No support for TrackIR !?

[ErichB 3,638]

1 hour ago, some1 said:

People tend to miss the fact that FSX or FS2004 did not support Trackir like other games, which use proprietary Naturalpoint libraries. Microsoft merely exposed SDK which allowed cabin view to be moved, and the rest was done by Naturalpoint in their software. The same SDK functions that EZDOK is using in FSX by the way. 

 

 

 

Actually, you're right.

[gsand 105]

3 hours ago, some1 said:

People tend to miss the fact that FSX or FS2004 did not support Trackir like other games, which use proprietary Naturalpoint libraries. Microsoft merely exposed SDK which allowed cabin view to be moved, and the rest was done by Naturalpoint in their software. The same SDK functions that EZDOK is using in FSX by the way.

That's a great point. I keep reading that Microsoft should do this or that to support some addon and it puzzles me. Give the community a great SDK with good documentation and from that point on it's up to the devs of the particular addon to make it work.

I don't want MS diving in to make something work for Dev XYZ. I want them to focus on the big things (graphics, scenery, physics, interface, etc.) and give us a great platform to build on and keep it fresh going forward.

[Paraffin 2,197]

10 minutes ago, gsand said:

That's a great point. I keep reading that Microsoft should do this or that to support some addon and it puzzles me. Give the community a great SDK with good documentation and from that point on it's up to the devs of the particular addon to make it work.

I disagree; it's better to have native support in any simulation. First, because it ensures that there are no conflicts between the default camera views and TrackIR when it's active. They can be smoothly integrated without 3rd party hacks to get around any conflicts.

And second, it allows the sim developers to incorporate useful switching functions, like the way you can look left or right in TrackIR to open side cockpit MFD panels in Elite: Dangerous. Or briefly switch in and out of the gunsight view in Rise of Flight without having to disable TrackIR and go back to default camera views. Integration with an important peripheral controller like TrackIR is always better than 3rd party hacks of the default view system.

[Noooch 1,084]

3 hours ago, gsand said:

I don't want MS diving in to make something work for Dev XYZ. I want them to focus on the big things (graphics, scenery, physics, interface, etc.) and give us a great platform to build on and keep it fresh going forward.

According to Jorg Neumann, the sim itself is finished, functionnalities are being added 😉

[Bill721 6]

Lots of discussion, however, the bottom line is if we don't have Trackir capabilities I'll probably stay with P3D.

[Jim Young 2,356]

As some have already stated, MSFS is backwards compatible with FSX and thus TrackIR will be supported.  I doubt those in the video posted by the OP were knowledgeable of TrackIR and were not official Sources to make such statements.  Since the video is all in French, it is hard to hear where TrackIR was discussed but I will continue to look.  It would be nice if the OP or someone else fluent in French indicated the time where this was discussed in the video.  So the OP can get his TrackIR out of the closet and prepare to use it on the day of release of MSFS.  He may have to wait for a TrackIR software update first but doubt it as it should work flawlessly with MSFS.

I do not think it is the responsibility of Microsoft/Asorbo to make a simulator compatible with a particular product like TrackIR.  There's an MSFS SDK (well, there will be one sometime after the release of MSFS) and any developer can see it and develop a product to work with the SDK.  That's what the developer of TrackIR did for FSX.  When the ACES Team was released by Microsoft (meaning no further development of FSX), someone developed TrackIR to work with it.  Same goes with other commercial products developed for FSX.  Microsoft did not develop the product or make it compatible with FSX, the developer made it compatible with the software that comes with TrackIR.  I remember it was not fully compatible with FSX at the beginning and the developer had to continually update the software to make it work. That's the way I understand it.

Any further discussions of VR in this topic will cause this topic to be locked.  This topic has nothing whatsoever to do with VR other than the OP indicated TrackIR is cheaper.  I will continue to scan this topic and remove any discussions about VR even if just VR is stated somewhere in the post and the post has otherwise good information about TrackIR.

[Amon1973 1,421]

I wouldn't be surprised if in the near future MS will confirm that Track IR will work with MSFS, I just think why wouldn't it, at the very least shorty after the release of the simulator.

[Noooch 1,084]

3 hours ago, Jim Young said:

It would be nice if the OP or someone else fluent in French indicated the time where this was discussed in the video. 

It is at 25:04

[Jim Young 2,356]

17 minutes ago, Noooch said:

It is at 25:04

Thanks!

[Jim Young 2,356]

1 hour ago, eaim said:

I wouldn't be surprised if in the near future MS will confirm that Track IR will work with MSFS, I just think why wouldn't it, at the very least shorty after the release of the simulator.

They have already stated MSFS will be backward compatible with FSX.  TrackIR works with FSX.  It is not up to MSFS to make TrackIR compatible.  It is up to the developer.  If the developer of TrackIR cannot make it compatible or he doesn't want it to work with MSFS, then that's the end of the subject.  I suspect it would only take a TrackIR software update.  TrackIR is used for other simulators/games too.  I count at least six other games on their website that work with TrackIR.

[B777ER 2,484]

I was thrown in the fire by some on a previous topic I started (search via my user name in this forum) about items just like this, the must have peripherals that we use in P3D and wondering how they would work, if at all. People are are drooling all over the visuals and forgetting everything else. How can MSFS make a sim in 2020 with people running on large 4k TV's without TIR support?? So now we all have to have a keyboard on our laps to turn our heads? Forget it, will not purchase.

[hatchna 136]

7 minutes ago, B777ER said:

I was thrown in the fire by some on a previous topic I started (search via my user name in this forum) about items just like this, the must have peripherals that we use in P3D and wondering how they would work, if at all. People are are drooling all over the visuals and forgetting everything else. How can MSFS make a sim in 2020 with people running on large 4k TV's without TIR support?? So now we all have to have a keyboard on our laps to turn our heads? Forget it, will not purchase.

How about you hit up TrackIR and and encourage them to make sure their product will work with MSFS. It's not Microsoft's or Asobo's responsibility to ensure compatibility with every single hardware device out there. They're releasing an SDK for a reason.

[ZLA Steve 370]

Quote

It's not Microsoft's or Asobo's responsibility to ensure compatibility with every single hardware device out there.

It's not even that it's their responsibility, it's that they legally may not be authorized to do so without permission from NaturalPoint.

It's easy to chalk these things we think should be natively supported as oversights when reality dictates that there is far more nuance as to the decision. It's been barely a week since the Tech Alpha began. Helpful to realize this sim is far from finished and thus should not be judged on what we've seen or heard up to this point.

[Paraffin 2,197]

17 minutes ago, ZLA Steve said:

It's not even that it's their responsibility, it's that they legally may not be authorizatied to do so without permission from NaturalPoint.

It's easy to chalk these things we think should be natively supported as oversights when reality dictates that there is far more nuance as to the decision.

I don't think it's that complicated. It benefits Naturalpoint if games support the hardware they're selling, so they have an interest in making it as easy as possible for native support. It's not unreasonable to expect native support in the new MSFS when other current flight and space sims have native support, like Aerofly FS2, XP11, DCS, IL-2, Elite Dangerous, and Star Citizen. 

The main reason for native support is because it avoids conflicts with the default camera system. That also means fewer tech support issues for both the sim developer and Naturalpoint. The MS/ASOBO support staff never has to answer a question about why TrackIR isn't working -- and you know people will do that, even if the question should go to Naturalpoint -- if it just works with MSFS of the box. Less headaches for everyone. And more sales for MSFS from people who won't fly without head tracking.

[Jim Young 2,356]

33 minutes ago, ZLA Steve said:

It's not even that it's their responsibility, it's that they legally may not be authorizatied to do so without permission from NaturalPoint.

I cannot believe how convoluted this topic has gone.  MSFS or Microsoft would never ever develop TrackIR.  It is not their product and it never has been their product.  TrackIR is owned by Natural Point and it is their sole responsibility to develop their product for MSFS (if they want to). So you want to contact Natural Point and ask the developer/owner of TrackIR if they plan on updating their product to work with MSFS.