tackIR questions

[ringus]

Hi,

Thinking about buying it so short question is it worth it.

First off I have gone from 1 monitor to three, and its pretty but not actually much use , it would have been a lot of money for no gain (thankfully I didn't get the monitors for elite)

So will trackIR actually help .. I think it would be great to look around for situational awareness in combat as a result I will improve.. am I kidding myself?

Also I seen two packages

TrackIR 5 with Track Clip Pro Bundle
TrackIR 5 with Track Clip Pro Bundle and Vector Clip

What is a vector clip? Do I need it?

many thanks

 

[blacky75]

I use the track ir5 and couldn't step back... for me it's a must have. Got 3 screens 32" since a few month..... and it's all just perfect! Just can recommend it

 

[Steve72]

To see if you would use it or even need it. You could download open track2.3 it comes with android software and you can use it with your phone for free. Have no experience with trackir which I assume is superior but for free give it a go. I quite like it but your headphone feel heavy with phone strapped on. Thankfully have s3mini.

 

[Polared]

Hi,
TrackIR 5 with Track Clip Pro Bundle
TrackIR 5 with Track Clip Pro Bundle and Vector Clip

What is a vector clip? Do I need it?

many thanks

.
the vector clip is a passive reflector thingy that you put on a baseball cap, it's basically what the tracker tracks to follow your head movement, it comes as standard with the tracker kit
.
http://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/630/630364/trackir-3pro-20050630062230732.jpg
.
the clip pro does the same thing but is a powered led array that you attach to your headphones, requires power via usb, and works a bit better than the standard vector and is more comfortable, assuming you like wearing headphones
.
http://www.trackir.eu/shop/images/trackir/TrackClipPRO-black-headset.jpg
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i use the latter and wouldn't want to play the game without it TBH
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with the clip pro you can get around the pain of having the power lead plugging in to your computer by wrapping the cable around the head band of the headset and velcroing a usb battery charger to the other ear cup, instant "wireless" niceness : )
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i use one of these
http://tinyurl.com/qdhz4db

 

[ringus]

great ...itching to get this.. but has this helped your in combat.. or is it just wow that's cool. I am okay at combat really struggle against elite condors assignation missions will win 1 in 4(dog fighting not staying miles back). But I guess the fact that I do win makes me ok?

 

[Bobbydylan]

Just be carefull with the pro clip. Mine was Dead on arrival... Not sure what to do about it.

 

[ReaperAlex]

TrackIR is essentially 3 infrared LED's and a infrared sensor. turns out all webcams pick up infrared light, they just have a filter to remove them. so with some DIY hacking people have made their own solutions for the cost of a webcam plus a few quid in extra parts.

that said you can get a pre-made solution that's no frills functionality from delanengineering.com

they will wire the LED's up for you, and can also supply a hacked webcam with the filters swapped about to make them suitable for head tracking. you're looking at about £40 for that and a bit of time fiddling with a way to attack the clip to your head (mine are taped on to my logitech headset).

so if you're unsure of the value given your monitor setup then you could look down that avenue.

the one thing i will say though, being able to look up to see where a ship is in a banking war is a real boon for me. it also makes flying round large objects (stations/asteroids) a lot easier as i can look at the object i'm flying round to better see where the next sticking out bit is.

 

[Polared]

Just be carefull with the pro clip. Mine was Dead on arrival... Not sure what to do about it.

just get in touch with their customer support, they're very good about that sort of thing, and if it's still under warrantee usually replace without any fuss, or at least they used to.
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also, i always recommend that people get some sugru, and paste it around the lever arm to strengthen it, as soon as they get a clip pro. they used to be very brittle due to the plastic that was used, heard they were changing that though so might be better now.

 

[Starbuckz]

Regardless of your questions I strongly recommend NOT getting a TrackIR.
Build one yourself or order a pre-assembled EDTracker or something. That will cost you 30 bucks compared to 170 for the exact same results.

There really is not a single reason, not a single one why TrackIR is that expensive. It's cheap materials and only average built quality. There is no secret technology or anything in there,
just some cheap stuff you would have lying around at home anyway. Save yourself the money.

 

[Polared]

great ...itching to get this.. but has this helped your in combat.. or is it just wow that's cool. I am okay at combat really struggle against elite condors assignation missions will win 1 in 4(dog fighting not staying miles back). But I guess the fact that I do win makes me ok?

.
definitely helps, and way more immersive not just in combat but also just flying around in general. the only minor drawback, particularly in combat, is that you momentarily loose sight of your hud info as you look up/to the side, but well worth it, i think!

@starbuckz, can't agree with you personally, not knocking EDtracker, it's a great initiative, but personal not for me! i WOULD recommend track ir myself to anybody! but it would be nice if it was a bit cheaper though!

 

[QziQza]

Yeah, definately worth checking out EDTracker 1st.. same bang for much less money! You can buy kits to make it yourself, if you are savvy with a soildering iron, or they can build it for you, real nice guys too.

http://www.edtracker.org.uk/

EDTracker in action in ED

I'll include a link to Dans YouTube page too.. lots of vids on the equipment -

Brumster@youtube



Regards

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definitely helps, and way more immersive not just in combat but also just flying around in general. the only minor drawback, particularly in combat, is that you momentarily loose sight of your hud info as you look up/to the side, but well worth it, i think!

@starbuckz, can't agree with you personally, not knocking EDtracker, it's a great initiative, but personal not for me! i WOULD recommend track ir myself to anybody! but it would be nice if it was a bit cheaper though!

Have you tried EDTracker??

 

[Perjoss]

I bought the lastest version of track IR just to play ED, ive used it solidly for a month now and from what ive read of users going by the cheaper methods like using a ps3 cam etc, I have to say that track IR is very much over priced. The head tracking is nowhere near as good as something like oculus, its not a lag thing, it just seems to handle diagonal angles is a strange way, pitching alone and yawing on its own work just great, but combining the 2 just gives unnatural results. Dont get me wrong, the ability to look around increases immersion by a huge amount, but i feel that for tho price track IR feels like it could be a lot better. Just my opinion.

 

[Polared]

Have you tried EDTracker??

no, i haven't. i have no need, i've got a track ir, hence why i said i'm not knocking edtracker! have you tried track ir?

@perjoss, have a look at your axis settings! they're all configurable to get the setup that's most comfortable/natural for you.

 

[QziQza]

no, i haven't. i have no need, i've got a track ir, hence why i said i'm not knocking edtracker! have you tried track ir?

@perjoss, have a look at your axis settings! they're all configurable to get the setup that's most comfortable/natural for you.

Nope, but then i wasnt making a personal comparison between them, other than cost, nor was I knocking IR, I was just advising take a look at EDTracker 1st.

*sorry your comment '@starbuckz, can't agree with you personally' was a little ambiguous.

 

[blacky75]

great ...itching to get this.. but has this helped your in combat.. or is it just wow that's cool. I am okay at combat really struggle against elite condors assignation missions will win 1 in 4(dog fighting not staying miles back). But I guess the fact that I do win makes me ok?

Elite or other games (car races, fighter games, etc...), the TrackIR adds a dimension to it, as you can look and track with your head. Just already tracking a point you want to lock, is soo easy with headtracking rather than pointing the ship or what ever to it. So it's definitely not only cool, it's usefull. I don't know a person who would say: track ir? never again....

 

[gump1119]

You get used to using TrackIR so quickly that after about 30 minutes of use, it actually becomes disorienting to NOT use it... That's how intuitive it is. It's great being able to look up and sideways when in combat without even thinking about it and still being able to control your ship. I think it's worth it.

 

[Flak]

I have TrackIR 5 and is one of the best additions to ED to be honest. Following ships as they pass overhead in a dogfight really does help. Turning your head left and right also activates the side panels - brilliant!

One reason I would say NOT to buy a TrackIR is that Oculus Rift is going to make an appearance at some point this year (hopefully sooner rather than later)

 

[ReaperAlex]

i was trying to look about in spintires after getting so used to it in elite. wasn't just once either, it was for 2 full gaming sessions in a row!

head tracking is just the muts nuts

would be interesting to know what the difference is between the full prices TrackIR and the no frills Delanclip with regards to in game performance. i know the delan clip looks really raw, it's just cables on metal with no casing to black box it, but that raw functionality is fine with me. but how do the 2 compare at the tracking side of things? with a 120fps 640 res sony cam the delan clip can certainly be paired with a good sensor, but what would the stats on the TrackIR sensor be?

 

[FrighNaar]

I use TrackIR 5 and I'd say it is definitely worth it. (If you want to try it out first, some others have sugested cheaper options)

Aside from the better imersion a head tracker has some aditional belefits
a) I use it to open the navigation and status/systems/cargo menu by just looking at them.
b) You can target an object by just looking at it and pressing the "Target Object Ahead"-button