Is the TrackIR a worthwhile upgrade? Does it need the Pro Clip?
- Thread starter Elprez
- Start date
It's very good and I have used mine for many years mainly in flight sims.
The pro clip is a bit flimsy and mine has been taped up for sometime still works fine though.
Overall it's good but imho overpriced for the quality of the pro clip especially.
Found this as an alternate of which I just ordered the wireless one, will post update soon.
http://swcproducts.com/
The pro clip is a bit flimsy and mine has been taped up for sometime still works fine though.
Overall it's good but imho overpriced for the quality of the pro clip especially.
Found this as an alternate of which I just ordered the wireless one, will post update soon.
http://swcproducts.com/
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Absolutely worth it 
Best $120 (price when i bought it iirc) i ever spent on gaming. I havent tried the other head tracking options available, some of which cost less, but im totallly happy with trackir. I have had it about 2 years and once you get used to effortlessly looking around the cockpit and up and to the side for enemies, you will wonder how you did without it. An absolute must for any flight or space sim imo.
Best $120 (price when i bought it iirc) i ever spent on gaming. I havent tried the other head tracking options available, some of which cost less, but im totallly happy with trackir. I have had it about 2 years and once you get used to effortlessly looking around the cockpit and up and to the side for enemies, you will wonder how you did without it. An absolute must for any flight or space sim imo.
It's fun, but awkward to use in Elite. Mine have sat in a drawer and not been plugged in for probably years. I'd put the money towards a VR headset instead.
Cool! Mine is on the way from Amazon. Thanks for the suggestions!
I love mine, and will always use it if I can.
Cons:
It's very breakable.
Your significant other will take the **** out of you because you look like a cheap Borg.
If you play on your laptop without it, you will nod your head up and down like a crazy person.
Cons:
It's very breakable.
Your significant other will take the **** out of you because you look like a cheap Borg.
If you play on your laptop without it, you will nod your head up and down like a crazy person.
The TrackIR gets a thumbs up from me too. I didn't bother with the Pro Clip (I've heard quite a lot of negative comments about the quality of the pro clip and, despite not being a hat wearer, have grown perfectly accustomed to wearing a baseball cap while playing - despite my signficant other mercilessly taking the mickey out of my "space hat"). Head Tracking adds so much to the game that I can't really put it into words other than to say that it's just brilliant and I can't really play without it now).
The issue (which puzzled me before I bought it) where you're turning your head while still keeping your eyes focused on the screen (which, of course, remains directly in front of you) ... in practice is not an issue at all. Your brain just copes with it effortlessly.
One added bonus which I had not expected is that the "target ahead" function actually targets what you're looking at and not what your ship is pointing at. This means you can look to your right (for example) and target another ship (or planet or USS) while you're flying past it.
I should add that I've also heard great things about the EDTracker which is a hell of a lot cheaper.
Oh, and one other point worth mentioning is that it can be light sensitive. I play in a darkened room but if it's a very sunny day and somebody opens a curtain for example then that can play havoc with it.
The issue (which puzzled me before I bought it) where you're turning your head while still keeping your eyes focused on the screen (which, of course, remains directly in front of you) ... in practice is not an issue at all. Your brain just copes with it effortlessly.
One added bonus which I had not expected is that the "target ahead" function actually targets what you're looking at and not what your ship is pointing at. This means you can look to your right (for example) and target another ship (or planet or USS) while you're flying past it.
I should add that I've also heard great things about the EDTracker which is a hell of a lot cheaper.
Oh, and one other point worth mentioning is that it can be light sensitive. I play in a darkened room but if it's a very sunny day and somebody opens a curtain for example then that can play havoc with it.
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I absolutely love mine... and yes I'd recommend getting both clip types.. The pro clip is much better if you're using headphones but sometimes I like to use speakers and use the other one clipped on a hat..
It takes a little while to get used to and adjust to your taste but once you get it right it's fantastic
It takes a little while to get used to and adjust to your taste but once you get it right it's fantastic
This exactly.
Slopey
Volunteer Moderator
TrackIR is an essential piece of hardware for any simmer - Elite or otherwise. Don't bother with the pro-clip, it's flimsy, and you'll eventually stand up and walk away (especially if you have a wireless headset) and rip it to pieces - hat-clip ftw.
As for saving money for VR - get both. Sometimes you don't want to play with a VR headset on for a number of reasons, and to loose headtracking when you don't have it on feels terrible, so ensure you have the TrackIR to hand for those "not in the HMD" sessions.
I've had one since the first iteration came out, and they're indispensible.
As for saving money for VR - get both. Sometimes you don't want to play with a VR headset on for a number of reasons, and to loose headtracking when you don't have it on feels terrible, so ensure you have the TrackIR to hand for those "not in the HMD" sessions.
I've had one since the first iteration came out, and they're indispensible.
Well I recieved my swcproducts.com wireless pro clip..
Runs of 2 AA size Alkaline or Rechargeable batteries and I must say it works very well as an alternative to the pro clip, especially at £19.99.
You notice the weight difference right away but after a while not too noticable, a bit agricultural finish to it as well but seems quite sturdy unlike the pro clip from trackir.
One bugbear are the cable ties to secure to your headphones.
Runs of 2 AA size Alkaline or Rechargeable batteries and I must say it works very well as an alternative to the pro clip, especially at £19.99.
You notice the weight difference right away but after a while not too noticable, a bit agricultural finish to it as well but seems quite sturdy unlike the pro clip from trackir.
One bugbear are the cable ties to secure to your headphones.
Only worth having if you don't want VR in your life at all. It was a godsend back in the day, but I have no need of it now that VR is hear.
Still is a godsend without having to shell out on a new gfx card plus the vr headset.
Oculus going for £899 + say £350 for an appropriate gfx card, a bit pricey that especially as the technology isn't quite up to scratch.
Actually, VR is up to scratch in terms of my personal expectations. It's all about the experience and wittle pixie windows looking into a wittle pixie sized uniserve isn't up to scratch at all in 2016, imo.
The Rift is currently $599 - I think in the UK mine cost £500. Expensive, but not £899, £50 shy of being half of your figure in fact. For £899 you would get a Rift and a very good GPU!!
The experience that the TrackIR provides is nowhere near comparable to what VR provides, even when taking into account VR's current short commings. TrackIR + Pro Clip retails on Amazon for £199 - personally speaking I'd save the additional £300 at that point and then turn all my in game settings down until I had enough money to upgrade my GPU.
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Of course not, they're completely different things. But if approx. £100 pounds (or far less if you go EDTracker) seems affordable and approx. £600 does not seem affordable then head tracking enhances the game enormously and is well worth the money.