Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
Dondo

TrackIR 4 opinions

Recommended Posts

I've had TrackIR 4 Pro (6DOF) for about a year now. Granted, I haven't simmed a whole lot in the last year due to spending time/money on my PPL. Which, I got btw..;) So, now that I have my license but can't really afford to fly as much as I want, I'm headed back to my sim. Which brings me to my TrackIR stuff. I've tried tweaking a few setting, tried setting my chair higher/lower to emulate where I sit and the view I have in the real C172, and I just can't seem to get it right. I've had to map a button on my yoke to shut TrackIR off so that I can actually "fly". I seem to have a heck of a time holding altitude, flying patterns, x-wind landings etc with TrackIR running. I will admit, that it is nice to look around with the autopilot holding altitude and doing my preflight is just cool with it.....but I just can't seem to get used to it. I know, it is probably more an issue with me and having 5000 hours behind a flight sim without TrackIR, but how long did it take for anyone else to get used to it and adopt the theory that you simply cannot fly without it?I'm still going to use it because it has so much potential, I just wish I could adapt.How does everyone else feel?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest Staggerwing

I've had mine for a couple of years now so can't remember how long it took to get used to, but it wasn't all that long..and that was all time spent making adjustments as there are more settings than you first think and once you spend the time to set things to your taste..it all comes together :-) Actual use within the sim is very natural and you just have to get used to the differential in head movements vs virtual head movements.Get the axis graphs up and drag those setting around for a bit.. it will come to you pretty quickly.One thing I do remember is that I needed to slow it down around the center of all axis and then speed it up towards the outer limits a bit. I'm set so my nose never points any farther than the side edge of the monitor so my eyes or head do not move all that much in any direction. First time I leaned over and bent down in the pattern to see the airport under a high wing and leaned over the side in an open cockpit to see the rwy or sat up straighter to see over the panel better... I was hooked :-)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

thanks for the reply. Can you share TrackIR setups? If so, might I ask for a copy of yours? I'd like to see the difference between my settings and yours.mtbiker70 at yahoo.comexcept change the yahoo to gmail

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest Staggerwing

Well, I never tried it before... I'll upload the .htm profile right here as a zip and see what happens.Again, settings are pretty much customized to each users tastes so might not be anything that you can use.You can also download other profiles from the NaturalPoint site if you want to experiment with some.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest Staggerwing

I'd rename it as "FStest" or something other than what it is, as I just copied it right out of the NaturalPoint folder. I should have renamed it myself before I uploaded it, but didn't think of it..Be sure to back up your copy of FS2004.hml just to be safe.just paste it into the "Profile" sub-folder in your NaturalPoint folder using Windows Explorer etc. then you should be able to selet it when you run TrackIR4.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

>I've had TrackIR 4 Pro (6DOF) for about a year now. Granted,>I haven't simmed a whole lot in the last year due to spending>time/money on my PPL. Which, I got btw..;) So, now that I>have my license but can't really afford to fly as much as I>want, I'm headed back to my sim. Which brings me to my>TrackIR stuff. I've tried tweaking a few setting, tried>setting my chair higher/lower to emulate where I sit and the>view I have in the real C172, and I just can't seem to get it>right. I've had to map a button on my yoke to shut TrackIR>off so that I can actually "fly". I seem to have a heck of a>time holding altitude, flying patterns, x-wind landings etc>with TrackIR running. I will admit, that it is nice to look>around with the autopilot holding altitude and doing my>preflight is just cool with it.....but I just can't seem to>get used to it. I know, it is probably more an issue with me>and having 5000 hours behind a flight sim without TrackIR, but>how long did it take for anyone else to get used to it and>adopt the theory that you simply cannot fly without it?>>I'm still going to use it because it has so much potential, I>just wish I could adapt.>>How does everyone else feel?Hi Dondo,I recently just began using TrackIR Pro and I am TOTALLY hooked!!! It took me a few days to get used to the movement, however when it came to landing, I, too, had problems... basically, I would end up hitting the F9 key to pause TrackIR when I was landing. But then I did some practice landings with various aircraft (I've noticed that each aircraft VC experience is just a little different with Track IR).. pretty soon, I was landing like a pro! I find that if I keep my head relatively still and don't bob around too much, I can usually land nice and smooth!Like you, I am a "real-world" private pilot and I probably average about 40-50hrs a month flying in the real world. So when I started using TRackIR, it gave me a much better feeling in the sim and an experience far more comparable to "real-world" flying!Just keep practicing with it and before you know it, you'll be greasing your landings just as you do when you're flying "for real"!Oh.. and just FYI.. with TrackIR pro, it's even MORE important to pick that "touchdown" spot and keep it in the same position in your view on the approach.. just as in real life... I promise you that you'll soon be flying like a pro and that you'll grow even MORE attached to TrackIR Pro!A funny little story... I use TrackIR Pro so much that I sometimes forget that I have the vector clip on my hat! Not long ago, I was getting in some "sim time" before running out the door for a dentist appointment... since it was a day-off for me, I was wearing casual clothes and my "ever-present" baseball cap! You should have seen the looks on peoples faces when I walked in to the dentist's office with the vector clip STILL ATTACHED to my baseball cap! It was tough to explain! So now, I always try to remember to take it off BEFORE I leave the house!!! :-xxrotflmao Have fun!!- Alex

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest NaturalPoint_Vince

Nice story at the end............ :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

that is pretty funny. I haven't walked out the door yet with my clip on, but I know that the day is coming...:)If ONLY I could land the real Skyhawk as well I can land my simulated one...lolI can only dream of getting 50 hours a month of real fly time. I'm closer to 3 or 4 hours a month. Matter of fact, I haven't flown in about 6 weeks!Dondo

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest Staggerwing

One of the reasons I have a TrackIR hat with the clip on it.. whole hat stays by the PC and second use is as a dust cover for the TrackIR unit, so can't wear it out of the house by accident :-lol

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

  • Tom Allensworth,
    Founder of AVSIM Online


  • Flight Simulation's Premier Resource!

    AVSIM is a free service to the flight simulation community. AVSIM is staffed completely by volunteers and all funds donated to AVSIM go directly back to supporting the community. Your donation here helps to pay our bandwidth costs, emergency funding, and other general costs that crop up from time to time. Thank you for your support!

    Click here for more information and to see all donations year to date.
×
×
  • Create New...