Is the price really shocking? Can't remember for sure, but I still have memories of the different FS2002 editions back in the CD-ROM era and it was well above the rest too. It was a massive step forward too with ATC, AI planes, autogen... FS 2004, FSX by comparisons have felt more like incremental upgrades. This one looks like a similar kind of breakthrough as 2002. It certainly is too expensive for people to pick up, get bored after finding out there are no guns, no leaderboard and no achievements, but for anyone into flight simulation, meh, there are thousands of hours behind the purchase. I'm still in awe at the bits on display, although I'm waiting to see what they did with the non-handcrafted west of Ireland to see what the default "rest of the world" is like.
I just wish there was at leas one helicopter. It's criminal to model the ground in such detail and restrict flight to fixed-wing...