Trackir / Oculus - Do you own both? Which one do you use most?

[Arkhamuk 1]

Hi guys,

I have an oculus which is great in flight sims but at low res. I was thinking maybe to pick up tracker for high res playing?

If you own both do you play with both or just stick to one as your favourite or most useful to you?

Id like to know your opinions if you could share?

Thanks

Edited June 8, 2018 by Arkhamuk

[+streakeagle 871]

I have flown TrackIR for many years, starting with a TrackIR 3, then adding "vector", then TrackIR 4 Pro, and finally TrackIR 5 Pro. Since I already had committed to a 1080 GTX when I saw it at Newegg for $470, I jumped on the Oculus Rift when it dropped to $400. My PC display is an old 46-inch 1080p LCD TV from 2006. I tend to pick one of the two ways I can play (VR or conventional display/TrackIR) and stay that way for a few days or even a week or two and then alternate. The VR experience is unbelievable, but I absolutely can't stand the low resolution not to mention some fatigue from having the head mounted display pressing on my face for hours (which is made even more uncomfortable because I wear glasses, which get pushed pretty hard into the bridge of my nose). When I switch back to TrackIR and the 1080p TV, the graphics of modern sims like P3d V4 and DCS World 2.5 are unbelievable, but I can't stand the limitations of TrackIR and the field of view of even a large TV after experiencing VR.

As a general rule,  I use VR primarily for "fun" flights where I am looking to feel like I am inside the cockpit and have time to look around and be immersed by the view and smooth, precise 1:1 head tracking. But with rare exception, I tend to use the display/TrackIR for any situations where I need to be able to read the cockpit instruments and spot/identify targets. If I had to choose only one, it would have to be TrackIR since the only real loss is a feeling of immersion.

So, if the low resolution is bothering you in VR and you have the money to waste on TrackIR, I highly recommend it. I love the option of being able to switch between the two as I see fit rather than being stuck in one setup or the other.

[Arkhamuk 1]

Thanks steakeagle! thats very helpful information indeed!. I use an ultra wide 32" screen so that might help with trakir but as you say, im afraid to loose real 3D immersion levels. Its almost like once you VR its hard to go back. I have sat in Elite for extended periods of VR buts low res isnt so much of an issue there.  I do find VR hard when im trying to learn an aircraft. Im going to have to see if i can get access to a trickir to feel it or maybe look for a sale. I can see now the benefit of using both at the same time as you describe.

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences.

[+streakeagle 871]

You can't really evaluate TrackIR very well from a single test. It takes most people at least a few days to get used to how it works and much longer to tune the profiles to suit your taste. The basic problem Is that it has to amplify your head movement to allow you to look 180 degrees behind you while turning your head no farther than you can comfortably see the whole screen. So, a head movement of about 20-35 degrees has to be scaled to 180 degrees in the game. The same problem occurs with the vertical axis, too. It is like tuning a joystick response curve for a fighter with a sensitive control stick. You may or may not want a deadband around the pitch and yaw centers. You may want a flat response or one that is soft around the center but really aggressive at the endpoints. You can have the software smooth out your head movement by slowing down the response or have aggressive immediate response to even the smallest movement of your head. A well tuned profile makes using the TrackIR a lot easier. While you can download other people's profiles for any given game, I think it is better to understand what can be tuned and end up getting exactly what you want/like. Different games may require different profiles. So if you get a TrackIR, be prepared to spend a little time getting used to how it works and learning what you want out of a profile.

[Arkhamuk 1]

Good points. Im leaning towards sticking with VR now. I have found a program called opentrack that can use the oculus as a trackir so im going to give that ago just to see how the head turning setup feels like as you say. I must admit i have found VR's 1 to 1 can be bad when you are having to turn you head a lot to check your tail in combat and having to fully twist your neck