Track ir worth it?

[Doubledigit12]

Hello I am considering purchasing a track ir 5 system and was wondering what people who already have one think.

I play all sorts of sims, Arma 3, Il2, Asseto corsa and X-plane 11and quite frequently find myself in flight sims having trouble tracking aircraft using the hat stick, especially in the Dreaded snow.

Thank you

[ZnarF]

Concerning Il2 and Assetto Corsa, maybe you should consider VR, that's faaaaar beyond what a basic 2D tracking solution will give you. And Il2 VR implemention is quite incredible (Assetto Corsa ingame too)

[Guest deleted@50488]

TIR5 was my best flight simulation add-on ever! Couldn't play IL.2 without it.

[CanadaOne]

$200+ here. Would love to have one, but that's a chunk o' change.

[1./KG4_Blackwolf]

Once I got Track IR I could not play without it. It was the best thing I got for flight sims, now that I have VR I use Track IR very little. If you don't have the cash for VR Track IR is well worth the money. Your situational awareness/SA will improve a lot. 

[19//Moach]

worth every penny - can't say how I ever lived without it before I got mine...

 

 

ArmA3 also works wonderfully with it - especially so in vehicles. it works as infantry too, even (though I usually pause mine in that case, as I find it easier to aim then)

Edited August 12, 2017 by 19//Moach

[Gambit21]

Well it's a good thing we finally at long last have a thread on this subject.

[=EXPEND=Tripwire]

I would suggest that a very substantial portion of virtual pilots would stop playing IL2 if their TrackIR broke. It makes that much difference.

 

I would also suggest that a very high percentage would also not go back to TrackIR if their VR headset broke and instead sit it out and wait for a fix/replacement.

 

Maybe try get a second hand TrackIR if you can.

[Rambos_Nachbar]

Just a reminder from my side: track ir isnt the only player on the market.

[Royal_Flight]

Tripwire is right. When my old headtracker (facetrackNoIR) stopped working I had to take a break from flight sims, because flying without was impossible.

Replaced it as soon as I could with TIR5 and never looked back.

 

Trying to go without once you're used to it is like trying to fly without a throttle... doable but requires a lot of extra thought and isn't worth the frustration.

 

I've got experience of facetrackNoIR as well as TIR5, the latter is much better mainly due to the wider angle of the sensor vs a converted webcam that the former uses. But that aside, ftNoIR is a free program and is also brilliant.

 

You can start with that to get a feel for it and trust me, your next gear acquisition will be a facetracker.

[Dutch2]

TIR5 was my best flight simulation add-on ever! Couldn't play IL.2 without it.

In my case it was the joystick, after pushing the keyboard on RB2, I did buy the MS-FFb gameport stick in 1999. Geuss that is counting for most of us.

:-)

[buck1ea]

Concerning Il2 and Assetto Corsa, maybe you should consider VR, that's faaaaar beyond what a basic 2D tracking solution will give you. And Il2 VR implemention is quite incredible (Assetto Corsa ingame too)

 

VR can't match the detail of a real monitor, the technology just isn't there yet. Trackir ftw.

Edited August 13, 2017 by buck1ea

[BeastyBaiter]

Been using TIR5 since 2011, only recently replacing with an OR. TIR makes things a whole lot nicer and I think it was $150 well spent. I've since moved onto the Rift given the current $400 price. If you have the system to run it and the extra cash, I think that's the way to go. If you don't, now would be a great time to buy a second hand TIR5. 

[Nocke]

Main advantage of trackir over coolie hat or mouse view: you got 2 more axes, i.e. you can look around the cockpit bars, or the stick to see some gauges you otherwise can't see. Additionally of course you get a very intuitive way of looking around. Of course, some day, VR will be THE way to go. Myself, I am a graphics fetishist and am postponing that until there will be high resolution VR devices

[DD_Crash]

EDtracker is worth a look http://edtracker.org.uk/

[216th_Lucas_From_Hell]

How would you rate EDTracker, Crash? I'm a little worried the sunlight wouldn't allow me to use TrackIR or TrackHat properly, and EDTracker appears to solve that.

[DD_Crash]

There is no 6DOF but there is a work around. Not using EDtracker now (I gave it to my son) I think that it is far better value than TrackIR Their product support is very good.

Edited August 13, 2017 by DD_Crash

[216th_Lucas_From_Hell]

Cheers! Might just go for it then, the product looks more solid operationally than IR solutions.

[bokepacha]

Track IR is one of those devices you can't live without, after you try them. It's worth every euro and the level of inmersion it provides is amazing.

[JTurbine]

You might consider OpenTrack.  I installed OpenTrack version 2.3.1.4 yesterday to replace FreeTrack (which doesn't work with BOS).  Hassel-free setup and BOS recognized it immediately.

[DD_Crash]

Review on ATAG https://theairtacticalassaultgroup.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18389

[Doubledigit12]

Wow!! Thanks guys. I didn't realise tracking was so good will definitely try to buy it in the future. I liked to see the different input from people about vr and such. I don't think I could stretch to vr at the moment. Regarding vr,how do you use the keyboard whilst inside?

 

Thanks,James.

Been using TIR5 since 2011, only recently replacing with an OR. TIR makes things a whole lot nicer and I think it was $150 well spent. I've since moved onto the Rift given the current $400 price. If you have the system to run it and the extra cash, I think that's the way to go. If you don't, now would be a great time to buy a second hand TIR5. 

:D

[SCG_Space_Ghost]

-snip-

 

Regarding vr,how do you use the keyboard whilst inside?

 

-snip-

 

Clumsily. 

[SYN_Haashashin]

About trackir...4 words: Can´t fly without it!!

[dburne]

I spent a lot of years flying with Track IR - many years.

For all those years, if my Track IR was broke I would not have flown without one. Luckily I never had one break - I had versions 3, 4, and 5. 

 

Once I got my Rift early this year, well that was it for me - I finally retired my Track IR5. But it did great for me for all that time, and no way would I have flown on my monitor without it. It was always just a very trouble free and smooth experience for me.

 

I definitely got my money's worth out of it, and would highly recommend it to anyone for head tracking on monitor.

[JG5_Zesphr]

Try e-bay, there's a steady stream of them on there. I got mine or £80 (cam and headset clip) but they're usually about £110 in good nick and quite popular 

[clouddancer]

If you buy Track IR, don't buy the track clip, it is too easily broken, get a DelanClip instead. It is  made of stainless steel instead of plastic, easy to attach to head phones.

[=EXPEND=Tripwire]

Yeah, the track clip was the only part that I ever had trouble with in all my years of TIR. I broke mine and had to try and hold it all back together with cable ties.

Started with the original Track IR 1 and never turned back.

 

Only reason I wouldn't recommend TrackIR now is if you have the budget for VR. 1:1 tracking rocks.

[Praetorious]

Like the other guys here said,get it man if you can,Ive had mine for 6 years and i wont fly without it,its just not doable after you get used to it,one thing, always remember to turn it off when your done, it has these little red LED's inside and like everything else they can die,it wasn't real cheap so i take good care of it but like a motor in your car its a initial investment, once you get it it will give you years of fun, i dont play the game enough to justify a VR so I'm plenty happy with the TIR.

[BraveSirRobin]

If you can't afford TrackIR, sell a child or an organ. Totally worth it.

[alvysinger]

I was also wondering about if it would be worth to get one, i ve seen many videos but i still not sure if its as good when you have only

one screen. How are you guys using it ? With typical 3-screen setup ?

 

The main doubt i have is about wether it easy to get used to look sideway to my screen or upside without really missing the screen itself ?

I know the system is customizable, but how many degress do you usually have to turn your head to get to look back for ex ?

 

Regards and thanks

Javi

[DD_Crash]

I was also wondering about if it would be worth to get one, i ve seen many videos but i still not sure if its as good when you have only

one screen. How are you guys using it ? With typical 3-screen setup ?

 

The main doubt i have is about wether it easy to get used to look sideway to my screen or upside without really missing the screen itself ?

I know the system is customizable, but how many degress do you usually have to turn your head to get to look back for ex ?

 

Regards and thanks

Javi

As you need to be looking at the screen, you can set it so you head moves say 15 degrees and the on screen head moves 180 if you want

This is for DCS

[[_FLAPS_]Grim]

YES! Never going back. 

[KG200_Volker]

Referring to the clip, if you don't mind getting your hands dirty you can do something like this:

 

 

 

It doesn't brake, and the position of the irs is the best, it seats over your neck so the translation of movement is perfect and balanced, also moving up/down+sideways and your face does not hide the irs anymore.

 

Extra is a connection with the battery pack that makes it wireless and a switch for on/off. My work is sloppy as you see, more careful craftsmen can make it nicer. (You need 2 batteries, the rest of them there are for the headset, longer lasting)

 

 

 

 

Oh, yes you will look silly no mater what, but no pain no gain!

Edited August 25, 2017 by KG200_Volker

[CanadaOne]

Can you turn Track IR on and off in-flight?

 

That would be a big plus for me.

[dburne]

Can you turn Track IR on and off in-flight?

 

That would be a big plus for me.

 

You can pause it.

[CanadaOne]

And it will put you back into standard flightstick and keyboard views, which you can then pop out of and back into Track IR?

 

Is it seemless, like changing views in-game, or do you have to pause the game and do the switching?

[dburne]

And it will put you back into standard flightstick and keyboard views, which you can then pop out of and back into Track IR?

 

Is it seemless, like changing views in-game, or do you have to pause the game and do the switching?

 

Yep sure will, very seamless and you can do whist flying. I assigned the pause for Track IR to a button on my joystick, and would pause it every now and then just to look around with the hat mainly in external views. Then I would press the button again to get my Track IR back again , all during flight.

Edited August 25, 2017 by dburne

[CanadaOne]

Sweet!

 

Thanks for that. ✌

[Boris_CRO]

Haven't read posts above because im a lazy one.

But to anwser the question; yes, headtracking is something you want to have.

Mind though that TrackIr is overpriced, you can download Opentrack software for free and buy a ps3 cam + custom headtrack combo for just a small price.

(example DelanClip - but you can find other products as well).