TrackIR - Does it add £130 worth of fun?

[gimpymoo 10]

Hi.

I am borderline on getting one, just not sure if it adds that much to the experience?

I have watched all the videos I can but does not really help me decide.

Thank you for any input.

[das attorney 858]

Yes it is awesome - if you are unsure, you can make a freetrack and test it to get an idea.

[Brisse 78]

I would not get one for just Arma alone, but since I also do flight sims I have one and enjoy it very much.

Do you plan to use it for anything besides Arma? Do you have a HOTAS? Are you into flight sims? If answer is yes to all three, then get TrackIR, otherwise it's not worth it.

[dmarkwick 261]

I'd recommend getting it. It takes maybe a few hours to get used to the thing, until then you're going to do a lot of head flapping and crazy aiming, but after that - you won't ever look back. (Well, you will, you've got TrackIR :) but you won't like to play without it I mean ;))

Aside from the excellent infantry tactical awareness you get, you also get to fly helicopters pretty well too.

[-=seany=- 5]

I too use it for many things other than Arma, so that justified the cost for me. It is great in Arma though.

Be warned though. It can be quite annoying/ disconcerting/ not enjoyable trying to to use TrackIR with Arma (or any FPS) when you are getting below average frame rates. It shines at it's best when the game is running as smooth as possible. If most of your Arma gaming sessions are at <30-25fps, take this into account.

[Harzach 2517]

Be warned though. It can be quite annoying/ disconcerting/ not enjoyable trying to to use TrackIR with Arma (or any FPS) when you are getting below average frame rates. It shines at it's best when the game is running as smooth as possible. If most of your Arma gaming sessions are at <30-25fps, take this into account.

I haven't found this to be the case at all, with Arma 2, Arma 3, or any flight sim.

[kremator 1065]

Won't Occulus Rift completely negate TrackIR when it comes out? Not wanting to derail, but I'm holding off any tracking until OR comes out.

[Belbo 462]

Won't Occulus Rift completely negate TrackIR when it comes out? Not wanting to derail, but I'm holding off any tracking until OR comes out.

As long as you don't want to look at your keyboard. ;)

[tremanarch 6]

for vehicles yes... its awesome.

---------- Post added at 18:51 ---------- Previous post was at 18:49 ----------

Won't Occulus Rift completely negate TrackIR when it comes out? Not wanting to derail, but I'm holding off any tracking until OR comes out.

dont think so. having x00 grams on the head. heat. cant see room. nausea sickness. less games (cause it needs special mnausea prevention tricks). no i dont think so. more expensive. less graphics (2 displays - less fps or less fx). no i dont think so.

in fact i think many people might be regretting the buy actually - if they didnt inform prior.

[Belbo 462]

in fact i think many people might be regretting the buy actually - if they didnt inform prior.

It seems like the demand is high enough:

Gamesindustry.biz: OR production halted

But I've heard about the comparably bad resolution of the screens inside the OR as well. It's a compromise between VR technology and affordability. OR wins in terms of affordability over other VR devices, but it seems to be like comparing a Fiat Panda to a Ferrari: Both get you where you want and one is much cheaper, but it's not the Ferrari.

[Tonci87 163]

The OR won´t be suited for flight sims and stuff until they find a solution for looking at your own keyboard.

You might want to take a look at this thread

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?172297-Head-Tracking-for-under-10%E2%82%AC

[OrLoK 20]

Hello there

I think it depends on ones budget.

For some 130quid is a vast amount.

I compromised and bought an official track clip pro for 40 odd quid and built my own IR cam for about a tenner and use free software.

I have no doubt its inferior to a full TrackIR but I have got my pennies worth out of it, although I found my setup too clumsy in Arma but great in flight sims.

Rgds

LoK

[MavericK96 0]

I bought one essentially for ArmA alone, and I still think it was worth it. Got it for $125 USD gently used from someone on a forum I frequent. For the amount I play ArmA 2/3, it's worth it for me. I can see how the price seems unjustifiable to some people, and rightly so...it is a very expensive, very niche piece of hardware.

From what I hear, Ground Branch and Star Citizen are going to support it as well, so that makes it a much better value IMO.

[Harzach 2517]

In the end, the real question is: "Is it worth that much to me?"

[dav 22]

No it doesn't, I hate having to wear headphones, I hate the amount of wiring, one usb and one attached to the track ir device. I have a button mapped on my g700 mouse to switch on free look and it does the job fine. I love it for DCS because the functionality of the cockpit controls work in tandom with 6dof head movement however arma 3 is not specifically designed or required to use track ir.

[EDcase 87]

TrackIR was one of my best investments considering how much use it gets.

It takes some getting used to and tweaking the setup, sensitivity curves etc.

But once you've been using it for a while you really miss it when you don't have it.

Look at some of my Utube vids for TrackIR usage.

I use the metal tracker that comes with it and use an elastic band to hold it to the top of my headphones. Its so light you can't tell its there.

Its fantastic when flying and I also use it as infantry including tilting my head sideways to lean. (can also be set up to move head sideways for lean)

It is a pity Arma3 doesn't use all 6DoF for all cockpits but the littlebird does. (I think because config came from ToH)

Edited February 28, 2014 by EDcase

[dav 22]

I would love Track Ir if it was just a sensor attached to the top of my monitor which read my head movements.

[Harzach 2517]

I would love Track Ir if it was just a sensor attached to the top of my monitor which read my head movements.

http://facetracknoir.sourceforge.net/home/default.htm

[liquidpinky 11]

TrackIr and triple surround = money well spent.

You begrudge any game that deosnt support either afterwords.

Got an Oculus too, currently it cannot beat the above and doubt it will with 1080 display either. But it is good in it's own right too.

[Snottus 1]

TrackIR is worth every penny.

Is as good for infantry as it is for pilots. I wouldn't play without it.

[Jumbify 10]

Hi.

I am borderline on getting one, just not sure if it adds that much to the experience?

I have watched all the videos I can but does not really help me decide.

Thank you for any input.

No no no no!! Don't waist ~$170 - track IR is a complete ripoff. Why on earth do they get away with selling 3 leds and a webcam for such a ludicrous price?

Instead make your own tracking setup for less then $30-$40 at websites such as http://www.free-track.net/english/ or http://facetracknoir.sourceforge.net/home/default.htm.

[hoobie7 11]

For me the cost of TrackIR was too high.

I couldn't justify the cost for the amount of use it would get.

That's why I went with the Free-Track route.

I actually had almost all the parts I needed just lying around the house.

You need a bit of DIY savvy to put it together, but it works like a charm.

[scrim 1]

Won't Occulus Rift completely negate TrackIR when it comes out? Not wanting to derail, but I'm holding off any tracking until OR comes out.

As a TIR5 owner, maybe to be honest. From what I've gathered, apart from the other things, the OR won't need an IR camera like the TIR, which would make it far superior, as you'd be able to have a 1:1 head movement IRL/head movement in game ratio, and never have to worry about accidentally blocking the line of sight between the camera and the head mounted device, or have light distort the IR, etc., and thus lose control of where you're looking at any given moment.

However, until then, yeah, TIR is worth it. I don't think I've heard more than a single TIR owner (in this thread) complain about it, or say that any of the more economic alternatives come even close to matching it.

Edited March 1, 2014 by scrim

[xXHellHoundXx 10]

As a TIR5 owner, maybe to be honest. From what I've gathered, apart from the other things, the OR won't need an IR camera like the TIR, which would make it far superior, as you'd be able to have a 1:1 head movement IRL/head movement in game ratio, and never have to worry about accidentally blocking the line of sight between the camera and the head mounted device, or have light distort the IR, etc., and thus lose control of where you're looking at any given moment.

However, until then, yeah, TIR is worth it. I don't think I've heard more than a single TIR owner (in this thread) complain about it, or say that any of the more economic alternatives come even close to matching it.

Agreed man, Bought my TrackIR 5 last week, been dominating ever since, Jets eyes always on target, Heli's on point to lz's hot and cold. Ground 360 awareness. Must fun i've ever had in arma series.

[Nicholas 5]

I've had a TrackIR for years and I definitely don't regret buying it. Love using it with ArmA and other games.