PC owners who used the Microsoft operating system Windows XP between 2001 and 2014 are undoubtedly familiar with the default wallpaper image called “Bliss,” a rolling green field beneath a beautiful blue sky. So many people have seen the image that its real-life locale in Sonoma County, California has become iconic, and now one Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 user has recaptured it as other players look for interesting places like Area 51.
The original Bliss was taken by photographer Chuck O’Rear just off Highway 121 in 1998, and he told ABC7 News that, “I had no idea it would become the most recognized photograph on the planet” when Microsoft paid him for its use — the most he has every received for any singular photo, apparently. Reddit user rockin_gamer uploaded an image of the hillside, now a vineyard, taken in the newest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator to the r/flightsim subreddit Thursday.
Any player can visit the hillside themselves by going to these coordinates posted by fellow Reddit user Skynuts: 38°15′00.5″N, 122°24′38.9″W. Microsoft announced the end of its support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014, though Blizzard Entertainment did not end game support for Windows XP until 2017. However, its default background lives on as a historic piece of Americana to this day.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is touted for its incredibly realistic depiction of the entire planet, letting fans take off from any number of airports across the globe to fly wherever they want. Many users have taken the opportunity to visit popular places like Walt Disney World in Florida, which is currently impossible to fly over in real life following the events of September 11, 2001.
Not everything in the game lives up to that high standard of realism, though to many players that only adds to the simulator’s charm. For instance, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 has a bizarre skyscraper in Australia that has been blown way out of proportion due to an error in its map database listing the building as having 200 floors.
Even with errors such as this overgrown skyscraper in Australia and odd texturing on Buckingham Palace, players have grown attached to the flight simulator quickly, and are using its expansive recreation of the planet for interesting experiments. Recently, some players on Twitch held a real 16-hour flight from LA to Dubai on stream, drawing the attention of officials at Xbox and Microsoft.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is now available for PC and Xbox One.
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