Good question — and it’s worth separating a few different aspects here.
For visual details like the eyebrow windows on the B737, the cockpit does not need to be redesigned from scratch. Those can be handled as an optional feature, enabled or disabled depending on the specific aircraft variant. In that sense, it’s mostly a visual configuration rather than a completely new cockpit.
However, when we talk about the Main Instrument Panel (MIP), the situation changes significantly. The difference between the B737 Classic and the NG / MAX versions is not cosmetic:
- Classics use analog gauges
- NG and MAX use glass cockpits with PFD and ND displays
At that point, you’re no longer switching features — you’re dealing with fundamentally different cockpit layouts, which would require separate implementations.
This is also where the discussion naturally shifts beyond visuals. Once a cockpit camera and functional instruments exist, the next logical question is whether the player could have any level of direct aircraft control. We already have elements pointing in that direction (such as the mini-game and cockpit view), but even very limited control would have a major impact on gameplay balance, performance, and overall scope.
So in short:
- Small visual differences can be handled modularly
- Major cockpit layout differences cannot
- Any move toward aircraft control would need very careful consideration as a separate feature, not a side effect of cockpit visuals
It’s an interesting topic, but one with a lot of implications behind it.