matchfly
11-17-2006, 09:52 PM
Hi heli freak´s im about to buy a sim and i have an issue here, in the country i live the hobby shop just sell real flight 3 but im thinking to get phoenix online, the problem is that in here 200$ is alot a money and i dont like the idea to lost the sim on his way to here and plus the taxes are gonna be alot for the cost of the sim, so the real question is that phoenix is that good to take the risk? and please some one have been on control of both to tell me the differences.
Thanks!!!
kgfly
11-18-2006, 12:01 AM
G3 and Pheonix are both great sims. I have owned FMS, ClearView, Reflex/XTR and now Phoenix and I have flown G2, G3 and PreFlight.
In most countries G3 is a lot more expensive than Phoenix.
Opinions differ on which is more realistic but all the leaders (G3, XTR, PNX) are pretty good but have some flaws.
Reasons to prefer G3:
* Online multiplayer feature that some people love
* Comes with its own controller and you can use your own Tx if you like
Reasons not to get G3:
* Major upgrades, extra models and extra flying fields are all extra cost items. This makes it even more expensive than it seems. Many free models you might download from the web for G3 are based on models from the various add-on packs so you have to buy those to use the 'free' ones from the web.
* Needs a lot of PC and graphics grunt. G3 is significantly more demanding than the other sims so unless you have a fairly current and high end PC with a high performance graphics card OR are prepared to upgrade your PC, don't go with G3
Reasons to prefer Pheonix:
* Cheaper to buy and upgrades, extra models and extra fields are free (whereas those things generally have to be bought as expansion/add-on packs for G3)
* Will run on a lower spec. PC than G3 but still needs a decent graphics card.
Reasons not to get Phoenix:
* Does not come with a controller so your only choice is to use your Tx.
* Currently has a smaller range of models and fields, but they are adding more almost weekly (for free) and there are already plenty to play with for variety, including a TRex450 and a TRex600.
Alternatives
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If you are on a tight budget take a look at ClearView (http://rcflightsim.com). It is only $30 and is at least 80% as good as the big boys. There are hundreds of models and lots of flying fields available for free on the web, upgrades are free (and frequent, latest one includes online multiplayer support) and you can either get an ESky USB controller for $30 from the web or use your own Tx with one of a range of cables (I use the USB cable from milehighwings.com which has worked very well for me).