Just Ordered Track IR 5 Hope it Was a Good Choice...

[Jocko Flocko]

I've really seen nothing but great reports to do with this piece of hardware and I'm sick of using my joysticks hat switch to pan around the cockpit during an approach, so I went ahead and ordered it from NCIX this afternoon. I also ordered the "clip on thingy" that goes on the left hand side of your headset, it has 3 LED's. I purchased this because I would hate to have to always wear a hat while I'm playing FSX.

What are your guys opinions on this piece of hardware? Is there any software configurations you can suggest for it or any addons? I heard EZDok camera addon is a must to have with Track IR as it adds major immersion into FSX. What really sold me on the hardware was all the FTX video's that contain the cockpit footage, all were shot using Track IR and they are all amazing to watch.

I can't wait until it gets here!

Happy Flying

Jocko

[MarkH]

I would hate to have to always wear a hat while I'm playing FSX

Substitute 'headset' for 'hat' and you have the other side of that argument. As for EZCA, it's a bit of a tradeoff. EZCA effects (mostly the random cockpit movements) add a nice sense of realism but also significantly increase the perception of flickering with TrackIR, even with a quite healthy frame rates. I find, especially with a large screen (40"), this makes FSX appear more stuttery than it really is and quickly makes me feel ill. It helps to increase the 'Additional smoothing' parameter in the EZCA TrackIR setup, and to use TrackIR profiles with dead zones in the centre, but those are both compromises too.

[JimNZ]

You have made the right decision. I have the older model TIR4 and if anything happened to that, I'd be on the phone in an instant and order your version. I NEVER fly without it. You just watch the amount of member's who agree with that statement.

Great buy, Well done.

GL, Jim.

PS:sorry I should have mentioned, that it's best in my opinion when you wear the 'clip' that attaches to you headset.

Jim.

[Virtualwombat]

TrackIR is great. I've had v3 for years and recently bought v5. IMHO it is the best piece of hardware you can get for increasing immersion in FSX; you won't regret your purchase. Just make sure you don't have bright light in the camera's field of view behind you - that can confuse the beast. I also use EZCA and it works fine most of the time, although there are rare occasions when it adds too much movement. That can be tuned out although the EZCA interface is notoriously cryptic.

Cheers,

Noel.

[TreeTops]

Mark, you can dial down the effects with Ezdok. Large screen equals large movements.

Ezdok and TIR are an awesome combination. Nothing but high praise for these two.

[John Lovell]

Can never do without this amazing piece of kit.... At first, it will be overwhelming, but it really dont take long at all to settle into it and feels so natural.

To be able to look over the hood during taxiing, look into the turns etc is just amazing

[gandy]

Im starting to get use to mine when flying the big iron and looking at the overhead panel which is something i did not think was possible for me so it gets a very big thumbs up from me

[Jocko Flocko]

Thanks for the replies fellas. Yeah, I really can see just how important this piece of hardware can be for flight simming. Being able to turn your head into a turn to see where and what you are turning into, especially on final legs can be indespensible. I fly mostly GA aircraft (I own all of Carenado's planes) and I mainly like to do small regional hops within the PNW and PFJ areas, small sight seeing hops. I can't wait to be able to pan my head out the side window of my 185 while flying and view all the great scenery along the flight plans.

Cheers

Jocko

[rockliffe]

Hi Jocko, I can offer some input here because I've had both of these addons installed for only about two weeks now! Firstly let me say that if you have Ezdok, which is a great bit of kit, either be prepared to give yourself a stress related illness or end up in the casualty department with some unpleasant self induced wound! I tried five times to get this darn thing to work. I uninstalled it twice over the past six months. After getting my paws on the PMDG 737 I was suddenly aware of how many panels and levers there are that need to be viewed. So I persevered and eventually managed to get my head around it. IMO Ezdok is probably the most unintuitive program I have ever had the misfortune to install. But a I've said, when it works, it works brilliantly. However, I would question whether Ezdok is as much a necessity with GA as I feel it is with the airliners. eg, with the PMDG I find it impossible to view the overhead panels with Track IR, but with Ezdok you can literally place the view anywhere you like. So I have a number of views in the 737 which include the upper and lower overhead panel, the CDU, the throttle quadrant the MCP, a zoomed in VC and a normal VC, then a left window a right window view. Then with Track IR it's possible to place 'yourself' in these prelocated positions and use TrackIR to look around. I have found with a couple of GAs that the Ezdok almost becomes redundant, as TrackIR offers most of what you need, I'm thinkig here specifically the Katana, but there are times when, for example, in the Bird Dog, where you may wish to look back and above to the fuel switches, this is virtually impossible with Track IR, unless of course you have it set with a lot of sensitivity, in which case it will be moving all over the place in normal use. I have also found that both of these addons have their merits but IMO do take some time getting used to.

[Bill Womack]

Maybe it's just been a long time since I set up EZDOK and I've forgotten the pain, but I'm having zero problems setting up cameras in my new planes when I add them. It's a quick, painless process and works perfectly. What am I missing? Once you've got it set up, EZDOK is no big deal to use in my experience.

[cvearl]

I found Track IR easier to master with the speed turned down to 6. It's a slider in the GUI when you run it. Almost instantly smooth and easy and natural.

I do not have EZDock. Yet.

C.

[Badger]

TrackIR is brilliant. I never fly without it now and when I try, I still move my head and wonder why the view hasn't changed .

It really is the best piece of kit I've bought for FSX.

[frostlp]

Does the Track IR only work in the virtual cockpit mode?

[jjjallen]

Maybe it is just me but the best use of TrackIR is during ground operations aka taxiing and on approach. It allows you to 'look' while you are executing a turn as the hat switch panning is cumbersome while using the twistgrip during a turn. On approach you can use it to get a better situational awareness. Enroute it is still very useful for looking around the VC and can also be used to supplement outside views where I generally use the hat switch for panning.

All in all it is a great system to further your simming experience.

Cheers

jja

[Jon Houston]

I'd echo John Lovell's comment (above) about it possibly being overwhelming, at first, and the point is, of course, don't get frustrated with it.

The best TIR advice I ever got was to just stick with it, and you'll soon become accustomed to it. And soon thereafter, you'll be one of those who wonder why you didn't buy it years before you did!

[derxtreme]

You have made the right decision

[Martin]

Hi Jocko,

I'm waiting for Fedex to deliver my TrackIR5 today, so all these posts have been encouraging. I look forward to the new flight experience.

Cheers

Martin

[BB-17]

TrackIR is great. I've had v3 for years and recently bought v5. IMHO it is the best piece of hardware you can get for increasing immersion in FSX; you won't regret your purchase. Just make sure you don't have bright light in the camera's field of view behind you - that can confuse the beast. I also use EZCA and it works fine most of the time, although there are rare occasions when it adds too much movement. That can be tuned out although the EZCA interface is notoriously cryptic.

Cheers,

Noel.

Totaly agree about everything that Noel wrote.

I would never fly without TrackIR any more!

Regards,

Bernd

[Simjockey]

Best kit I ever bought for any of the sims I fly and even ARMA2! Simply put - could not fly without it!

Sim.

PS: I've had EZCA and TrackIR working flawlessly together from the point that EZCA became compatible with TrackIR - awesome together.

[Martin]

Mine just arrived today and for most of my GA aircraft it seems to work like a charm with the default settings, but I can't seem to get enough panel hight when using it with the Turbine Duke, the panel is way to low. Haven't gone completely throught the manual yet but I suspect I will need to create a profile or something for the Duke?

Cheers

Martin

[infus1on]

I have both. I have tried on several occasions to get it set up right. Once I get it it lasts for a while and then TrackIR flips and looks the other direction. I have done research but I have not been able to find a solution that works. Lately I just do not have the time to fiddle. Just want to fly!

[FreeBird]

Mine just arrived today and for most of my GA aircraft it seems to work like a charm with the default settings, but I can't seem to get enough panel hight when using it with the Turbine Duke, the panel is way to low. Haven't gone completely throught the manual yet but I suspect I will need to create a profile or something for the Duke?

Cheers

Martin

Try this profile it works for all my airplanes Josh

http://www.mediafire.com/?4cfjajgmcyw44cc

[Martin]

Thanks Josh, I'll give it a shot tomorrow

Cheers

Martin

[iflygary]

In my opinion Track IR and Ezdok are like wine and cheese or chips and salsa. Seperately each are fine, but together, they are heavenly! I never ever fly without my Track IR or Ezdok. Yeah initially, it make take u just a while to get used to Track IR but once you get going, trust me, you will never fly without it. I'd have to say those two add-ons are by far the best to increase your flying experiences. Enjoy!!

[JimNZ]

Martin, make sure that you do not have to much light it the room, as that can cause weird things to happen.

Jim.

[Blitzer]

I have both. I have tried on several occasions to get it set up right. Once I get it it lasts for a while and then TrackIR flips and looks the other direction. I have done research but I have not been able to find a solution that works. Lately I just do not have the time to fiddle. Just want to fly!

I experience this from time to time and it simply caused by day-light (usually in the afternoon for me) coming through the window and causing the receiver to flip out as it were - closing the blind cure this problem but can be a pain if you got the window open and the blind moves. But back to the point - you will probably find it's a light issue that is causing your difficulty.

[John York]

I've had Track IR5 for about three months now and never, ever fly without it. I don't have headphones so I clipped the reflector to a golf visor (sometimes called a 'peak'). Works a treat.

For what its worth, I've slowed the speed right down to 0.5 and put the smooth up to 30. Those are the only adjustments I've made. I find it can be a bit neck cricking to look at the instruments higher up but suspect that's sometimes the case in real aircraft too. As for turning, I'm lucky, I've got a revolving office chair and if that doesn't work too well, I screw the visor round on my head or up and down temporarily for what I want to do. Mind you, that messes my hair up a bit.

Oh, and in answer to the question, yes Track IR does work in outside view and if you use Bob its great because you can turn your head while walking rather than turning him!

I've looked at Ezdock and decided from the awful critique in the website selling it that I didn't want anything to do with it. I don't think I'm missing it.

Hope it helps.

John

[iflygary]

I've looked at Ezdock and decided from the awful critique in the website selling it that I didn't want anything to do with it. I don't think I'm missing it.

Hope it helps.

John

John,

Initially I thought the very same thing. However, after reviewing several you tube videos on Ezdock and deciding "what the heck, I'll go for it anyway" I am delighted I did so. The dynamic head movements really bring FSX up to another level. And once again, they are so many web help you tube videos out there if you run into any problems with it, you should be quickly able to solve them. Give it a try! You won't be disappointed.

[jjjallen]

EZDok is to FSX as Web 2.0 is to the Internet IMO!

Cheers

jja

[Louis]

Good post and at the right time cause i ordered one yesterday also. Like you guys i keep hearing that everyone says they can't see how any one can fly without it.I bought the new 737 from PMDG and there's so much going on on this thing that i fiqured - what the heck hear we go again and another 200 bucks . But what i don't see any one talk about here is do you need 3 monitors and is it ok with one monitor?

[JanTenner]

I use two monitors. One is running FSX and the other is for Flight Sim Commander or other stuff needed while flying. I dont need more monitors for cockpit views because with TrackIR I can look around the whole cockpit. Every information is just a little head movement away. So another monitor might look good but right now I dont need one.

[Louis]

Just the answer i wanted to hear Jen cause my set up is basically like yours - 2nd one used to stash every thing else like Plan -G. Now i forgot to ask - is it gonna hit my frames? cause at 3.2 Gigs i can't really afford to take a hit. And if i have to be a computer engineer to set this thing up i'm gonna be just livid, cause that's why i don't but a lot of these add on's.

[JanTenner]

With TrackIR there is no noticeable performance drop. The setup of the TrackIR is very simple. It could take some time till you find the settings you like but there is no difficulty.

[Martin]

Yes, great addon! Just got mine the other day and once you figure out what works for you it's awesome! The 3 things that helped me was to make sure you have the 3 light data points centered by looking at the camera view on the software (upper right hand corner), you might need to adjust the camera for various aircraft, and the key F12 is your friend. And like others have said, make sure you don't have too much lighting coming from behind

Cheers

Martin

[jjjallen]

The most important configuration item that I found with TrackIR is that you will want to program 'recenter' to a button on your stick. I use this several times during a flight to adjust for my head and body movement.

Cheers

jja

[Jocko Flocko]

First of all thank you to Joshua for posting that most awesome Track IR profile, it works fantastic with all my Carenado Aircraft and my A2A ones. Anyone looking for a great profile download the one that Joshua posted, it works awesome.

Yeah so a few days ago I got everything in the mail from NCIX (a Canadian online computer parts company) and I got Track IR and Track Clip Pro all set up and working smoothly with FSX in just a few minutes. Since doing so I have been completely blown out of my seat in terms of just how much this little gadget fundementally changes the way I can now fly aircraft in FSX. Using STOL aircraft I can now do very tricky river bed landings inside the FTX scenery areas as Track IR allows you to see where you are going as your head tracks with the oncoming landing area at various angles. It's a sweet thing to have for bush flying. I also picked up EZDock for FSX that really adds a major amount of realism in terms of it's included camera effetcs. Using EZDock I now feel like I'm in an actual small aircraft being buffeted around by air pockets, it's another fine product that I highly recommend. I have had ZERO issues using Track IR along with the EZDock software, and it will work fine for you as long as you follow the Track IR instructions at the begining of the manual.

All in all it was a great decision and well worth the money spent as it has added even more fun and realism to the flying experience.

-Jocko

[FreeBird]

Glad it worked for you. The one you should be thanking is Stephen Spirit Flyer for it is his handy work. It is great that we all can share with each other the great depository of knowledge here.

Josh

[John York]

'The most important configuration item that I found with TrackIR is that you will want to program 'recenter' to a button on your stick'

My stick is full up but frankly, I can't see what's wrong with 'F12'.

John

[Martin]

Yes, thanks Joshua works great on my system also. Glad everything also worked out for you Jocko, I think I might have to venture into the world of EzDock after reading yours and everyones elses posts on EzDock!

Cheers

Martin

[Bruceb]

Have had trackIR for about six years but never became a fan. I realise this is a minority opinion but the way display changes in response to head movements is unrealistic and gives me eyestrain - look right the display moves left, look left the display moves right, (great in videos though). Have found EZCA plus the hat switch to be a much better option - with multi camera positions programmed to buttons on my yoke and joystick have been able to achieve what I was after with trackIR without the eyestrain.

Bruceb