I'm not sure that Delfin is expecting AFS2 to incorporate this technology in the short term, I think the discussion is more about the whole concept of using online scenery, as Jeff says more like 10 years in the future. Sims will need to develop innovative features going forward though, otherwise where is the incentive for people to buy the latest version.
I think AFS2 is about as next gen as we can hope for in the present market, and I think it will be at the forefront for this generation of sims once all the features mature.
I think what Delfin was asking is how the VR Google based scenery compares to traditional methods, so I'll try to answer that.
Keeping in mind that Google scenarios have not been filmed to be seen in VR; you and those who have and uses Oculus or another equivalent, do you see correctly the scenarios of Google in VR ?
I suppose IPACS programmers will add some special feature to their programming to see it correctly with Oculus, Live, ... in VR. Is there a lot of difference between what is seen in Google scenarios and what is seen in FS 2? .
Logically, it will look better in VR, everything that has been programmed to be seen in VR.
The Google Earth VR app is primarily a map and scenery viewer, so its functions are based around zooming in and out, and moving quickly to different parts of the Earth. It's just like normal Google Earth, but in VR it is much more striking. You kind of feel like some giant celestial being who can roam the Earth at will, more Silver Surfer than Beige Cessna.
Because the details on buildings are based on real photos, there is a great diversity and natural feel to how the scenery looks, compared to hand placed generic buildings and autogen. That's why I do believe that the future of flight sims is in here. So, Google Earth works very well in VR and is naturally suited to it.
However, in AFS2 in VR, because the scenery is designed to be flown over in a sim aircraft, the whole experience is more smooth and coherent. We clearly are nowhere near being able to consider live scenery at this time, and AFS2 scenery is/will be the pinnacle of what is possible in a current sim.
Google VR breaks down at very close range as all the trees and buildings are mapped onto rough blocks, whereas traditional scenery is more believable close up.
AFS2 has clearly been designed with VR in mind, and offers the best VR experience in a sim currently imo. Other titles may be ahead on choice of aircraft, but the basic experience of moving through VR space is unmatched I think.
I'd say in a couple of years, when we have 2nd generation VR headsets and AFS2 has added all its features, we will have the best sim experience we've ever had. We'll never need to leave the house again