a couple of questions for the expert TrackIR users here

[Daniel choen 23]

Hey,

I am about to buy TrackIR 5 since i am tired of sing the hat switch on my yoke or the mouse+bar while on approach, so a couple of questions about it's usage:

 

1. before every flight session, should i do something? or is there any key that i can press which will turn it on automatically? since i am using ENB series i can not exit the game after it has started.

 

2. would you really recommend it with the NGX? is that a game changer? i am really looking forward to hear some good advice's, comments about it. 

 

cheers.

[aceridgey 330]

Hi Daniel,

 

Be prepared for divided opinion on this one, I am going to provide my cautious response :-).

 

Personally, It's a popular piece of hardware but really not for me. I find the physical movement of the head a little gimmicky as one is always looking straight ahead.. 

 

I also find it difficult pressing particular switches in the complex aircraft arena.

 

For me, Ezdok, fulfills all my needs in that sense, have you also considered ezdok?

 

Kindest regards,

 

Alex 

[Warmbrak 5]

Run the TrackIR app before you start FSX - TrackIR will detect when FSX is running and will be ready to go, no need to activate it once the simulator is running. During your simulation session you have the option to re-center your view, or to pause TrackIR entirely. TrackIR is a game changer in any high workload virtual cockpit, as you can view any panel or cockpit region with head movement alone (beats 2D panels any day of the week, my opinion at least). If you have a tricky view that you need to keep still, just pause TrackIR on that view (on FMC, radios etc), adjust knobs, press buttons, and resume the TrackIR. I won't say I am the most experienced user, but I have been using TrackIR for close to 8 years now if I'm not mistaken, and I have not looked back a single day since.

 

Good luck.

[Daniel choen 23]

Hi Daniel,

 

Be prepared for divided opinion on this one, I am going to provide my cautious response :-).

 

Personally, It's a popular piece of hardware but really not for me. I find the physical movement of the head a little gimmicky as one is always looking straight ahead.. 

 

I also find it difficult pressing particular switches in the complex aircraft arena.

 

For me, Ezdok, fulfills all my needs in that sense, have you also considered ezdok?

 

Kindest regards,

 

Alex 

Alex,

thanks for your answer, i am using Opus which kind of doing the same as EZDOK since there are dynamic movements and cameras.

 

Run the TrackIR app before you start FSX - TrackIR will detect when FSX is running and will be ready to go, no need to activate it once the simulator is running. During your simulation session you have the option to re-center your view, or to pause TrackIR entirely. TrackIR is a game changer in any high workload virtual cockpit, as you can view any panel or cockpit region with head movement alone (beats 2D panels any day of the week, my opinion at least). If you have a tricky view that you need to keep still, just pause TrackIR on that view (on FMC, radios etc), adjust knobs, press buttons, and resume the TrackIR. I won't say I am the most experienced user, but I have been using TrackIR for close to 8 years now if I'm not mistaken, and I have not looked back a single day since.

 

Good luck.

8 years is certainly great amount of time with such a program, i really appreciate your answer, cheers.

[smerriman 1]

I was a little skeptical when I was looking, but since getting it around 2 years ago I haven't looked back (no pun intended) great piece of kit and wouldn't fly without it, but as Alex said, perhaps not to everyone's liking.

 

Steve     

[neumanix 113]

I can't imagine simming without TrackIR either. It might cause a little nausea at first, but this should go away and it will feel perfectly natural after a while.

I have assigned the center and pause functions to two of the extra buttons on my mouse so I can easily re-center my view if needed and also pause the trackIR to keep the view steady when working with the CDU for example.

[masneoquil 66]

Since i start using it, it changed everything to me.

It certainly makes your life easier, but the fact that you're always looking at front it kind of weird, but you get used to it.

You can watch my videos on youtube or here in the video library, to see it in action.

 

Cheers,

[KaitheFly 5]

can't recall flying into Madeira (lpma) without using my precious TrackIR V. As Neumanix said, assign one button for centering and one for pause and you are fine. of couse it only makes sens when flying in VC but c'mon: thou shall not fly pmdg in 2d...

[masneoquil 66]

can't recall flying into Madeira (lpma) without using my precious TrackIR V. As Neumanix said, assign one button for centering and one for pause and you are fine. of couse it only makes sens when flying in VC but c'mon: thou shall not fly pmdg in 2d...

Amen to that, and even more helpful if you fly the Old Kai Tak approach!!

[oneill875 1]

It's absolutely a game changer, quite literally...

It definitely enhances immersion, particularly with flight sims and more so combat flight sims when you need to be " heads up".

 

I even use it for sim racing too.

 

As stated you set up profiles for different games and it will start up with windows.

[MarkW 1,490]

I have been using it for the last 5 years and really think it adds a lot to the sim.  Certainly takes some getting used to and I don't use if for all phases of the flight.  I use it for taxi, takeoff, approach and landing.  Setting up the aircraft and during cruise I prefer to just use the EzDok shortcut keys but when you are looking out of the windows and flying, there is nothing that beats it and if you ever need to do a visual approach turn its the only real way to properly judge the runway and timing of the turn.  I just used it on a flight the other day to PANC when the winds required landing on the runway 25L.  No way to do that effectively without it.

 

As for the startup, I personally use Alacrity to startup FSX, and TrackIR in the proper order.   Once its setup its easy.  Final note on TIR is to make sure you program a pause and re-center button.

[Lawyer+Pilot 126]

Neither EZDok nor Opus do anything approaching what TrackIR makes possible. It doesn't take long to realize the benefits of head tracking. Seemingly trivial things like turning onto a taxiway become much easier and natural. There's a reason a lot of flight instructors tell students to "keep your head on a swivel." TrackIR allows you to do that.

[Daniel choen 23]

thanks everyone for the great replays. one question though, where do i pick those shortcuts, for re center /turn it off/ on etc etc...

[William J.S.S 173]

When you run trackir, it can be outside the game without it even running, and you can set up buttons for shortcuts in there.

 

I have had the same ones set up for ages, and never even go into trackir anymore. I just click trackir, starts fsx, when loaded in the cockpit, i look at the center of my monitor, center it via my shortcut, and then fly.

 

I don't fly without it. It takes a couple days to get used to, but there are profiles and all sorts of settings you can make to make it very smooth. like i said, i have not touched it once set up in ages.

[radorabatin 24]

Hi all, just to add my experience, I fly only heavymetal, I enable trackir from startup till after takeoff, and than for landing and taxi. Initial trouble with nausea and oscilation of flown trajectory went away after few training circuits :-), what trackIr did for me is interesting: In 2009 I tried 737 level d sim in Malev training center, as a flightsim pilot I had trouble to flare, since I have a trackIr I don't have this problem, my last year session in CSA training center confirmed it, I had no trouble to determine visual approach path, no problem with flare and landing at all, it was 737-800 level d sim, so trackir brought another level of skills for me.

 

Rado