Significant TrackIR price drop

[dslyecxi 23]

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the TrackIR head-tracking peripheral from NaturalPoint. For those that aren't, it's basically a device that allows you to look all around a gaming environment with your head, independent of your aim or anything else. For pilots, it's pretty much a must-have. For everything else, it's quite useful as well.

One of the things that I've heard many people complain about with regards to the TIR stuff is that they've been too pricey - well, all of that has changed as of yesterday. NaturalPoint just dropped prices for all their TIR stuff significantly - they're now just a bit over $100 for the TIR4 itself, and a bit more if you want to get a TIR4 + TrackClip Pro.

I've been using the TIR4 since late 2006 and have found it to be invaluable in ArmA, IL-2, and a few other games I play. It completely changes how you fly (in particular) but also has major ramifications on how you play as infantry and as a vehicle crewman. In my eyes, it's pretty much a must-have if you're an ArmA fan (or a flight simmer, but most of them have known that for awhile and already have them).

To celebrate the occasion, I created a new video that answers one of the questions I hear posed all the time - namely, "Doesn't that mean that you're turning your head away from the screen and are struggling to look out of the corner of your eye?". In short - no. For the longer answer, plus some footage of me tooling around Paraiso in an AH-6, check out the video:

Hires streaming: http://dslyecxi.com/video.php?vid=videos/aug2_2008_trackir_demo.wmv

Lowres streaming:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R2yP0nk46A&fmt=18

If you're interested in picking one up, you have a few options for referrals.

First, there's mine:

$15 off a TrackIR4

$20 off a TrackIR4 + TrackClipPro

SimHQ has one as well, for the TrackIR4 itself (no TrackClipPro), $15 off:

Link

There's also the guy that did Hyperlobby, for $10 off:

Link

If anyone has questions about these, feel free to ask them here. As I said, I've used one in ArmA since it was released, and have had a large number of fellow ShackTac members pick them up and enjoy them as well. They're pretty much must-have items if you enjoy piloting, and they're great to have even if you're more of an armor/infantry guy.

Oh, and for anyone who has a TIR4 already and would like to try out my profile for it, you can find it here:

TrackIR Profile for ArmA

[SWAT_BigBear 0]

Thanks for the heads up sir,

I'm hoping this will help many whom want it, but couldn't get the wife to approve the funds.

Edit... the $20 link goes to same as $15?

[dslyecxi 23]

Edit... the $20 link goes to same as $15?

Fixed it, thanks for the notice.

[M9ACE 0]

Thanks for the video Dslyecxi, that was a pretty good demonstration of TrackIR.

[dmarkwick 261]

Very nice vid maybe a little long - it's very quickly apparent how great TrackIR is in flight. I already own a TrackIR so I was watching out of interest only, but if I was sitting on the fence on this one I think a shorter flight followed by some ground troop action, using the weapon, leaning, covering one arc while looking at another etc would have really sold it. Maybe jump into a jeep for a short drive or something also

But still, very nice video. Did you film yourself on a separate DV cam or did you use a webcam?

[gunterlund 0]

Dyslex

I downloaded your profile for my ir4 and I love it. Question. What is your stick setting for Throttle. I dont seem to have alot of response on throttling down thus the helo balloons when trying to slow down. Any advise. thanks for the great profile.

[icebreakr 3140]

My team and other folks from Slovenia bought it from:

http://www.intella.si/trackir/

along with folks from Croatia,Serbia and Austria...

[dslyecxi 23]

Quote[/b] ]Very nice vid maybe a little long - it's very quickly apparent how great TrackIR is in flight. I already own a TrackIR so I was watching out of interest only, but if I was sitting on the fence on this one I think a shorter flight followed by some ground troop action, using the weapon, leaning, covering one arc while looking at another etc would have really sold it. Maybe jump into a jeep for a short drive or something also

I agree. That particular video was created in response to a post (that day) re: head movement. I would like to do updated videos of ground (inf/vehicles) in the future, but I didn't have time for it at that moment.

Quote[/b] ]But still, very nice video. Did you film yourself on a separate DV cam or did you use a webcam?

It's a still picture cam I have, with a video mode. Hence the poor mic quality.

Quote[/b] ]I downloaded your profile for my ir4 and I love it. Question. What is your stick setting for Throttle. I dont seem to have alot of response on throttling down thus the helo balloons when trying to slow down. Any advise. thanks for the great profile.

I've used a mouse/keyboard for flying since OFP. I much prefer it compared to joystick/throttle. (in OFP/ArmA, that is - I fly IL-2 etc with a joystick/throttle)

[Shadow_Spyder 0]

Quote[/b] ]I downloaded your profile for my ir4 and I love it. Question. What is your stick setting for Throttle. I dont seem to have alot of response on throttling down thus the helo balloons when trying to slow down. Any advise. thanks for the great profile.

I've used a mouse/keyboard for flying since OFP. I much prefer it compared to joystick/throttle. (in OFP/ArmA, that is - I fly IL-2 etc with a joystick/throttle)

Where might one find your TIR profile? I'm interested in trying it out. Thx

~~EDIT~~ Nevermind... I'm an idiot... teaches me to not read your entire post before asking questions

[dslyecxi 23]

Where might one find your TIR profile? I'm interested in trying it out. Thx

It's linked in the first post, but here it is again:

Dslyecxi TIR Profile

[december 0]

You can make the equivalent for about $10 and free software. I have 2 and they work fine.

[dslyecxi 23]

You can make the equivalent for about $10 and free software. I have 2 and they work fine.

If you want to muck with that, by all means, feel free. Nothing's stoping you. I do believe that it's a bit more than $10 when you consider that you also need a webcam, but whatever.

On a personal note, $114 or so to get something that's guaranteed to work, with warranty, as well as tailor-made software/hardware, and a company that is actually working towards getting this kind of tech integrated into games (which is a rather significant point - without NaturalPoint, you wouldn't be using "the equivalent" in ArmA, because ArmA would never have supported it to begin with) ...that works for me. Perhaps not for you, though. To each his own.

[december 0]

In my case I was very interested in TrackIR and rather than spend (for me) a lot of money on it I decided to build 1 to see if I would like it.

I am happy I did build it because other than flying, which TrackIR is essential for in a flight sim, I don't find much use for it in ArmA.

If I did find it useful in ArmA I would probably have bought the polished article.

Just my opinion.

[mr_centipede 31]

i would love to get one... but its still too expensive for me, because i live on the farside of the pacific. across the atlantic, pass the suez into straits of malacca, you get the idea. so i'll just wait and wait until i got enuff money. hehe

i think i would be great using it as infantry. except that it's hard to command the AI. if the command interface is better (for lack of better word, because I myself dont know how to make it better. just that it feels not right), it probably be the best combo

[nobrainer 0]

I got TrackIR4 and ClipPro.

LOVE IT

But of course you need to adjust it to your preferences.

This product is recommended.

[Inkompetent 0]

I love the offer, but tragically enough I can't find anywhere close to Sweden that sells it, and the freight from US is as much as the TrackIR itself. Sad situation for a poor student

[sparks50 0]

You can buy it from Norway Inkompetent.

http://www.flightsim.no/shop/index.php?cPath=51

949 NOK = 180 USD.

[mr_centipede 31]

Is there any distributor in singapore I can order from?

[themaster303 22]

i can´t play arma with trackir anymore:

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=3XoeNgc556k

(f-18 - carrierlanding - mh6)

and for all think its expensive:

180 $ or € means 180 days play for 1 $ or € each day.

so even cigarets are much more expensive a year.

and if u have trackir u have really fun for 1 $/€ each day !!!

and after 180 days all is for free... so there is no argue about

the price if you use it often.

btw. its not only arma, i also play LFS, rfactor, fsx, il2, testdrive unlimited...

so its worth the price and brings even more FUN !!!

greetz

themaster(6thsense)

[malick 0]

This is a really interesting offer. For long days and weeks, I asked myself whether or not to buy such products. At the end, I realized I have less than 1 hour per week to play ArmA and/or other games. Having such a toy without being able to play with it, I call that torture.

*Sigh* Where is the time when I could spend days on end playing, nearly non stop ? *Sigh*

I guess growing up and having a life away from my computer is not so fun...

Malick

[TankCommander 3]

Just to those who built their own variant of TIR, where can I get the info/instructions on that? I am considering buying TIR4 but at the same time am interesting in jerry rigging my own to test

[december 0]

I guess here is a good place to start.

http://n.camil.chez-alice.fr/index.php

[EricM 0]

this link is more up-to-date :

http://www.free-track.net/

[sdoc 0]

judging from the manufacturers page it looks like track ir is using a webcam with ir lights and passive reflectors at the point model. With track clip pro being an active point model.

A very sensible solution for people who don't want to work on a point model could be to buy only the track clip pro, and use it with a random webcam and open source tracking software. Even if buying a good webcam it would cost about the same as the track ir, with the advantage of having a webcam that can be used for something else also. And the even bigger advantage of not paying money for the software (i always have a bad conscience if i do).

I haven't tried it however, and i don't have experience. Better ask the lads at freetrack etc if it would work.

[TankCommander 3]

Ok I found that my webcam is unsupported by FreeTrack as it uses YUV2 so looks like TIR is for me.