TrackIR Experience / Opinions Please

[vortex681 806]

4 minutes ago, threebears said:

Hi Peter.  I spend most of my time with the PMDG 737 or the Majestic Dash Q400, and hadn't thought about motion sickness as a possible issue. 😕 I 'chickened out' at the checkout, so haven't ordered anything yet.

See my previous post for a zero-cost way of checking out head tracking. I've been successfully using Opentrack for years after having compared it directly to TrackIR 5.

[Guest]

Assuming your hardware is up to it get a Samsung Odyssey+

VR is a vastly superior experience and level of immersion than TracKIR.

[vortex681 806]

14 minutes ago, Avidean said:

VR is a vastly superior experience and level of immersion than TracKIR.

But considerably more expensive, even if you don't need to update your hardware. TrackIR and Opentrack work well on quite old hardware.

Edited February 27, 2019 by vortex681

[vadriver 247]

3 hours ago, threebears said:

OK all, thanks everyone, that's clear.  😁 I'm off to the e-shops!!

andrew

a note of caution ...... TIR is susceptible to interference from nearby light sources though less so with the PRO Clip sensor (ie less so than the cheaper HAT Clip & more accurate)

[MarkDH 234]

Just now, vadriver said:

& more accurate)

Says who?

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

I'll add one more tip. Make sure that you follow the TIR installation instructions and have the correct legacy SimConnect library installed.  Also, if performance is an issue, the TIR camera can be set to "Standard". This setting is for TIR 4.0 and sends far less information via SimConnect, since the tracking density is coarser than for TIR 5.0.

[vadriver 247]

5 minutes ago, MarkDH said:

Says who?

freddy

[CB_Pilot 54]

I use TrackIR BUT - I also wear glasses and I often find it difficult to get the right focus as I pan around. As an example: looking at gauges, all is well but I cant see the overhead switch writing above. Tried going without TrackIR but really missed it so I found another way. I use TrackIR for general viewing on both internal and external views and I use AivlaSoft's SimpleCAM for dedicated cockpit views.

What that means in practice is that I'm on customised close-up views with SimpleCAM on take-off and landing (different customised views for different aircraft) and on TrackIR throughout the flight. Works for me and might be worth considering as a solution for you.

I do agree with the general sentiments above though - once you have TrackIR its really hard to go without. Good luck, whichever way you go.

[mwilk 1,106]

2 hours ago, Avidean said:

Assuming your hardware is up to it get a Samsung Odyssey+

VR is a vastly superior experience and level of immersion than TracKIR.

What is considered "suitable hardware for VR? I'm running an I7-6700K @ 4.4 with a EVGA 1070 TI.

[qqwertz 772]

2 hours ago, threebears said:

Hi Peter.  I spend most of my time with the PMDG 737 or the Majestic Dash Q400, and hadn't thought about motion sickness as a possible issue. 😕 I 'chickened out' at the checkout, so haven't ordered anything yet.

Hello Andrew,

oops, sorry, I didn't mean to deter you from buying TrackIR. It is very enjoyable in general, and it really depends on your personal preferences for which purpose you use it. I personally didn't like it on longer flights because of the motion sickness, and because I didn't like having to wear a hat all the time. Other people do not have motion sickness, and attach TIR to their headset (which I do not use).

It is pretty cool to sit in a jet and to be able to move around in the cockpit. However, I found that TIR was not really relevant for the standard operations during a jet flight. You set up the FMS, make all cockpit preparations, depart, and sit there for hours without having to look around a lot since ATC takes care of everything. I personally tend to do something else during the actual flight, so TIR is not so relevant.

On a VFR flight, on the other hand, TIR really helps to look around, keep your distance to other planes, fly the pattern right and so on. Also, VFR flights tend to be shorter (say less than an hour), so I do not mind so much to put a hat on. 

It should be mentioned that you can pause TIR. Hence, if you want to enjoy TIR in a jet during the preparation of the flight, and disable it until final approach, you can do just that. And others already explained how to avoid motion sickness, and similar tricks worked for me. So, all in all, I have a very positive opinion of it, I just don't use it all the time.

Peter

 

[troyboy66 66]

Simming is not the same without it!

[Guest]

1 hour ago, mwilk said:

What is considered "suitable hardware for VR? I'm running an I7-6700K @ 4.4 with a EVGA 1070 TI.

That should be just about good enough. I have an i7 4770K at 4,8ghz and a 1080ti and I am very satisfied with the SAmsung Odyssey+.

I take a while to figure out the ins and outs of setting and performance.

[Ron Attwood 3,464]

2 hours ago, mwilk said:

What is considered "suitable hardware for VR? I'm running an I7-6700K @ 4.4 with a EVGA 1070 TI.

Exactly what I have except my card is a 1070 and I'm more than happy.

To be fair, I wasn't convinced about VR until I happened into Eagle Dynamics stand at a Duxford air show. A demo in DCS had me sold on VR IMMEDIATELY!

I'm getting a strong feeling that this thread is not really helping the guy.

Go with what your gut(and you wallet) tells you mate.

[ziggy 47]

Hi,

I’ve used Trackir since about 2012 and there is no way I think I could Sim without it. My original goal with Trackir was to use it until I was able to get a full view sim built but I’ve decided to stay with my Trackir because it’s Awesome!

When you watch someone else use Trackir it looks ridiculous, you might think “What the hell is this guy looking at?” But until you use it for yourself you won’t understand how immersed you can get while simming, it’s not like VR but you kind get a sense that you are actually in the plane, I think it’s pretty cool.

Hope this helps a bit,

Cheers,

Edited February 28, 2019 by ziggy

[Patco Lch 1,464]

I bought trackir about three weeks ago and am still trying to get it adjusted to my liking. Primarily fly jet liners and honestly taxing is the only time I have much use. Gives me a head ache if I use it too much. I use OPUS FSI for my camera and have the shift bar programmed to my middle mouse button which allows me to pan and zoom at will. As already stated it can be affected by back lighting. I guess I need to give it more time to get use to Tracir5 but if I could do over I could find better use of the $150.