promising early reviews about this release, I may jump in, but only the standard version. I imagine you will be able to add additional content through DLC releases over time with more planes and more of those 37,000 airports - that's often where these releases make their real money.
 

I can only imagine what the DLC will cost and you are right about Microsoft wanting to get a nice profit from this with all the hype they have done. If they don't get the reaction they are looking for,  then what? And what about all the add-ons, will it be worthwhile for those who create the additional planes and scenery to put a bit of work in for a new simulator? There is a ton of stuff for the old sim that will not work in the new one.

mouse53
I can only imagine what the DLC will cost and you are right about Microsoft wanting to get a nice profit from this with all the hype they have done. If they don't get the reaction they are looking for,  then what? And what about all the add-ons, will it be worthwhile for those who create the additional planes and scenery to put a bit of work in for a new simulator? There is a ton of stuff for the old sim that will not work in the new one.

Addon developers like Orbx have sent out emails that they already have a few products ready to go for it as well and those aren't free either.  Unless they have changed to a closed system (I haven't looked at info enough to know yet) I'm sure the free content sites like flightsim and avsim will have devs adding free content as well just like for previous versions.  What I mean by closed system is some system where you have to pay some license fee to get access to tools/etc. that allow you to compile addons for it.  Hopefully they left it open like previous versions and just have the dev SDK etc.  Paid DLC type content isn't anything new to Flightsim, just that DLC from MS itself would be new not counting that abomination "MS Flight" from a few years ago.