Track IR or Not Track IR- That is the Question

I'm tired of the clunky, jerky, erratic hit-or-miss panning in FSX cockpits. Using the eyepoint hotkeys and/or mouse panning and zooming and/or joystick hat panning is just not realistically fluid. Sometimes it takes me several tries just to zoom over to the center or right side of a panel or pedestal, and by the time I finally get the view I need, the time for whatever input I needed to make is long in the past.

 

So I've been looking into Track IR, but the product descriptions are less than fully informative and Googling "Track IR" mostly returns YouTube videos showing how slick it works but nary a peep about which of the many versions they are using. The dev's website shows mostly version names and prices (and a couple of the aforementioned YouTube demos) without bothering to 'splain clearly what you get with the higher-priced versions that you don't get with the lowest-priced version.

 

So. Any thoughts on the following questions?

1. Does Track IR work trouble-free and seamlessly in FSX:SE or does it require clunky, fiddly manual updates and arcane workarounds every 3-4 days like EZdok does?
   
2. Prices shown range from $120 to $170. What does Version 5 do or have that Version 4 doesn't, and what is "Track Clip Pro?"
   

 

Thanks in advance for sharing this awesome community's expertise and experience!

 

Doug

https://forums.naturalpoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=7445

I haven't used it in a while. Saw your post and figured I'd try it out again. I have version 5 with the hat clip, The Pro clip fits on the headphones. I used it with FSX:SE. It works great. I would use mine more often, but it gets warm wearing the hat. Works good in X-plane also.

I have version 4, using it since FS9, and it works wonderfully in FSX and P3D with no changes. Updates aren't frequent, but they're simple to install, with no workarounds needed. It works with the version 5 software, too, but not quite as comfortably (motion is good, but problem ending the program), so I still use software version 4.

 

The only thing you might not realize is that it takes a short time to get used to moving only a little in real life to get a lot of movement in the sim, but that soon becomes second nature. And, you can program the response curves to suit you, though mine are not far off the default.

 

Be aware, however, that although most people love it, I have a friend (and have heard of a couple of others) who had trouble adapting to the way TrackIR works. He's gone back to not using it. But it seems that most people are OK.

https://forums.naturalpoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=7445

 

Um, thanks, but there is not a word on that page pertaining to any flight sim or either of the questions I asked.

I haven't used it in a while. Saw your post and figured I'd try it out again. I have version 5 with the hat clip, The Pro clip fits on the headphones. I used it with FSX:SE. It works great. I would use mine more often, but it gets warm wearing the hat. Works good in X-plane also.

 

Interesting. So, does the base Ver. 4 or 5 package come with a hat clip included, and the headphone ("Pro") clip is extra? I didn't see a hat clip mentioned anywhere on their site.

 

Have you ever used Version 4? If so, what has improved or been added to Version 5?

 

Thanks for your response, now I know what a "Pro Clip" is.

Hi, I am using V4. AFAIK the newer models have a higher resolution 'camera'. I wouldn't know how this improves the thing, the V4 works very well for me. But. I always thought that for full free movement with TrackIR you require EZDOK too, and I have always used both together.

 

What exactly are the problems you are having with EZ?

 

btw. that hat clip can be attached to the top of the headphones too (if the padding is not too thick).

1. Does Track IR work trouble-free and seamlessly in FSX:SE or does it require clunky, fiddly manual updates and arcane workarounds every 3-4 days like EZdok does?
   
2. Prices shown range from $120 to $170. What does Version 5 do or have that Version 4 doesn't, and what is "Track Clip Pro?"
   

 

I don't have SE or P3D so can only comment obliquely on those specifics. I have used TrackIR for six years and have never need to update anything. I understand P3D initially had issues with TrackIR (in fact was explicitly not supported and not going to be supported) so getting it to work was a fiddle that required EZCA and its back-door method of communicating with TrackIR. Perhaps that is now fixed as I understand TrackIR is now officially supported. It may be that SE has similar rough edges since it is a new product (or an old product with some new wrinkles stirred in to confound installers).

 

As for the product, TrackIR adds immensely to the FSX experience. It works more or less flawlessly as long as you keep lighting conditions subdued. Version 5 is current (AFAIK) but version 4 worked just as well. I used version 4 with the version 5 software for a while and that works fine too. Technically v5 introduced hardware refinements including a wider field of view and higher resolution tracking but the results are subtle in my experience so if you can find a second-hand v4 at a good price you might want to start with that.

 

The basic v5 pack is all you need - the 'track clip pro' is only required if you have difficult lighting conditions. (Anyone who tells you it tracks 'more precisely' or has 'higher resolution' is making it up.) The track clip pro is also a pain as it needs to be plugged in and you must contrive some way to mount it on your head if you don't use a headset. It will likely break within a couple of weeks too as it made of cheap brittle plastic. The basic hat clip just needs a baseball hat. I have heard some protest that they don't want to wear a hat. At the end of the day this device is a head tracker - it needs to track your head and to do so precisely at the present state of the art it needs you to mount a target on your head.

 

One downside - if you don't have EZCA you will lose the ability to manually move your eyepoint. This is a serious limitation if like me you are in the habit of assigning your eyepoint position to buttons or knobs (if you watch some of my Twin Otter videos you will frequenty see me moving the seat position up and down with a knob on the panel). If you have EZCA, you get that back.

 

All in all, is it a good buy? In my view yes, second only to a joystick.

I've been using ver 4 for several years with no problems.. Wont leave the hanger without it.

Bruce

NO

 

Translation: YES.

I always thought that for full free movement with TrackIR you require EZDOK too, and I have always used both together.

 

What exactly are the problems you are having with EZ?

 

My EZdok issues seem a bit OT for this thread, so I have answered your question in this new thread.

This maybe out of touch with the original poster' - but here is my two bobs worth.

DEFINATELY USE TRAKIR 5, makes all the difference. ALSO, as I have found out, you can stick in F1 View (free to use) and you get mouse wheel zoom active, but just don't use it to look around (you have trakir for that my friend). hope this helps.

oh by the way, START flight sim first then trakir. makes all the difference.

Lozza ~S~ aka Sharkzz