I would like to hear some thoughts of you how the newest TrackIr would compare to a second (flat 17 inch) monitor as to situational awareness and readability of gauges. It would help me choosing a suitable Christmas present :-))Herrie

I tried both setup and I like trackIR much better. I think 2 monitor will do you more good if you fly 2D panels only.I got my trackIR from gogamer.com. Their trackIR 3pro is only $99 and they offer a free game with any TrackIR 4 purchase for $179.00. That was the best deal I found online.Jason

Hi Herrie,I have the TrackIR3 Pro. It absolutely revolutionised my simming experience IMO. I have two monitors (19" flatscreen - primary & 19" CRT - secondary). I don't use the secondary monitor that much as the guages are so clear these days in the good cockpits (PMDG etc). The added advantage of the TrackIR is that you have 6 degrees of axis - as you move your head toward the screen, the view gets closer too !! Couple this with lightning quick frames, I get all the awareness I need as quick as i need.Personally I couldn't be without the TrackIR now !!I'm sure others will have differing opinions - but thats just my two pennies / cents worth..... ;-) Hope this helps a bit ?RegardsEddy (North Wales - UK):-beerchug

Wow.. this is exactly what I was choosing between as an Xmas present to myself. Great comments so far; anxious to see more.I fly in Windowed mode on a 17" LCD, shifting between 2D and VC as the situation requires. But recently, I saw a little fraps movie that a friend made with the TrackIR and really marveled at the movement.The thing I didn't understand is how it can be so smooth. What I mean by this is that I, too, "move" about the VC using the hat on my joystick.... but doing so is nowhere near as smooth as what I see with the TrackIR. My friend told me that, when he used his hat, it was the same: not smooth at all. But with TrackIR, it's smooth as can be. Have others had a similar experience?Again, thanks for the feedback on this question!

Yes either trackIR or active camera feel much smoother than using default FS panning. I am not sure why and I don't bother researching it. :)

TrackIR3 Pro runs at, I believe 120 frames per second. Be careful not to confuse this FS9 FPS though. It produces what I can only describe on my system (P4 3.2ghz, 2048 Ram, 6800GT) as instant / lightning relay of images. Seriously slick - love it !!RgsEd

I've just purchased TrackIR 4 so I'll make this simple. Get it! Now!All the superlatives you can think of don't come close to the world of difference it makes. Only drawback though, is when you take a sly sip of that 20 year old single malt - world goes crazy.Al:-wedge

>TrackIR3 Pro runs at, I believe 120 frames per second. Be>careful not to confuse this FS9 FPS though. It produces what I>can only describe on my system (P4 3.2ghz, 2048 Ram, 6800GT)>as instant / lightning relay of images. Seriously slick - love>it !!>>Rgs>>Ed>>The frames per second just refers to how many times the position of your head pointer is updated to track where you are looking. Has no affect on how FS9 looks.

I stopped using Track IR3 Pro. It gave me a headache.I now, I have three monitors for front view 180degree. Planning to add one for left window. all using wideview. This is more expensive cause of networked Pc environment. I am one of the few minority who don't like thoe IR3 Vector stuff.

>I stopped using Track IR3 Pro. It gave me a headache.Interesting... how did it give you a headache? Not having one, I'm not sure why this would happen. Is it because of the side-to-side eye movement? I'd be interested to know more.

Having both a second monitor and a TrackIR with Vector Expansion, I can tell you this: if my second monitor were to suddenly go heels-up, I'd be sad. If my TrackIR broke, I'd have to stop 'simming until I got a new one. It's just that integral to the whole experience for me now. Bear in mind that I do most of my flying in GA aircraft without complex panels, so it's VC all the way.Good luck with Santa!

I just cannot fly without trackIR, it is amazing, I have 2 LCD monitors, the second one I use it for FMC or SB3 or any other extra......oh oh and one more, I just got a 30'' Fresnel Lens OMG!!!! unbelivable!!!!

The way TrackIR works is that you can turn your head a little bit and the view changes a lot. For example, a 3 degrees turn on your head will have the same effect as turning your head 90 degrees in the virtual cockpit. Some (actually, more than a few) people might have headaches with that. Another thing about these accelerated movements make using the mouse in the VC difficult. On the other hand, if you don't have a problem with it (physically), it is a great device. Too bad that TrackIR doesn't have a trial period because people do realize they have a problem until they actually use it.

Thanks for the feedback. I hope Santa agrees with me that TrackIr is a fundamental tool for my flightsim experience (VC in GA). I worry a little bit though about this headache issue, cause I remember feeling dizzy when playing fast moving games like Colin McRae rally. I suppose my organ of equilibrium is not working 100%. But then again, dizzyness is not the same as a headache, and I do not suffer from that often (only when drinking a little too much of that superior old single malt ...).So if nobody of you will advise otherwise I'll order a TrackIr today. Thanks again!Herrie

>I just cannot fly without trackIR, it is amazing, I have 2>LCD monitors, the second one I use it for FMC or SB3 or any>other extra......oh oh and one more, I just got a 30'' Fresnel>Lens OMG!!!! unbelivable!!!!Hi Abraham!I am interested in buying a Fresnel Lens for my FS experience. Can you do a little "review"? Is it worth? What are advantages and disadvantages? Is there a loss of resolution? Where did you buy it? Thanks a lot!Marco