Hardware & Technical Tobii 4C eye tracker vs TrackIR ... a personal review

[MottiKhan]

I consider it to be value for my money. At $170 for the pro, it doesn't exactly break the bank. The basic model can be had for about $145.00. Buying it means that I don't have to spend my time fiddling with it. From what I saw so far, it just works. There are cheaper options if you have time to build and configure one. No harm, no foul ether way.

A for profit company deserves it's method of surviving. Even thriving if it can.

 

[jasonbarron]

I consider it to be value for my money. At $170 for the pro, it doesn't exactly break the bank. The basic model can be had for about $145.00. Buying it means that I don't have to spend my time fiddling with it. From what I saw so far, it just works. There are cheaper options if you have time to build and configure one. No harm, no foul ether way.

A for profit company deserves it's method of surviving. Even thriving if it can.

I think that's a great point and one that gets overlooked all too often; a for profit company exists to make a profit. I'm guessing certain people who would about that probably are also leading the charge to complain about Fdev charging extra for Horizons over the base game.

Speaking of tracking options that work just as good and don't break the bank; EDTracker Pro works just as good as TrackIR and costs roughly $50.00 and works right out of the box. I actually think it's a better product overall.

 

[FoxTwo]

Just to throw it in here, as a bit of trivia for TrackIR.

Should you wish to use only ONE reflective dot to track using modern TrackIR (such as TrackIR 5), and you are willing to sacrifice 6 DOF for 2 DOF (X and Y only), you can. Just install the older v4.xx software for it, and you're all done.

I did this research because I'm on TrackIR 3, which is only 2 DOF, and I did NOT purchase the "Vector" upgrade to bring it to 6 DOF. I am happy with sticking reflective pieces of dots everywhere, like on my spectacles. So, technically I don't wear a cap nor a headset with that clip thing. It is just an extra dot on the bridge of my spectacles.

ONE dot.

And yes the dot is still on my spectacles when I stop playing ED. Most people in daily life don't even notice that dot.

Ok, well this is the research I did, but never done it in practice because.... my TrackIR 3 still works, and I have no reason to get a TrackIR 5

Thanks to OP for this review. I am currently using FaceTrackNoIR, and have been debating on which upgrade to migrate to- as FaceTrack does not seem as precise as it should. Lots of wobble.

Well then Tobii also has the wobbles. Even with (or especially due to?) eye tracking. Sometimes I might turn my head left to look at the menu, but my eyes will look RIGHT towards the holo of the target. So the screen shifts ("wobble"?). If I deadzone eye-tracking completely and make it track purely by head-tracking, the minimal lag makes you imprecise... you tend to overshoot your target position because when your head is there, the screen isn't... so you turn MORE... then the screen catches up and you overshoot... and the left menu comes up, and goes down again cuz you've just overshot it.

TrackIR is hideously overpriced proprietary anti-competitive garbage, which is only popular because it has been around since the days of the old flight simulators. The only reason it is so popular, is because they won't allow ANYONE to remotely copy their design, software or in some cases, the concept.

While I sympathise with your cause, my post is meant as a comparative review of 2 products made by 2 different for-profit companies. Both are equally guilty in hiding and restricting access to their API. Tobii even changed the way it works and stopped earlier attempts by people trying to fool it with "<gamename>.exe" to make it work with games that it did not officially support - ie fake a game exe that it supports, so that it "works" and the actual game they want it to work with should work. Such as faking "EliteDangerous.exe" to make Tobii work, then running Evochron Mercenary so that it works inside EM.

Now it specifically looks for the full path of the game EXE before it would "work" if the game did not support it internally. So games like ED doesn't support it "internally" so it must be in Tobii's official support before it'd work.

New games such as Ghost Recon Wildlands and Farming Simulator supports Tobii internally, ie there is a menu option for Tobii configuration inside the game... these do not need the Tobii gaming support extensions.

 

[Marc_Hicks]

A very useful & timely review, OP. I'd been leaning towards the Tobii, but now I'm thinking the TrackIR might be my best bet.

For something that is effectively free, FacetrackNOIR is proving very useful too.....once you get used to it .

 

[Kaltern]

Not afraid of strong opinions I see. What kind of head tracking gear do you use?

I have a habit of not sugarcoating much. I try to not be TOO abrasive tho. I generally use EDTracker when I feel like it, but with triple monitors, I only wish I could have a middle-top one so I could look up. Although I did own a Rift, and there is literally NOTHING that comes close the tracking awesomeness of that setup.

While I sympathise with your cause, my post is meant as a comparative review of 2 products made by 2 different for-profit companies. Both are equally guilty in hiding and restricting access to their API. Tobii even changed the way it works and stopped earlier attempts by people trying to fool it with "<gamename>.exe" to make it work with games that it did not officially support - ie fake a game exe that it supports, so that it "works" and the actual game they want it to work with should work. Such as faking "EliteDangerous.exe" to make Tobii work, then running Evochron Mercenary so that it works inside EM.

Oh, I have no 'cause', I'm not going to put a curse on anyone who buys it I just thought I'd mention it because, as you have already pointed out, Tobii also restrict their API. Although, my main problem is that TrackIR was a standard 17 years ago, and it was only AFTER it became a standard, they then decided to lock it down. NaturalPoint, Tobii, on more recently, Oculus all want to lock their API's down to stifle competition, and it isn't very good for the consumer.

 

[Mattaka]

+1 rep

Perfect timing as I've been in the same battle as all of you guys, tobii or trackir. Research says Trackir, coolness factor says tobii. However as a Tracknoir user atm I too am sick of the tracking wobbles and the loss of focus if I scratch my nose or look away or sometimes even smiling makes it lose tracking. Its a cool piece of software but if I'm gonna be doing the 'combaty thaing' which I do want to it has to be trackir. Plus its natively supported in my other flight sim games so no arsing around with those tiny boxes in tracknoir.

TLDR; I pulled the trigger on TrackIr and a complete CH setup (stick, throttle and pedals). I'm very broke now...

 

[DaelRa]

I was hoping Tobii would free me from any headwear but it looks like I'll be sticking with Track IR.

I've got the normal Track IR. I've no intention of getting the Pro clip because I hate wearing headsets. I hate wearing caps too but I compromised and got a golf visor which is about as headwearless as I could manage.

 

[Sylow]

I have the 4c but no TrackIR. So i can't make the comparison for the two devices, but i think i have to comment on some of the points of criticism stated on the device here.
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- Accuracy. There is some "wobble" in the detection of where the eye looks, which is very logical knowing how the eye works. This is a roblem in some other games e.g. WarhammerVermintide. I can use the eyetracker to aim ranged weapons, but i usually miss. The devices "wobble" is bigger than a mansized target is wide at 150 meters distance. That being said, with proper settings this is not an issue in Elite Dangerous. I can control my camera perfectly fine here.
.
- "Random movement". This very much is a matter of adjustment, not only technical but also personal. The first day of using the Tobii device, my camera went nuts, and while adjusting the parameters in the software helped a bit, things actually only got better after using the device for a few days, till i learned to control my eye movement. I guess many people will adjust faster, but i also fear that for some it'll be impossible to get enough "eye control" to ever work well with the device. (I still think that ED could use a HUD rework, this would help users of eye tracking as well as of VR devices a lot. )
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- Scope of movement. The old EyeX had adjustable fields of view and i found that to work very well. (Yes, i have both devices, i got the 4c at the special offer for owners of the EyeX. ) For the 4c i at the start experienced massive problems when trying to look up. The device just did not allow me to get my camera up very far. (While it tended to show me my feet a lot. ) Adjusting the speed setting in the devices software helped a bit, but came with other problems. But the last two updates both seem to have improved tracking for vertical head movement. By gut feeling i would say that there's still room for improvement, but as long as you accept somewhat high speed setting it's quite useable by now.
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- Range. This is my permanent gripe with both devices from Tobii. A comfortable sitting position while using a HOTAS results in a certain distance to the monitor. Unfortunately this is already at the very upper limit of the devices accuracy. (I am significally closer to the device when playing something with keyboard and mouse, but even then i am in the upper half of what Tobii states as the devices range. ) Increasing the devices tracking range by 20 cm would really be awesome.
.

 

[FoxTwo]

- Accuracy. There is some "wobble" in the detection of where the eye looks, which is very logical knowing how the eye works. This is a roblem in some other games e.g. WarhammerVermintide. I can use the eyetracker to aim ranged weapons, but i usually miss. The devices "wobble" is bigger than a mansized target is wide at 150 meters distance. That being said, with proper settings this is not an issue in Elite Dangerous. I can control my camera perfectly fine here.

Compared with the TrackIR, Tobii is imprecise. Whether with or without eye-tracking. You need to have both to see the difference. It's like night and day when it comes to accuracy. When I got the Tobii, I used it exclusively for a couple of weeks. I thought "I could use this!" too. Only later on did I switch back to TrackIR, and immediately all these differences became apparent.

- "Random movement". This very much is a matter of adjustment, not only technical but also personal. The first day of using the Tobii device, my camera went nuts, and while adjusting the parameters in the software helped a bit, things actually only got better after using the device for a few days, till i learned to control my eye movement. I guess many people will adjust faster, but i also fear that for some it'll be impossible to get enough "eye control" to ever work well with the device. (I still think that ED could use a HUD rework, this would help users of eye tracking as well as of VR devices a lot. )

It's not "random movements" per se, it's the response times - there's a very slight minimal lag between moving eyes/turning head and the screen actually moving. You don't notice it as much when using eye-tracking (because the head isn't moving). So when you look at something the screen isn't where it's supposed to be for a very brief moment. It's very apparent to TrackIR users. As I said, FD **once** did try a "smoothing" method for head trackers in one of the ED patches, long before Horizons. The forums exploded with howls of fury from TrackIR users because we all noticed it immediately, no matter how "slight" the lag-time is. A patch to remove the smoothing was done the following week.

Why did I mention this? Because the way the Tobii moves the screen is just like how the screen moved when FD did that "smoothing" patch - smooth, like gliding. TrackIR users are used to instant response, the screen just snaps to where we're turning our heads to look. There's no gentle acceleration "to get there". The TrackIR turns exactly as fast as we turn our heads. The screen MATCHES how our heads are turned. The Tobii "accelerates" to it. Hard to describe, need to experience TrackIR's precise and instant response to know Tobii is lacking in this department.

- Scope of movement. The old EyeX had adjustable fields of view and i found that to work very well. (Yes, i have both devices, i got the 4c at the special offer for owners of the EyeX. ) For the 4c i at the start experienced massive problems when trying to look up. The device just did not allow me to get my camera up very far. (While it tended to show me my feet a lot. ) Adjusting the speed setting in the devices software helped a bit, but came with other problems. But the last two updates both seem to have improved tracking for vertical head movement. By gut feeling i would say that there's still room for improvement, but as long as you accept somewhat high speed setting it's quite useable by now.

It's just ONE GRAPH for all axis. Adjusting speed in one direction affects all other directions.

Compare this:

TrackIR:

Spoiler

To this:

Tobii:

Spoiler

Notice that in TrackIR, left and right, up and down can have different sensitivity? I configured my "up" to be MORE sensitive and "down" to be normal sensitivity. I configured my "RIGHT" to be more sensitive than my "LEFT". In Tobii, only one single graph for everything.

If you're talking about this:

Spoiler

This is for EYE-TRACKING only. Ignore my 40% responsiveness... this was an earlier attempt by me to deadzone eye tracking so the screen wouldn't jump as much. I don't use eye-tracking for ED if I use the Tobii now.

 

[TOGSolid]

I had a TrackIR 4 for years and loved it before it finally fell in battle due to multiple moves and a general hard life lived. I was wondering whether I should give the 4C a shot instead of just getting a new TrackIR but what sold me on going back to a TrackIR are the logistics of using the 4C. I don't really want a devices that is going to adjust where I look depending on where my eyes are because if I go to glance at something to read it or check a notification or whatever then my actual view will change even if I'm just glancing at the chat window for half a second. Pure head tracking is far more natural and ultimately more precise since you can then look in a general direction and glance wherever without the game then adjusting the camera pointlessly. Sure, there are head tracking options on the 4C but at that point I might as well just get the TrackIR anyway if that's all I want out of the device.

The 4C would probably be fine for trading, exploration, and stuff like that but I'm primarily a combat pilot so the TrackIR won hands down.

 

[Stargrease]

Took the plunge and bought TrackIR 5- and i'm glad i did- no fiddling about trying to "gain" a signal, the thing just works. I wear the hat clip (when did hats become so hated? who cares? you're at home!), and its great. TBH, i havent messed with deadzones, curves or anything because im having too much fun to think about it. I can use it in other games i play and that makes it that much better of a worthy purchase. yeah, its pricey, but when you can hold that look over your shoulder for the runway, or gauge that corner doing 120 mph, or when that FDL gets in your sights...worth every penny. cheers.

 

[FoxTwo]

I wear the hat clip (when did hats become so hated? who cares? you're at home!), and its great.

It starts to grate at you after a few months (or years, depending on tolerance levels).

Personally I've never needed to wear a hat cuz my TrackIR is an old model, works with only ONE dot, which I pasted onto the bridge of my spectacles ("prescription glasses" for the Yanks). Nobody ever actually noticed nor commented on that dot in my daily life

But I can imagine the hassle it would be if you always needed to "get the hat" when you play ED (or any game).

TBH, i havent messed with deadzones, curves or anything because im having too much fun to think about it.

Yeah the default curves are pretty good, and work for most people out of the box.

You only need to mess with curves when a specific game is finicky about it, or when you have a physical limitation... for example, I can't turn my head to the left as much as I can to the right (neck problems), so having separate left/right curves for TrackIR helps a lot.

Personally I always have a specific profile for each game, even if it's copied directly from another game. Point being, if I needed to adjust anything due to some quirks of the current game, only the profile for this game gets changed - the profiles for the other games remain as they are.

As such, I have an "ED Profile" for ED, an "ETS2 Profile" for ETS2.... even if the curves for both are the same cuz I copied the ETS2 profile over to ED. If I ever change anything in ED profile, my ETS2 one remains unaffected.

An example of why you may NEED to change the axis sensitivity - Because in ED, "looking straight up" is pretty important due to combat, and in ETS2, looking up can be practically ignored. If I suddenly decided to adjust my Y axis, had I been using 1 profile for all games, all games would be affected. However by having separate profiles, my ED profile could have a sensitive and responsive "look up" while my ETS2 profile remains as-is.

 

[TOGSolid]

I just hang my TrackIR hat on my HOTAS stick so it's almost like putting on the helmet before climbing in the ship