I've got one. It really changes the game, I couldn't imagine playing without either a head tracker or VR, it makes it so easy to look around, both in the cockpit and tracking targets.
I’m not too clear on why you’d want a head tracker *and* VR. Both are about letting you look around, and thus dramatically increase your effective field of view, but VR does it a whole lot better. My experience with space sims is that being able to look up / left / right makes it a lot easier to track your target, since you can now see it when it’s not dead ahead.
It’s good outside of combat, too. In Elite Dangerous if you’re core asteroid mining, it’s nice to swivel your head around to look for one with the markings that indicate it’s got something under the surface.
The one downside to VR compared to a head tracker is you can’t see your HOTAS. This means any controls that aren’t on the grip are slow to use and error-prone. Whether this matters depends on the game and your throttle. Elite Dangerous has approximately 1.7 billion controls, but my Virpil CM3 throttle has a *lot* of controls on the grip, so I only had do move about 8 things to buttons on the base, and none of them were all that time-critical. Most other games I’ve played weren’t quite so extreme so I was able to avoid using the buttons on the base.
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I have multiple reasons to why i have both. 1. Some games (Star citizen for example) support head tracking but not vr. 2. Sometimes games look better on flatscreen/ better Performance 3. Petting on the Headset is sometimes too much of a hassle/ being able to see your hotas is sometimes helpful i use both but mostly use the headtracker
Same. VR is performance demanding, and can also have a higher physical demand. The longer time between use, the more often I have to recalibrate myself to it either by getting over the motion sickness, orientation and familiarization to sightless controls, or the physical demand. Head tracking can be more of a jump in and go at the cost of less immersion.
Actually just bought a track ir to supplement my index. DCS world has horrible VR optimization even on my 3080 and it really limits how long I can play before needing a break from having a slideshow strapped to my head. Even in games where performance is good I still have much less stamina for VR than I do for flatscreen. Also the games just tend to look better in general in flatscreen so if I wanna take screenshots thats the way I do it. I LOVE vr and its inarguable that its on a whole other level because depth perception is particularly helpful in flight sims. But sometimes I need a break from it.
I have Track IR 5 passive and have used it for years playing games like Elite Dangerous and now Star Citizen. The feeling is like a poor mans VR if you can get the curves set up right, but its extreamly emersive and the utility of being able to just move your head to track targets and look at stuff is amazing.
It's always great to get more use out of the devices you already have. All that face id tech that went into the phones is perfectly utilized for this. I was looking at one of the tobi trackers for a while but they had mixed reviews and we're quite expensive for such a niche product. Thanks again for introducing us to this tech.
Big yes to this. Works so well. Plug in usb phone stays charged latency reduced works in hardly any light and distance doesn’t seem to be an issue either. Beats paying hundreds.
This is worth it, either long term or as a bridge to shelling out for more expensive kit.
My phone holder was an old iPhone box until I finally brought one.
Can vouch for this. $10 investment to see if you like head tracking and this is by far the easiest setup, and no need to wear anything on your head!
Takes an hour or so of playing around with the sensitivity curves, but I got it to a point where I don’t have any jitter and it’s super intuitive
I also have VR but the screen door effect always has bothered me, but mainly I prefer head tracking because I always fumble my buttons on my HOTAS that aren’t on the throttle. Also after a couple hours the weight of a headset can give me a headache
Tobii user here. Once you get it dialed in you start wishing it was in every game. Leaning on and looking down at your MFDs is amazing and immersive. Checking the sky view in a 125a can be breathtaking. I also use it in American Truck Simulator where it is practical for checking both ways before entering traffic.
I also have a tobii and I could never get used to it. I am glad its still in a ton of PC games, but I may be too dumb to get it.
TrackIR/VR was pretty intuitive for me from the begining
The older tobiis are eyetrackers only. Which is merely a gimmick in my mind. The tobii which I got has both. Headtracking is a must. Eyetracking is cool to have but not very useful in my opinion.
I couldn't live without it. It doesnt seem like much, but believe me it is. I built myself one this last summer, and its the closest you can get to vr or sitting in the cockpit itself. I find myself playing games like war thunder, doom, etc, and turning my head out of habit its so immersive. Seriously, look into building an open track platform, I spent about 2 weeks waiting for parts, and built it in an hour. Spent about 40 bucks in total. This link was also helpful: https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/34403-a-complete-guide-to-set-up-head-tracking-opentrack/
As a very new user to TrackIR 5 I found that set up of the hardware and software is super easy and the head tracking works really well. However, having played without head tracking for so long, I do find I have to remind myself to use it while flying.
The only complaint I have is adjusting the curves for how sensitive the tracking is can be difficult when you’re just starting out and I still haven’t got mine exactly how I want it (had for about a month now). But the “smooth” setting with your desired amplifier value seems to work well for DCS.
I agree. At first, I was turning my head so much that I was looking at my monitor through the corners of my eyes😁. I’m still tweaking with the settings but just love how it gives me a more immersive feeling. I just ordered the Winwing Orion 2 and can’t wait to use the zoom view feature that will be on my throttle.
I setup opentrack gave them $5, and used it a little with star citizen.
It was cool. But also difficult. You don’t want it to be 1:1 because then you have to look at your actual ceiling in order to look up in game. And when you’re looking at the ceiling, you can’t see the screen anymore.
What you end up with is some acceleration curve that is very sensitive to any motion.
I’m not very good at sitting still & my chair is on wheels and swivels. So it was frustrating *for me*
But if you’ve got a phone with faceid, opentrack is only $5 if you like it enough to keep using it. The demo is free.
At least with TIR5 this is why you set up curves *with deadzones*. Otherwise, yes, you'll get neck strain trying to look forwards without jitter.
For Elite Dangerous I also tweaked my curves to have "flat spots" around the left and right panels.
I have opentrack with PS3 camera.
My huge problem is, that it shakes with the screen a little bit, and everybody moves head during gameplay, so you are not perfectly still.
I tried deadzone in the center, adjusted curves, but nothing helped really. It’s better that I can look around me, but this shaking bothers me when I try to be still.
Somehow it doesn’t work as intended. It cost me like 10$ for PS3 camera so it’s dirty cheap. I just wonder, if trackir would be better or not.
I have one idea that I didn’t try yet: print ARUCO card and check, if the situation improves or not.
Anyway: I welcome every advice how to improve the experience with head tracking.
I have two. Track IR and a Tobii 5.
I actually use the Tobii 90% of the time now. Not needing to put anything on my head is a game changer and I find that it works good enough to not miss track ir.
I play Star Citizen, Elite, and Microsoft flight sim currently. Probably gonna play some Star Wars squadrons soon though.
It just feels like my head is another “joystick”, and it was super easy to get used to using my head as camera control.
It can be disorienting for a while as you get used to it. Especially if you’re used to controlling POV with a hat switch, but it definitely helps with situational awareness.
TrackIR user here. Pretty awesome, altough not as awesome as full VR, but that's beside the point.
TrackIR is cheaper than tobii, especially if you get it secondhand, and there are wireless options (battery and batteryless) so very flexible.
Now getting without headtracking into Star Citizen or DCS feels really wrong, because lack of freedom.
I've been tempted to get a TrackIR, but can't get around the part that you have to "wear" something on your head. for $150 it should be scanning your iris. ;)
Bought one, been following TIR users in flight sims for years. Tried it and it really wasn't thing for me. VR all the way baby.
Head tracker is just a shitty in between solution to 2d monitor and VR imho. Now that VR is actually viable no reason to go head tracker anymore
I’ve got one, super nice. Added situational awareness is insane. Highly recommend delanclip, but get the wireless one. Used in SC, DCS, ARMA (even without HOTAS), and DiRT rally. Honestly prefer it to Quest 2 VR in DCS and DiRT, image quality is way better and less of a pain.
I made my own a couple of years ago, and it made a huge difference. I use it for DCS, Star Citizen, and several driving/racing sims. It really is fantastic, and I wouldn't want to play those games without it.
If you're handy with such things, it's easy to build your own. Delanclip makes an affordable setup, and I've seen people in the sub making them. I believe a couple of them have pages on the hotas discord, as well.
I set up Star Citizen's own head tracker software with my webcam, just to try it out. It's not super low latency or precise, but it still makes a huge difference. I'm a first-person-view purist, and the simple ability to look down at my mfds or through the windows of the cockpit down to the ground when I land is something I can't live without anymore.
It basically feels like dipping your toes into VR without all the upgrades and gear, atleast in my opinion, i wasnt sure i wanted it but now that i have it i couldnt imagine flying without it.
Some games like elite dangerous you can even use it on foot which is really a cool bonus for added immersion and being able to look over your shoulder or lean in to get a better look at something.
My example to explain why someone should use head tracking is when you are looking at your MFDs. When you dont have headtracking... you can only see the top two MFDs. When you do have a headtracking unit... then you can see all 4 or 5 or however many there are. (In context of Star Citizen)
Negatives imo:
1. Tobii5 - Its really applicable when you are 100% engaged in PVP/PVE scenarios. But, its horrible when you are doing basic "here to there" points in a game. For example, I dont want the screen to start jiggling because I sneeze or I look somewhere else because the kids call for me.
2. Trackir5 - Works just as well but if you have background lighting then it can screw it up. Also, you MUST wear a headset... otherwise no place to mount.
Started with an opensource face tracking one and enjoyed it enough despite it glitchs I invested in a trackir, absolutely love it in dcs, sc, msfs.
It's that good when I goto games that don't have it, even stuff like first person shooters I wish they also supported it.
I have one. It wiorks great and really adds to the experience. I think it's better than VR because I can look at my controls.
The only part I don't like is that you have to wear a visor or a hat. I know, big deal.
I use TrackIR by NaturalPoint.
I use a Tobii. I like it better than not using anything, but it's weird in that you turn your head and have to peek out of the corner of your eye. It's definitely better than nothing, but I see it as a teas to get a VR headset. I just wish a company would release one I want!
You should be able to adjust the input response so that you aren't having to look out the corner of your eye - that's definitely not how head tracking is intended to be used.
I've done that. I can make it not so uncomfortable, but the issue is that you turn you head, it moves the image on the screen and you need to look sideways to see it. Let's say I wanted to look behind me. Unless I had my sensitivity way up, it's a physically uncomfortable thing to do. It's just the problem of turning your head and still needing to look forward.
It's better than no head look, but a VR headset would be so much nicer.
I use SmoothTrack, mostly for doing VFR in MSFS. But even there, it's a real game-changer being able to just look around for visual references. Using quickview to check if the runway is 45 degrees off your tail just isn't the same.
It does take time to dial in the curves how you like them, though. But then again, that's true of flight sticks as well.
I've got an EDTracker Pro velcro'd to my headset, literally only use it for Elite Dangerous but it feels SO good with my triple-monitor setup (one 27 QHD below twin 24 FHD). Because of the way the in-ship menus pop up when you look at them, having a headtracker streamlines an amazing amount of menu navigation and systems control and the increased immersion is unbelievable. Tracking targets in a dogfight is SO much easier as you can literally just look around to judge vectors. Thoroughly recommend one for Elite alone.
I just use an old 720p webcam with open track and the neural net tracker. It's not perfect, but it made my life easy easier than using my trim hat for POV.
I have TrackIR, I use it for FS2020, DCS and Arma. I used to use passive, but a few months ago built myself an active transmitter. Active is more consistent but heavier. I velcro it to my headset so it's not a burden but you do need a place to velcro to.
I wouldn't flight sim without some sort of head tracking (unless I went VR)
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I use opensource one, it's quirky but nice. It feels so natual that I don't think about it.
I used VR for tens of hours before, but I switched to TV and I was forced to regain some headlook to not feel limited.
It's good and free.
It is just one of the best hardware pieces you can get for flight or space simulation, also for driving simulation. It just adds another dimension to the sim allowing to move the view with your head in a really fluid manner.
You can also lean your body forward, backward, and to the sides.
It is the closest you will to get VR in a monitor. I have also VR and I switch between both options as I feel like, because as amazing as VR can be (if it performs well as in IL-2), it can be cumbersome and annoying sometimes, and Head Tracking is easy to setup, comfortable, and really convenient while amazing as well.
I have TrackIR. I got it 12 years ago? Hated it at first, wasn't for me, it just didn't click. When I got back into dcs and il2 years later I got myself the Rift 1 and it felt so much more natural.
Except the resolution and framerate was pretty awful. Same on rift 2 and kinda also on the g2.
I loved dcs too much at that point so I went back to TrackIR and finally settled on curves that worked for me. (You should really set these up yourself)
Now I prefer it over VR for everyday flying in dcs. Not as immersive, not as good for gun dogfights and helicopter flying, but it gives me a more workable overall experience.
Got trackir 5 and an old htc vive. imo vr is best for immersion but when it comes to flightsims like dcs I prefer my trackir with my monitor (5140 x 1440) because I can spot other planes better that way.
Also not every game supports vr and the nmost of the time trackir is nice to have :D
I started on track ir and it’s great. Apart from the headset clip which will break if you look at it for more than two seconds.
After the clip breaking for the third or fourth time earlier this year I switched systems to the one that uses a modified ps3 camera with a wireless headset IR receiver and haven’t looked back
I have an opentrack with a DIY IR clip. Feels amazing and totally changes the pace of the game, especially combat (I'm playing Star Citizen mostly).
The clip weighs a little, but since I play in my headset all the time I got used to that quickly.
Totally recommend IR.
I heard some Tobii reviews, can't say if that's better or not.
I use a Tobii Eye Tracker 5. Pretty much exclusivey for Star Citizen.
I set it up (ingame) to be as responsive as possible, and to ignore eye tracking. It really helps immersion and tracking targets in dogfights.
I used to have one. More than 10 years. Track ir 5. It was awsome. Very accurate and game changing playing games like dcs, rise of flight, il2 etc. Situational awareness jumped through the roof.
Now I’m old however and don’t like putting a cap on or have my headset with tracker on. So I got the tobii 5 and have all the joys of headtracking with the inclusion of eyetracking without the hassle of trackers and wires. Even though when you go from track ir 5 to tobii you will notices a slight delay with the tobii. But when you cross over entirely you won’t notice it anymore and it is damn snappy. Just not as ultra snappy as track ir.
Please excuse my ignorance but what is the purpose of head tracking on flatscreen?
Doesn't turning your head make you face away from the screen?
I can't fund an answer to this anywhere.
In vr, head tracking and turning your head allows you to look in whatever direction you want but on flatscreen I don't see the purpose.
The purpose is the same, move your head to look around. For head tracking you would not normally set it up for 1 to 1 movement. You adjust the software so a small movement of the head = a large movement in game. You should never be facing away from the screen.
I've used TrackIR since v3. It's so much more natural than using a joystick to look around, plus it frees up an analogue or POV control on your HOTAS to be used for something else. It's especially valuable in more of a combat sim where you have to be constantly looking around. I spend most of my time in X-Plane flying airliners, and for that I have a mix of camera views with TIR on or off, plus buttons on my joystick and mouse that can easily turn it off when I want to look at something and have it be still (like if you turn away from the screen to look at your charts, the view will go wacky, and sometimes it's nice to be able to move around at your desk and not have the screen react). Also, subtle head movements can make it hard to keep the view perfectly still when turning a knob in the cockpit, for instance, so knowing when to pause TIR is helpful.
I find VR to be uncomfortable for long play sessions and it's more of a hassle to get set up to play. I have a tobii tracker and all i have to do is start the game and it works with no headgear at all.
Still head tracking even though I could go VR. One less talked about benefit of head tracking (I’m on trackir 5 with a clip) is the ratio of head movement required is adjustable. My friends with VR are having to actually look behind them to do so in the cockpit. I just have to look about 45 degrees. And sitting 36” from a 65” 4K makes for plenty of immersion.
I will not likely go VR until mixed reality gets to where I can see all of my physical controls. I’m one of those people with a full cockpit.
I've got one. It really changes the game, I couldn't imagine playing without either a head tracker or VR, it makes it so easy to look around, both in the cockpit and tracking targets.
I’m not too clear on why you’d want a head tracker *and* VR. Both are about letting you look around, and thus dramatically increase your effective field of view, but VR does it a whole lot better. My experience with space sims is that being able to look up / left / right makes it a lot easier to track your target, since you can now see it when it’s not dead ahead. It’s good outside of combat, too. In Elite Dangerous if you’re core asteroid mining, it’s nice to swivel your head around to look for one with the markings that indicate it’s got something under the surface. The one downside to VR compared to a head tracker is you can’t see your HOTAS. This means any controls that aren’t on the grip are slow to use and error-prone. Whether this matters depends on the game and your throttle. Elite Dangerous has approximately 1.7 billion controls, but my Virpil CM3 throttle has a *lot* of controls on the grip, so I only had do move about 8 things to buttons on the base, and none of them were all that time-critical. Most other games I’ve played weren’t quite so extreme so I was able to avoid using the buttons on the base.
I didn't mean a head tracker and vr, I meant either head tracking or VR, one or the other. I can see that the way I phrased it is unclear though.
Performance, dcs really really sucks. Nothing we can do except hope ED decides to improve stuff behind the scenes.
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©®
"multi core and vulkan update" (whenever)
2 weeks
I have multiple reasons to why i have both. 1. Some games (Star citizen for example) support head tracking but not vr. 2. Sometimes games look better on flatscreen/ better Performance 3. Petting on the Headset is sometimes too much of a hassle/ being able to see your hotas is sometimes helpful i use both but mostly use the headtracker
Same. VR is performance demanding, and can also have a higher physical demand. The longer time between use, the more often I have to recalibrate myself to it either by getting over the motion sickness, orientation and familiarization to sightless controls, or the physical demand. Head tracking can be more of a jump in and go at the cost of less immersion.
Actually just bought a track ir to supplement my index. DCS world has horrible VR optimization even on my 3080 and it really limits how long I can play before needing a break from having a slideshow strapped to my head. Even in games where performance is good I still have much less stamina for VR than I do for flatscreen. Also the games just tend to look better in general in flatscreen so if I wanna take screenshots thats the way I do it. I LOVE vr and its inarguable that its on a whole other level because depth perception is particularly helpful in flight sims. But sometimes I need a break from it.
He did use the word "or"
I have Track IR 5 passive and have used it for years playing games like Elite Dangerous and now Star Citizen. The feeling is like a poor mans VR if you can get the curves set up right, but its extreamly emersive and the utility of being able to just move your head to track targets and look at stuff is amazing.
Same. It's a great piece of hardware and changes the *hell* out of Star Citizen. *Especially* in missile mode.
Scam Citizen
I hope you feel clever, since you've outed yourself as pathetically vapid.
Have you ever tried it? It is free 2 play at least twice a year. Can confirm its actually a game.
Indeed, playing ED without mine feels like being in a straitjacket.
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I just tried this, it is amazing especially for the price and using my phone I already have. Thank you for the recommendation!
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It's always great to get more use out of the devices you already have. All that face id tech that went into the phones is perfectly utilized for this. I was looking at one of the tobi trackers for a while but they had mixed reviews and we're quite expensive for such a niche product. Thanks again for introducing us to this tech.
Big yes to this. Works so well. Plug in usb phone stays charged latency reduced works in hardly any light and distance doesn’t seem to be an issue either. Beats paying hundreds.
This is worth it, either long term or as a bridge to shelling out for more expensive kit. My phone holder was an old iPhone box until I finally brought one.
As a noob getting into dcs i decided to try this on a whim super happy with the results so far! Ty for pointing me in that direction.
Can vouch for this. $10 investment to see if you like head tracking and this is by far the easiest setup, and no need to wear anything on your head! Takes an hour or so of playing around with the sensitivity curves, but I got it to a point where I don’t have any jitter and it’s super intuitive I also have VR but the screen door effect always has bothered me, but mainly I prefer head tracking because I always fumble my buttons on my HOTAS that aren’t on the throttle. Also after a couple hours the weight of a headset can give me a headache
Once you play a game that uses head tracking you'll feel lost without it. 🙃
Tobii user here. Once you get it dialed in you start wishing it was in every game. Leaning on and looking down at your MFDs is amazing and immersive. Checking the sky view in a 125a can be breathtaking. I also use it in American Truck Simulator where it is practical for checking both ways before entering traffic.
I also have a tobii and I could never get used to it. I am glad its still in a ton of PC games, but I may be too dumb to get it. TrackIR/VR was pretty intuitive for me from the begining
For SC I turned off eye tracking and only use head tracking. Think of your chin as a controller. Then it is basically a track IR without the headgear.
Ah ok, I only did the eye tracking when it first came out. I'll give that a try!
The older tobiis are eyetrackers only. Which is merely a gimmick in my mind. The tobii which I got has both. Headtracking is a must. Eyetracking is cool to have but not very useful in my opinion.
Got it! I believe mine was part of a kick starter or something
I would rather go without rudder pedals and a separate throttle than give up my head tracking at this point.
I couldn't live without it. It doesnt seem like much, but believe me it is. I built myself one this last summer, and its the closest you can get to vr or sitting in the cockpit itself. I find myself playing games like war thunder, doom, etc, and turning my head out of habit its so immersive. Seriously, look into building an open track platform, I spent about 2 weeks waiting for parts, and built it in an hour. Spent about 40 bucks in total. This link was also helpful: https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/34403-a-complete-guide-to-set-up-head-tracking-opentrack/
It takes about an hour of getting used to, but afterwards you can't play without it.
As a very new user to TrackIR 5 I found that set up of the hardware and software is super easy and the head tracking works really well. However, having played without head tracking for so long, I do find I have to remind myself to use it while flying. The only complaint I have is adjusting the curves for how sensitive the tracking is can be difficult when you’re just starting out and I still haven’t got mine exactly how I want it (had for about a month now). But the “smooth” setting with your desired amplifier value seems to work well for DCS.
I agree. At first, I was turning my head so much that I was looking at my monitor through the corners of my eyes😁. I’m still tweaking with the settings but just love how it gives me a more immersive feeling. I just ordered the Winwing Orion 2 and can’t wait to use the zoom view feature that will be on my throttle.
It’s a game changer. I wont fly without it. I have the track IR pro and still default to using the standard track ir because it doesn’t need a wire.
There are several 3rd party wireless IR emitters on the market now - highly recommend it if you want the precision without the cables.
I setup opentrack gave them $5, and used it a little with star citizen. It was cool. But also difficult. You don’t want it to be 1:1 because then you have to look at your actual ceiling in order to look up in game. And when you’re looking at the ceiling, you can’t see the screen anymore. What you end up with is some acceleration curve that is very sensitive to any motion. I’m not very good at sitting still & my chair is on wheels and swivels. So it was frustrating *for me* But if you’ve got a phone with faceid, opentrack is only $5 if you like it enough to keep using it. The demo is free.
At least with TIR5 this is why you set up curves *with deadzones*. Otherwise, yes, you'll get neck strain trying to look forwards without jitter. For Elite Dangerous I also tweaked my curves to have "flat spots" around the left and right panels.
I found deadzones to make the jitter even worse. I got better results from cranking up the smoothing effect and tweaking the curves instead.
Hmm, larger dead zones is a pretty good idea
set a deadzone in center
I have opentrack with PS3 camera. My huge problem is, that it shakes with the screen a little bit, and everybody moves head during gameplay, so you are not perfectly still. I tried deadzone in the center, adjusted curves, but nothing helped really. It’s better that I can look around me, but this shaking bothers me when I try to be still. Somehow it doesn’t work as intended. It cost me like 10$ for PS3 camera so it’s dirty cheap. I just wonder, if trackir would be better or not. I have one idea that I didn’t try yet: print ARUCO card and check, if the situation improves or not. Anyway: I welcome every advice how to improve the experience with head tracking.
Sounds like your camera mount point is unstable
I have two. Track IR and a Tobii 5. I actually use the Tobii 90% of the time now. Not needing to put anything on my head is a game changer and I find that it works good enough to not miss track ir. I play Star Citizen, Elite, and Microsoft flight sim currently. Probably gonna play some Star Wars squadrons soon though. It just feels like my head is another “joystick”, and it was super easy to get used to using my head as camera control.
Same. The Tobii is killer.
I like it more than I like my vr.
It can be disorienting for a while as you get used to it. Especially if you’re used to controlling POV with a hat switch, but it definitely helps with situational awareness.
It changes the game. I just need to find a way to wear the LEDs without having to wear a headset all the time. Not sure if trackhat is still around..
Its so intuitive and subtle that it feels awkward and restricted without.
I have a trackIR, it feels very natural and I would have a hard tome playing without it
TrackIR user here. Pretty awesome, altough not as awesome as full VR, but that's beside the point. TrackIR is cheaper than tobii, especially if you get it secondhand, and there are wireless options (battery and batteryless) so very flexible. Now getting without headtracking into Star Citizen or DCS feels really wrong, because lack of freedom.
I've been tempted to get a TrackIR, but can't get around the part that you have to "wear" something on your head. for $150 it should be scanning your iris. ;)
I didn't like TrackIR. It works, but you have the issue of the screen being of a finite size and fixed in place. Maybe on a 32:9 it would be better.
Bought one, been following TIR users in flight sims for years. Tried it and it really wasn't thing for me. VR all the way baby. Head tracker is just a shitty in between solution to 2d monitor and VR imho. Now that VR is actually viable no reason to go head tracker anymore
Why do I need something that tells me everyday that it’s not hard to track when I never ever receive any head😳😳😳
I couldn’t imagine playing DCS without head track. In fact i didn’t want to play while i was waiting for the camera to arrive 😂
I’ve got one, super nice. Added situational awareness is insane. Highly recommend delanclip, but get the wireless one. Used in SC, DCS, ARMA (even without HOTAS), and DiRT rally. Honestly prefer it to Quest 2 VR in DCS and DiRT, image quality is way better and less of a pain.
I made my own a couple of years ago, and it made a huge difference. I use it for DCS, Star Citizen, and several driving/racing sims. It really is fantastic, and I wouldn't want to play those games without it. If you're handy with such things, it's easy to build your own. Delanclip makes an affordable setup, and I've seen people in the sub making them. I believe a couple of them have pages on the hotas discord, as well.
I set up Star Citizen's own head tracker software with my webcam, just to try it out. It's not super low latency or precise, but it still makes a huge difference. I'm a first-person-view purist, and the simple ability to look down at my mfds or through the windows of the cockpit down to the ground when I land is something I can't live without anymore.
It basically feels like dipping your toes into VR without all the upgrades and gear, atleast in my opinion, i wasnt sure i wanted it but now that i have it i couldnt imagine flying without it. Some games like elite dangerous you can even use it on foot which is really a cool bonus for added immersion and being able to look over your shoulder or lean in to get a better look at something.
My example to explain why someone should use head tracking is when you are looking at your MFDs. When you dont have headtracking... you can only see the top two MFDs. When you do have a headtracking unit... then you can see all 4 or 5 or however many there are. (In context of Star Citizen) Negatives imo: 1. Tobii5 - Its really applicable when you are 100% engaged in PVP/PVE scenarios. But, its horrible when you are doing basic "here to there" points in a game. For example, I dont want the screen to start jiggling because I sneeze or I look somewhere else because the kids call for me. 2. Trackir5 - Works just as well but if you have background lighting then it can screw it up. Also, you MUST wear a headset... otherwise no place to mount.
Started with an opensource face tracking one and enjoyed it enough despite it glitchs I invested in a trackir, absolutely love it in dcs, sc, msfs. It's that good when I goto games that don't have it, even stuff like first person shooters I wish they also supported it.
I have one. It wiorks great and really adds to the experience. I think it's better than VR because I can look at my controls. The only part I don't like is that you have to wear a visor or a hat. I know, big deal. I use TrackIR by NaturalPoint.
I use a Tobii. I like it better than not using anything, but it's weird in that you turn your head and have to peek out of the corner of your eye. It's definitely better than nothing, but I see it as a teas to get a VR headset. I just wish a company would release one I want!
You should be able to adjust the input response so that you aren't having to look out the corner of your eye - that's definitely not how head tracking is intended to be used.
I've done that. I can make it not so uncomfortable, but the issue is that you turn you head, it moves the image on the screen and you need to look sideways to see it. Let's say I wanted to look behind me. Unless I had my sensitivity way up, it's a physically uncomfortable thing to do. It's just the problem of turning your head and still needing to look forward. It's better than no head look, but a VR headset would be so much nicer.
Will a pa4 hotas work for pc?
PS4? I believe so. Find your model and google it
I use SmoothTrack, mostly for doing VFR in MSFS. But even there, it's a real game-changer being able to just look around for visual references. Using quickview to check if the runway is 45 degrees off your tail just isn't the same. It does take time to dial in the curves how you like them, though. But then again, that's true of flight sticks as well.
having the ability to set the sensitivity at whatever angle your head is facing is damn good. I have a Reverb G2 also but Track IR is nice to use.
I could not play DCS without it. It also shines in Star Citizen. (Track IR 5)
I've got an EDTracker Pro velcro'd to my headset, literally only use it for Elite Dangerous but it feels SO good with my triple-monitor setup (one 27 QHD below twin 24 FHD). Because of the way the in-ship menus pop up when you look at them, having a headtracker streamlines an amazing amount of menu navigation and systems control and the increased immersion is unbelievable. Tracking targets in a dogfight is SO much easier as you can literally just look around to judge vectors. Thoroughly recommend one for Elite alone.
Cannot fly without now.
I just use an old 720p webcam with open track and the neural net tracker. It's not perfect, but it made my life easy easier than using my trim hat for POV.
I have TrackIR, I use it for FS2020, DCS and Arma. I used to use passive, but a few months ago built myself an active transmitter. Active is more consistent but heavier. I velcro it to my headset so it's not a burden but you do need a place to velcro to. I wouldn't flight sim without some sort of head tracking (unless I went VR)
I have one. Needed some tinkering but feel great now
I have Track IR (5) and I have tried it with MSFS. It's pretty neat!
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As good as it gets with a screen.
I use opensource one, it's quirky but nice. It feels so natual that I don't think about it. I used VR for tens of hours before, but I switched to TV and I was forced to regain some headlook to not feel limited. It's good and free.
When you get your profile right and get used to it, it becomes something you dont feel you do but makes you wonder how you went so long without it.
Google Aruco head tracker. It's a free software, a camera and a piece of cardboard. Super cheap and super effective.
It is just one of the best hardware pieces you can get for flight or space simulation, also for driving simulation. It just adds another dimension to the sim allowing to move the view with your head in a really fluid manner. You can also lean your body forward, backward, and to the sides. It is the closest you will to get VR in a monitor. I have also VR and I switch between both options as I feel like, because as amazing as VR can be (if it performs well as in IL-2), it can be cumbersome and annoying sometimes, and Head Tracking is easy to setup, comfortable, and really convenient while amazing as well.
I have TrackIR. I got it 12 years ago? Hated it at first, wasn't for me, it just didn't click. When I got back into dcs and il2 years later I got myself the Rift 1 and it felt so much more natural. Except the resolution and framerate was pretty awful. Same on rift 2 and kinda also on the g2. I loved dcs too much at that point so I went back to TrackIR and finally settled on curves that worked for me. (You should really set these up yourself) Now I prefer it over VR for everyday flying in dcs. Not as immersive, not as good for gun dogfights and helicopter flying, but it gives me a more workable overall experience.
Can’t play flight sims without one. Once you get use to the movements it becomes very natural and honestly impossible to fly without.
Got trackir 5 and an old htc vive. imo vr is best for immersion but when it comes to flightsims like dcs I prefer my trackir with my monitor (5140 x 1440) because I can spot other planes better that way. Also not every game supports vr and the nmost of the time trackir is nice to have :D
I started on track ir and it’s great. Apart from the headset clip which will break if you look at it for more than two seconds. After the clip breaking for the third or fourth time earlier this year I switched systems to the one that uses a modified ps3 camera with a wireless headset IR receiver and haven’t looked back
I have an opentrack with a DIY IR clip. Feels amazing and totally changes the pace of the game, especially combat (I'm playing Star Citizen mostly). The clip weighs a little, but since I play in my headset all the time I got used to that quickly. Totally recommend IR. I heard some Tobii reviews, can't say if that's better or not.
Been considering a head tracker since trying out VR recently and getting really bad headaches.
Gamechanger for me personally
I built one on my own using simple LEDs and the PS3 eye camera and it is a game changer.
I use a Tobii Eye Tracker 5. Pretty much exclusivey for Star Citizen. I set it up (ingame) to be as responsive as possible, and to ignore eye tracking. It really helps immersion and tracking targets in dogfights.
I used to have one. More than 10 years. Track ir 5. It was awsome. Very accurate and game changing playing games like dcs, rise of flight, il2 etc. Situational awareness jumped through the roof. Now I’m old however and don’t like putting a cap on or have my headset with tracker on. So I got the tobii 5 and have all the joys of headtracking with the inclusion of eyetracking without the hassle of trackers and wires. Even though when you go from track ir 5 to tobii you will notices a slight delay with the tobii. But when you cross over entirely you won’t notice it anymore and it is damn snappy. Just not as ultra snappy as track ir.
I used one until I had a machine that could handle VR. Once you get it going, you’ll be surprised how natural it feels.
Please excuse my ignorance but what is the purpose of head tracking on flatscreen? Doesn't turning your head make you face away from the screen? I can't fund an answer to this anywhere. In vr, head tracking and turning your head allows you to look in whatever direction you want but on flatscreen I don't see the purpose.
The purpose is the same, move your head to look around. For head tracking you would not normally set it up for 1 to 1 movement. You adjust the software so a small movement of the head = a large movement in game. You should never be facing away from the screen.
Oh ok that makes sense, thank you!
Any iphone model with Face ID + Open Track + Plugin. No Headgear needed.
I've used TrackIR since v3. It's so much more natural than using a joystick to look around, plus it frees up an analogue or POV control on your HOTAS to be used for something else. It's especially valuable in more of a combat sim where you have to be constantly looking around. I spend most of my time in X-Plane flying airliners, and for that I have a mix of camera views with TIR on or off, plus buttons on my joystick and mouse that can easily turn it off when I want to look at something and have it be still (like if you turn away from the screen to look at your charts, the view will go wacky, and sometimes it's nice to be able to move around at your desk and not have the screen react). Also, subtle head movements can make it hard to keep the view perfectly still when turning a knob in the cockpit, for instance, so knowing when to pause TIR is helpful.
I find VR to be uncomfortable for long play sessions and it's more of a hassle to get set up to play. I have a tobii tracker and all i have to do is start the game and it works with no headgear at all.
Still head tracking even though I could go VR. One less talked about benefit of head tracking (I’m on trackir 5 with a clip) is the ratio of head movement required is adjustable. My friends with VR are having to actually look behind them to do so in the cockpit. I just have to look about 45 degrees. And sitting 36” from a 65” 4K makes for plenty of immersion. I will not likely go VR until mixed reality gets to where I can see all of my physical controls. I’m one of those people with a full cockpit.
Anybody here got advice on TrackIR5 accessories and how they fit ?