Questions about Trackir 5?

[Elijah]

I've got a few hundred hours into ETS2 and abrely 50 in ATS, and so far I've played with a keyboard, controller and a wheel. And it's fine I guess, but I've wanted to maybe invest in a trackir, simply cause the game becomes more realistic right. I have a few questions about the product though, like is it worth it? It's a lot of money for two games, one of them I don't play too much though. Paying 160$ for head movement in ETS2 seems a little overpowered doesn't it?

Does anyone else have one, if so what do you guys think about it?

[Elijah]

Originally posted by Mohegan Moh1336:

Word of warning I tried a free alternative for TrackIR a while back (facetracknoIR) and it was so sluggish and iffy that it put me off head tracking completely.

However at the start of the year I came into a bit of money, not much mind, but enough that taking a punt on TrackIR was a realistic option, while it may be pricey it blows the pants of all the free options and variations I have tried.

I didn't get the Pro clip as I've heard it feels a bit flimsy and cheap, where the cheaper hat clip is actually quite robust. If you're considering TrackIR I can give it nothing but praise. ALso bare in mind TrackIR can be used with many games, not just ETS/ATS.

Oh yes I know which games it's compatible with and none of them seems interesting at all to me at the moment. As I've mentioned above it looks like it wont happen this month, it's not only 140$, it's also shipping on 50$ for me so it's simply just not worth it at the moment :(

[rogerhopkins9]

Is anyone using Etracker

[skmcconnell361]

Originally posted by Nono54Fr:

There is some alternative to TrackIR, like FaceTrackNoir, FreeTrack and OpenTrack.

I use the "FaceTrackNoir" and it works great. You just need a web cam such as Logitech C270, I spent something like $30 for the web cam but that is all I put out. It been too long ago I don't remember where I got the FaceTrackNoir but you should be able to goggole it and find it.

[meofcourse920]

I recently bought one with a pro clip since the hat clip was crap. The way i use it is i only activate it when i need to turn left and right for blind spot and deactivate when i drive straight. It also auto centers the cabin which is nice. Only using it for ATS for now.

[Madkiwi Gaming]

Best money of spent so far in addition to the mega shifter. For me its well worth the money. And in australia it was $300.

[Elijah]

Originally posted by Madkiwi Gaming:

Best money of spent so far in addition to the mega shifter. For me its well worth the money. And in australia it was $300.

Totally forgot I even made this post, I get so many notifications on steam I can barely keep up. 300$ is way to much money man, even if it's australian dollar...

I've looked over my budget and if it goes the way I think it will I might be able to get a trackir, maybe though. But with a bit of moving around my cash it could possibly work out just fine, we'll see I guess.

[Elijah]

Originally posted by 920meofcourse™:

I recently bought one with a pro clip since the hat clip was crap. The way i use it is i only activate it when i need to turn left and right for blind spot and deactivate when i drive straight. It also auto centers the cabin which is nice. Only using it for ATS for now.

Other people say the pro clip is grabage though, I might look over a few videos to see the difference between them..

It also has to work with my headset as well so I might save money by just getting the standard thing :D

[Verloc]

I've been using one for years and it's the single most transformative equipment for my driving experience to date. The Vive would beat it if not for the low pixel density, which is a big issue for games where seeing distant objects is important.

If you buy one, I would suggest using a smooth profile with the deadzones removed. A lot of people I see using TrackIR with heavy deadzones because they feel uncomfortable not being tethered to the default FPS camera. However they are really missing out. Once you get used to it, a no-deadzone profile feels WAY more natural. It is a similar headtracking experience to sitting VR (sans the depth perception and natural FoV of course)

As for TrackClipPro vs the hat clip, it really depends. For some headphones the TrackClipPro is more comfortable, like the AKG K712 I'm using now. For my older cans I preferred the hat clip with a baseball hat, and with no headphones it's the obvious choice.

The TrackClipPro definetly feels way more fragile, but mine is still in mint condition after 5+ years of use. TrackClipPro aslso gives a stronger cleaner signal and doesn't need the IR floodlights of the TrackIR to be on (which can heat up the device), but this doesn't make a difference in performance during normal use. It can help though if there's IR glare in the room, usually a low sun being reflected by some materials, but the best solution in these cases is to darken the room.

[Elijah]

Originally posted by Verloc:

I've been using one for years and it's the single most transformative equipment for my driving experience to date. The Vive would beat it if not for the low pixel density, which is a big issue for games where seeing distant objects is important.

If you buy one, I would suggest using a smooth profile with the deadzones removed. A lot of people I see using TrackIR with heavy deadzones because they feel uncomfortable not being tethered to the default FPS camera. However they are really missing out. Once you get used to it, a no-deadzone profile feels WAY more natural. It is a similar headtracking experience to sitting VR (sans the depth perception and natural FoV of course)

As for TrackClipPro vs the hat clip, it really depends. For some headphones the TrackClipPro is more comfortable, like the AKG K712 I'm using now. For my older cans I preferred the hat clip with a baseball hat, and with no headphones it's the obvious choice.

The TrackClipPro definetly feels way more fragile, but mine is still in mint condition after 5+ years of use. TrackClipPro aslso gives a stronger cleaner signal and doesn't need the IR floodlights of the TrackIR to be on (which can heat up the device), but this doesn't make a difference in performance during normal use. It can help though if there's IR glare in the room, usually a low sun being reflected by some materials, but the best solution in these cases is to darken the room.

All I was interested in your comment is the deadzone. What exactly do you mean by a smooth profile?

[Verloc]

@Dots

In the TrackIR software you can set up on a graph how much your virtual head turns compared to your real head at a given angle. If the value is one it's a 1:1 ratio, if it's higher your virtual head turns more than your real one. If it's zero, your virtual head won't turn in that region (i.e. a deadzone).

There are default profiles for this that you can modify freely to fit your needs. For example there's a One:One profile that maps 1:1 movement to the whole range, so your virtual head orientation is always the same as the real.

The Smooth profile has value 1 only at the 0° position (looking straight ahead) and increasingly higher values as you turn left or right. This means you get good resolution when you are close to looking straight ahead, but also a wider range of motion for your virtual head when turning further away. This is necessary so, for example, you can look behind you ingame while still looking at the monitor in real life.

The Deadzone profile has 0 value from ~ -5° to +5° which means until you turn your head outside that zone the virtual head remains in the straight ahead position. Many use this because it feels like the familiar rigid FPS view, personally I think it feels very jarring and unnatural, ruining an otherwise immersive experience.

[Nimir-Raj]

Originally posted by Dots:

it's not only 140$, it's also shipping on 50$ for me so it's simply just not worth it at the moment :(

Amazon.com... Free postage.

[Malkuth]

Can’t believe this system is the same one o bought like 7 years ago. Same price too. Dam. Figured they be on track IR 8 now.

[Elijah]

Originally posted by Mohegan Moh1336:

Originally posted by Dots:

it's not only 140$, it's also shipping on 50$ for me so it's simply just not worth it at the moment :(

Amazon.com... Free postage.

I'm from europe, I'm not eligable for free shipping, the only way to get it is by paying for shipping. And in my country only two sites have it and they're so expensive it would be cheaper to pay for shipping :(

[Elijah]

Originally posted by Malkuth:

Can’t believe this system is the same one o bought like 7 years ago. Same price too. Dam. Figured they be on track IR 8 now.

Right, also why it's shady to pay the cash. Not a shady company but dude, I will pay 140$ for a product which is almost a decade old :(

[Nimir-Raj]

Do you not have Amazon in your country? Get it from yours via the global store, the postage should still be free and the price includes customs fees.

That's how I got mine in the UK.

While the number might be the same it's not the same version that was released in 2009. The latest versions of the camera were developed in 2015/6.