I hope this is the right place to seek advice and recommendations.
I want to control my cockpit view with some kind of head tracker à la TrackIR, but the more I investigate on the net, the more uncertain I become.
Here are my requirements:
The receiver must be something which can easily be attached to the top of my monitor.
I would prefer a passive “clip” which can be attached to a cap or a headset, preferably both, but an active one would also work if it were light and battery driven. No clip at all and face recognition is also a possibility, but I cannot help thinking it must put more load on my CPU?
The solution must be CPU-friendly.
I’m not an alien to tinkering with software, but I really prefer something that works out of the box with few or no extras.
Price is not irrelevant, of course, but I wouldn’t hesitate to go for TrackIR if I believed it to be the best solution in it’s price range.
I know TrackIR 5 seems like an obvious choice given these points, but please don’t hesitate to suggest something else that you’re happy with. I have seen mention of TrackIR 6, but have found no offerings anywhere. Is TrackIR 5 an aging solution?
I’m using a Track IR 5 with passive clips … It works great however you have to avoid being in a too lighted room …
But should try a smartphone app called SmoothTrack. I haven’t tested by myself, but it’s cheap ($10) and seems to work very well … Just be sure to have a compatible phone if you are on Android …
Thanks for replying.
I do have an iPhone X, but I need that for everything that phones exist for. Also, I wouldn’t know how to find a suitable place to mount it.
But +1 for TrackIR 5 noted. My room is always dark enough to grow mushrooms.
Well, the TrackIR “reciever” is an infrared light source + infrared camera combo. So it emits the IR light which reflects off the clip and is picked up by the IR camera.
I got the Pro edition with the IR LED bit and, even though it has a wire, really doesn’t get in my way, and I found it a lot more reliable than the hat clip (plus I don’t have to wear a hat, just a hairband).
I use a Ps3 Eye camera, with 3 IR leds. It works like a charm in all my games. No lag. I have never tried it in MSFS tho, I do not play this game anymore. But it works like a charm in all the others, Xplane, Arma 3, DCS world, IL2, War thunder. etc.
the Ps3 camera is really cheap on the market. building the IR leds is fun and easy. I am using opentrack with them. all the software needed is free.
I’ve been using the TrackIR TrackClip since 2013 when I got back into flight simulators with FSX. It works great with FS2020, too. I just attach the TrackClip to the brim of a baseball cap, center the sensors using the TrackIR software, and I’m flying.
I have medium-low lighting in my office, and you can adjust the brightness of the LED emitters on the receiver to account for different lighting conditions. I also like that the TrackIR software has predefined setups for many popular racing, simulation, and some FPS games. You can fully adjust the profiles to account for responsiveness, precision, etc.
My only gripe is that using the TrackIR in combination with the mouse for adjusting map range, or autopilot buttons, is often challenging - especially when there’s turbulence. There is a setting to turn off that level of realism but where’s the fun in that?
The smartphone app alternative seems to have gained some traction, and it significantly cheaper of course.
TrackIR ( or free alternatives ) is just best I know… I also tried Tobi EyeTracking ( 4 ) , but no… never again… it is electronic waste : limited game support, up to 10% cpu, “Eye” tracking is horrible ( it follows allways your eyes , and trust me, that is not what you want and the derived head-tracking doesnt works quite good )…
I use TrackIR5 since years ( DCS, Xplane, Prepare3D, others sims like ETS , sometimes in ArmA, and and and… ), it just works…
I used Trackir 5 with the hat clip for years without issue, and recently upgraded to the Pro Clip that easily attached to my headset. Works right out of the box and becomes very natural in short amount of time. Can’t imagine flying or racing without it.
As long as price isn’t an issue, TrackIR 5 is the way to go, in my opinion. It’s specifically developed to do what it does, and it does it well; i.e. it’s not a ‘hack’ or cheap alternative.
The camera simply sits on top of your monitor.
The default clip is a very simple metal piece that slips onto the brim of a hat. You can also buy the Pro Clip, which is designed to clip onto the side of a gaming headset.
I can’t comment on CPU-friendliness, but I’ve been using TrackIR for probably 10+ years without issues.
Regardless of which clip you choose, TrackIR definitely works out of the box. Do expect, however, to want to tweak your axis settings to find what feels best for you.
I’ve had a good experience with Smoothtrack (Android) + OpenTrack, the app is definitely worth the few bucks if you’re looking for a simple and low-cost solution. AITrack + OpenTrack is also another option but I found that it jumped around too much.
My sentiments exactly. TrackIR is life altering when it comes to sims. dollar for dollar the best money spent for immersion. i’ve never tried anything else.
You made my day!!! How can I thank you? Downloaded iOS version, running on my iPad Pro like Track IR never did! Now my Track IR (Version 4pro) goes directly to the bin. No more fighting with too bright lights, no stupid cap needed. And you can adjust everything on the fly on the device (ipad in my case).
Great, simply great! Why didn’t I found this 180hrs of flight time ago?
