TrackIR
Encyclopedia
TrackIR is an optical motion tracking
game controller for Microsoft Windows
, created by NaturalPoint Inc. that tracks head motions with up to six degrees of freedom (6DOF) in later models, allowing handsfree
view control for improved game immersiveness and situational awareness. Head position and orientation are measured by a purpose-built video camera
, mounted on top of the user's monitor, which observes invisible infrared
(IR) light (hence the name) reflected or emitted by markers on a rigid model worn by the user. TrackIR software is used to access and control the camera, as well as adjust tracking and manage game profiles. The ratio of actual head movement to virtual head movement can be changed, allowing the virtual head to turn 180 degrees whilst the user still looks at the monitor.
TrackIR has promoted and established head tracking in PC
games, achieving support from many developers, particularly those involved in the simulation genre. In the process its interface
has become the de facto standard
for head-tracking game view control, although other commercial and non-commercial solutions exist.
NaturalPoint have maintained the possibility of TrackIR eventually entering the video game console
market.
TrackIR cameras have a monochrome
sensor with an on-board programmable logic device
which pre-processes grayscale video
into a thresholded
binary video
. This is sent to the computer via USB
and further processed by TrackIR software to locate markers and from this estimate head position and orientation, all using only a small amount of bandwidth
and CPU.
Tracking is made possible by the user wearing one of three different types of models. A single dot can be used for 2DOF, typically placed on the tip of a baseball cap, while 6DOF requires a special rigid model with three markers. Of the 6DOF models, the TrackClip model is intended to be cap mounted, with reflective material used for markers, and the TrackClip PRO model is headset
mounted, with infrared LEDs used for markers.
The front of the camera has a plastic infrared filter which appears black, this reduces the brightness of non-IR light sources. This allows infrared light reflected or emitted by trackable objects on the user to be better isolated and tracked.
The TrackClip requires infrared LEDs to be activated in the camera, which are directed towards the user, to illuminate the model's reflective markers. The power output of these LEDs is about 500 times lower than the ANSI
safe limit for extended exposure (more than 16 minutes) so is no more harmful than ambient light.
Most of these have a simulation focus, belonging to flight and driving genres, with a small number of first person shooters and more casual games. Some popular TrackIR Enhancement games include ArmA: Armed Assault, ArmA 2
, GTR - FIA GT Racing Game 2
, Race Driver: GRID
, Test Drive Unlimited
, iRacing, Lock On: Modern Air Combat
, Microsoft Flight Simulator X
, IL-2 Sturmovik, Live For Speed
, Enemy Engaged 2
, Falcon 4.0: Allied Force
, Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War
, Newest builds of FreeSpace 2 Source Code Project
, Aces High II, Jumpgate: The Reconstruction Initiative
and theHunter
.
The TrackIR software has a games list that must be kept up-to-date for the latest TrackIR Enhanced games to be supported. This list is also used for assigning profiles, by default each game uses one of four common profiles, Default Profile, Combat Flight, Flight and Racing. Custom profiles can be created with control over numerous tracking settings, including the model type, smoothing, axis acceleration curves and hotkeys.
NaturalPoint have a record of strong online community involvement, providing technical support for supported games not only on their own forums but also across many game community forums.
The interface has been described by developers as very simple and easy to implement.
The OptiTrack SDK shares the same camera interface as TrackIR software, providing low level access to the camera data.
It is freely available for download and capable of producing 6DOF data for all NaturalPoint cameras
but is not intended as an alternative to the TrackIR SDK, lacking the TrackIR software's convenient customization and profile management features. Despite TrackIR software sharing the same camera interface as the OptiTrack SDK, it cannot produce 6DOF data for TrackIR 1 and 2 cameras and does not support them beyond version 3.x.
(TIRMouse, only in games), keyboard
(TrackMapper, yaw and pitch axes mappable), and joystick
(TIR2Joy to PPJoy) controls. Only one control type can be emulated at a time and not in conjunction with view control in TrackIR Enhanced games.
Full mouse emulation was an important view control method used by early TrackIR software. Once TrackIR gained native support in many popular flight and driving simulation titles, the mouse emulation feature was removed from the main software. Mouse emulation is still available for the 4.x software as a separate utility program. This utility can only be used within games, and not for general Windows cursor control.
Full mouse emulation is now only available in NaturalPoint's SmartNav software which requires a more expensive SmartNav camera, intended specifically for the accessibility market.
device used for Windows cursor control. An early customer provided feedback to NaturalPoint that the product could be used in some flight simulator
s. This prompted NaturalPoint to re-brand the original device as SmartNav and launch a new TrackIR with improved gaming features to specifically target the flight simulation market. TrackIR was embraced by PC flight simulation enthusiasts who saw it as a better alternative to a joystick hat switch for view control. The technology used in SmartNav and TrackIR was later extended to another brand called OptiTrack, creating a more affordable professional motion capture solution.
Between 2002 and 2005, five different TrackIR camera models were released with steadily improving specifications. Frame rate doubled and resolution increased substantially, resulting in more responsive and accurate tracking. In 2003 the NaturalPoint President (also the principle hardware engineer) described these improvements to the original TrackIR as, "not critical for flight and driving sims, but very important to other types of games like first person shooters."
Software for TrackIR 1 and 2 can track a single point, producing 2DOF, this was later expanded with version 3.x software to allow multi-point tracking for 6DOF but only with TrackIR 3 hardware. This feature requires the purchase of a Vector Expansion license which now comes pre-installed with the TrackIR 4:PRO.
The TrackIR 3 was split into a cheaper standard model and a more expensive PRO model but the cheaper model was abandoned for the next version, TrackIR 4:PRO.
The TrackIR 4:PRO departs from the previous models' clamshell case with a new slim compact design, not much bigger than the diameter of a golf ball
. It has a wider field of view than its predecessors and a new base so it can be attached to flat panel displays.
The TrackIR 5 was introduced in early 2009 with a similar design as the TrackIR 4:PRO. It features a wider field of view and higher resolution tracking sensor than previous models.
the interface. This has allowed non-TrackIR devices to be used for view control, including common video devices like webcams.
Early on NaturalPoint updated the interface to require validation using text strings copyright
ed by NaturalPoint, and only granted permission for use of the strings to game and simulation developers. This meant other applications wishing to use the interface without approval from NaturalPoint would have to risk potentially violating NaturalPoint's copyright. Proponents of third party head tracking devices which rely on the TrackIR interface for support in many titles believe the text strings are exempt and fall under fair use for the purposes of interoperability.
In October 2008 NaturalPoint changed the TrackIR interface and began encrypting
the data stream sent to some new titles. Third party devices which had reverse-engineered the previous TrackIR interface were rendered incompatible with these new game titles due to the encryption. The older TrackIR-1 and TrackIR-2 products that use software drivers which are no longer maintained are also incompatible with titles using the new encrypted interface.
Some larger gaming and simulation titles still do not support the TrackIR interface natively, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator
X. Microsoft Flight Simulator X requires the TrackIR to send view control data to it using Microsoft's own SimConnect interface. Eagle Dynamics
, developer of DCS: Black Shark
and other popular Flight Simulation titles, implemented an alternative view control interface along side the TrackIR interface but limited it to supporting 3DOF at NaturalPoint's request.
Additionally, one review noted that the TrackIR 4 Pro runs at a temperature which they consider higher than normal when it is actively tracking.
The manufacturer has indicated that this is within the products designed tolerance.
Optical motion tracking
Motion Tracking can differ from Motion Capture because in applications such as sports and missiles the object of interest is tracked optically instead of a person...
game controller for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, created by NaturalPoint Inc. that tracks head motions with up to six degrees of freedom (6DOF) in later models, allowing handsfree
Handsfree
Handsfree is an adjective describing equipment that can be used without the use of hands or, in a wider sense, equipment which needs only limited use of hands, or for which the controls are positioned so that the hands are able to occupy themselves with another task without needing to hunt far...
view control for improved game immersiveness and situational awareness. Head position and orientation are measured by a purpose-built video camera
Video camera
A video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed by the television industry but now common in other applications as well. The earliest video cameras were those of John Logie Baird, based on the electromechanical Nipkow disk and used by the BBC in...
, mounted on top of the user's monitor, which observes invisible infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
(IR) light (hence the name) reflected or emitted by markers on a rigid model worn by the user. TrackIR software is used to access and control the camera, as well as adjust tracking and manage game profiles. The ratio of actual head movement to virtual head movement can be changed, allowing the virtual head to turn 180 degrees whilst the user still looks at the monitor.
TrackIR has promoted and established head tracking in PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
games, achieving support from many developers, particularly those involved in the simulation genre. In the process its interface
Interface (computer science)
In the field of computer science, an interface is a tool and concept that refers to a point of interaction between components, and is applicable at the level of both hardware and software...
has become the de facto standard
De facto standard
A de facto standard is a custom, convention, product, or system that has achieved a dominant position by public acceptance or market forces...
for head-tracking game view control, although other commercial and non-commercial solutions exist.
NaturalPoint have maintained the possibility of TrackIR eventually entering the video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
market.
Technical details
| Model | Sensor resolution | FPS Frame rate Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems... |
Angle Angle of view In photography, angle of view describes the angular extent of a given scene that is imaged by a camera. It is used interchangeably with the more general term field of view.... |
Subpixel precision | DOF | Released | Latest software |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TrackIR 1 | 60k pixels (e.g. 300x200) | 60 | 33 | 2 | 2001 | Version 3.x | |
| TrackIR 2 | 60k pixels (e.g. 300x200) | 100 | 33 | 2 | 2003 | Version 3.x | |
| TrackIR 3 | 355x288 | 80 | 33 | 2 or 6 | 2004 | Version 4.x | |
| TrackIR 3:PRO | 355x288 | 120 | 33 | 2 or 6 | 2004 | Version 4.x | |
| TrackIR 4:PRO | 355x288 (sub-sampled at 710x288) | 120 | 46 | 1/20th | 6 | 2005 | Version 4.x |
| TrackIR 5 | 640x480 | 120 | 51.7 | 1/150th | 6 | 2009 | Version 5.x |
TrackIR cameras have a monochrome
Monochrome
Monochrome describes paintings, drawings, design, or photographs in one color or shades of one color. A monochromatic object or image has colors in shades of limited colors or hues. Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale or black-and-white...
sensor with an on-board programmable logic device
Programmable logic device
A programmable logic device or PLD is an electronic component used to build reconfigurable digital circuits. Unlike a logic gate, which has a fixed function, a PLD has an undefined function at the time of manufacture...
which pre-processes grayscale video
Grayscale
In photography and computing, a grayscale or greyscale digital image is an image in which the value of each pixel is a single sample, that is, it carries only intensity information...
into a thresholded
Thresholding (image processing)
Thresholding is the simplest method of image segmentation. From a grayscale image, thresholding can be used to create binary images Thresholding is the simplest method of image segmentation. From a grayscale image, thresholding can be used to create binary images Thresholding is the simplest method...
binary video
Binary image
A binary image is a digital image that has only two possible values for each pixel. Typically the two colors used for a binary image are black and white though any two colors can be used. The color used for the object in the image is the foreground color while the rest of the image is the...
. This is sent to the computer via USB
Universal Serial Bus
USB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
and further processed by TrackIR software to locate markers and from this estimate head position and orientation, all using only a small amount of bandwidth
Bandwidth (computing)
In computer networking and computer science, bandwidth, network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth is a measure of available or consumed data communication resources expressed in bits/second or multiples of it .Note that in textbooks on wireless communications, modem data transmission,...
and CPU.
Tracking is made possible by the user wearing one of three different types of models. A single dot can be used for 2DOF, typically placed on the tip of a baseball cap, while 6DOF requires a special rigid model with three markers. Of the 6DOF models, the TrackClip model is intended to be cap mounted, with reflective material used for markers, and the TrackClip PRO model is headset
Headset
Headset may refer to:*Headset , audio headphone, particularly with an attached microphone*Headset , a bicycle part that connects the fork to the frame*Headset , an electronica / hip-hop group...
mounted, with infrared LEDs used for markers.
The front of the camera has a plastic infrared filter which appears black, this reduces the brightness of non-IR light sources. This allows infrared light reflected or emitted by trackable objects on the user to be better isolated and tracked.
The TrackClip requires infrared LEDs to be activated in the camera, which are directed towards the user, to illuminate the model's reflective markers. The power output of these LEDs is about 500 times lower than the ANSI
Ansi
Ansi is a village in Kaarma Parish, Saare County, on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia....
safe limit for extended exposure (more than 16 minutes) so is no more harmful than ambient light.
Supported games
As of 2009 there are around 100 TrackIR Enhanced games that can natively use TrackIR cameras for view control with up to six degrees of freedom.Most of these have a simulation focus, belonging to flight and driving genres, with a small number of first person shooters and more casual games. Some popular TrackIR Enhancement games include ArmA: Armed Assault, ArmA 2
ArmA 2
ARMA 2 is a tactical shooter video game for the PC developed by Bohemia Interactive Studio. It is considered the spiritual successor in the Operation Flashpoint-series following its predecessor, ArmA: Armed Assault . ARMA 2 was released in June and July 2009...
, GTR - FIA GT Racing Game 2
GTR - FIA GT Racing Game 2
GTR2 is a sports car racing simulator developed under license by Blimey for SimBin for the x86 PC and is a sequel to GTR. Since its release in September 2006, it has received widespread acclaim...
, Race Driver: GRID
Race Driver: GRID
Race Driver: Grid is the most recent addition to the TOCA Touring Car series, which is published and developed by Codemasters...
, Test Drive Unlimited
Test Drive Unlimited
Test Drive Unlimited is an arcade-style racing game, the 9th game of the Test Drive series, it features over 125 licensed sports cars and motorcycles and a terrain modeled after the Hawaiian island of Oahu that features some 1000 miles of roads and highways. Test Drive Unlimited is the ninth main...
, iRacing, Lock On: Modern Air Combat
Lock On: Modern Air Combat
Lock On: Modern Air Combat or LOMAC, known in Russia as Lock On, is a modern combat flight simulation developed by Eagle Dynamics and published by Ubisoft in Europe and 1C Company in Russia; it is considered as a survey simulator by its creators. It contains 8 flyable aircraft and over 40...
, Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Microsoft Flight Simulator X, also known as FSX, is the latest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator after Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004...
, IL-2 Sturmovik, Live For Speed
Live for Speed
Live for Speed is a racing simulator developed by a three person team comprising Scawen Roberts, Eric Bailey, and Victor van Vlaardingen. The main focus is to provide a realistic racing experience for the online multiplayer game and to allow single player races against AI cars...
, Enemy Engaged 2
Enemy Engaged 2
Enemy Engaged 2 is the sequel to Enemy Engaged: Comanche vs Hokum. It was released on May 25, 2007. Though the sequel was improved in some ways compared to the first game, it has been highly criticized for its lack of new features. Many improvements were already implemented in the of the first game...
, Falcon 4.0: Allied Force
Falcon 4.0: Allied Force
Falcon 4.0: Allied Force is an F-16 based combat flight simulator created bycompany Spectrum Holobyte and further developed by MicroProse and now by Lead Pursuit. Lead Pursuit was formed after gaining a license from Atari to continue Falcon 4.0 development...
, Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War
Rise of Flight: The First Great Air War
Rise of Flight is a World War I combat flight simulator originally developed by the Russian IT Company, Neoqb and currently being developed by 777 Studios....
, Newest builds of FreeSpace 2 Source Code Project
FreeSpace 2 Source Code Project
The FreeSpace 2 Source Code Project is a group of programmers currently maintaining and enhancing the game engine for the space combat simulator FreeSpace 2, developed by Volition, Inc. The source code was released in 2002, and is used by several projects. Most prominent among these are games based...
, Aces High II, Jumpgate: The Reconstruction Initiative
Jumpgate: The Reconstruction Initiative
Jumpgate: The Reconstruction Initiative is an MMORPG in a science fiction setting for the PC, released in North America on September 25, 2001 by NetDevil and 3DO...
and theHunter
TheHunter
The Hunter gathered positive reviews during its launch period. The hunting community was impressed by the game, and has embraced it for its realism. "incredibly tense and gorgeous experience .....
.
The TrackIR software has a games list that must be kept up-to-date for the latest TrackIR Enhanced games to be supported. This list is also used for assigning profiles, by default each game uses one of four common profiles, Default Profile, Combat Flight, Flight and Racing. Custom profiles can be created with control over numerous tracking settings, including the model type, smoothing, axis acceleration curves and hotkeys.
NaturalPoint have a record of strong online community involvement, providing technical support for supported games not only on their own forums but also across many game community forums.
Supporting TrackIR
Game developers can add TrackIR support to their game by applying for NaturalPoint's free TrackIR SDK, which is available under contract to, "developers who are producing games and simulations that will be sold as commercial products to the public."The interface has been described by developers as very simple and easy to implement.
The OptiTrack SDK shares the same camera interface as TrackIR software, providing low level access to the camera data.
It is freely available for download and capable of producing 6DOF data for all NaturalPoint cameras
but is not intended as an alternative to the TrackIR SDK, lacking the TrackIR software's convenient customization and profile management features. Despite TrackIR software sharing the same camera interface as the OptiTrack SDK, it cannot produce 6DOF data for TrackIR 1 and 2 cameras and does not support them beyond version 3.x.
Input device emulation
Unofficial support is available for several third-party programs that can be used to separately emulate mouseMouse (computing)
In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
(TIRMouse, only in games), keyboard
Computer keyboard
In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
(TrackMapper, yaw and pitch axes mappable), and joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
(TIR2Joy to PPJoy) controls. Only one control type can be emulated at a time and not in conjunction with view control in TrackIR Enhanced games.
Full mouse emulation was an important view control method used by early TrackIR software. Once TrackIR gained native support in many popular flight and driving simulation titles, the mouse emulation feature was removed from the main software. Mouse emulation is still available for the 4.x software as a separate utility program. This utility can only be used within games, and not for general Windows cursor control.
Full mouse emulation is now only available in NaturalPoint's SmartNav software which requires a more expensive SmartNav camera, intended specifically for the accessibility market.
History
The original TrackIR product was an affordable assistive technologyAssistive technology
Assistive technology or adaptive technology is an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them...
device used for Windows cursor control. An early customer provided feedback to NaturalPoint that the product could be used in some flight simulator
Flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
s. This prompted NaturalPoint to re-brand the original device as SmartNav and launch a new TrackIR with improved gaming features to specifically target the flight simulation market. TrackIR was embraced by PC flight simulation enthusiasts who saw it as a better alternative to a joystick hat switch for view control. The technology used in SmartNav and TrackIR was later extended to another brand called OptiTrack, creating a more affordable professional motion capture solution.
Between 2002 and 2005, five different TrackIR camera models were released with steadily improving specifications. Frame rate doubled and resolution increased substantially, resulting in more responsive and accurate tracking. In 2003 the NaturalPoint President (also the principle hardware engineer) described these improvements to the original TrackIR as, "not critical for flight and driving sims, but very important to other types of games like first person shooters."
Software for TrackIR 1 and 2 can track a single point, producing 2DOF, this was later expanded with version 3.x software to allow multi-point tracking for 6DOF but only with TrackIR 3 hardware. This feature requires the purchase of a Vector Expansion license which now comes pre-installed with the TrackIR 4:PRO.
The TrackIR 3 was split into a cheaper standard model and a more expensive PRO model but the cheaper model was abandoned for the next version, TrackIR 4:PRO.
The TrackIR 4:PRO departs from the previous models' clamshell case with a new slim compact design, not much bigger than the diameter of a golf ball
Golf ball
A golf ball is a ball designed to be used in the game of golf.Under the Rules of Golf, a golf ball weighs no more than 1.620 oz , has a diameter not less than 1.680 in , and performs within specified velocity, distance, and symmetry limits...
. It has a wider field of view than its predecessors and a new base so it can be attached to flat panel displays.
The TrackIR 5 was introduced in early 2009 with a similar design as the TrackIR 4:PRO. It features a wider field of view and higher resolution tracking sensor than previous models.
Patents
NaturalPoint have filed five patent applications for optical motion tracking as a means of view control in virtual environments since 2005, but as of 2008 none have been issued. Their most recent application is a refinement of prior applications, focusing on view control in multiplayer virtual environments.TrackIR interface with games
The proprietary TrackIR interface has become the de facto standard for view control in PC games and simulations and is only intended for use with TrackIR products. As NaturalPoint convinced more developers and games to support it, other devices inspired by the TrackIR have sought to access the same view control and been successful in reverse engineeringReverse engineering
Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object, or system through analysis of its structure, function, and operation...
the interface. This has allowed non-TrackIR devices to be used for view control, including common video devices like webcams.
Early on NaturalPoint updated the interface to require validation using text strings copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
ed by NaturalPoint, and only granted permission for use of the strings to game and simulation developers. This meant other applications wishing to use the interface without approval from NaturalPoint would have to risk potentially violating NaturalPoint's copyright. Proponents of third party head tracking devices which rely on the TrackIR interface for support in many titles believe the text strings are exempt and fall under fair use for the purposes of interoperability.
In October 2008 NaturalPoint changed the TrackIR interface and began encrypting
Encryption
In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...
the data stream sent to some new titles. Third party devices which had reverse-engineered the previous TrackIR interface were rendered incompatible with these new game titles due to the encryption. The older TrackIR-1 and TrackIR-2 products that use software drivers which are no longer maintained are also incompatible with titles using the new encrypted interface.
Some larger gaming and simulation titles still do not support the TrackIR interface natively, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator is a series of flight simulator programs for the Microsoft Windows operating system, although it was marketed as a video game. It is one of the longest-running, best-known and most comprehensive home flight simulator series...
X. Microsoft Flight Simulator X requires the TrackIR to send view control data to it using Microsoft's own SimConnect interface. Eagle Dynamics
Eagle Dynamics
Eagle Dynamics is a software company based in Moscow that develops video games and Oracle-based products.The company has developed Su-27 Flanker, Lock On: Modern Air Combat, the LockOn-Add-On "Flaming Cliffs" and the Digital Combat Simulator -...
, developer of DCS: Black Shark
Digital Combat Simulator
Digital Combat Simulator is a series of study combat flight simulator video games by Eagle Dynamics, and the descendent of the popular "Su-27 Flanker" series....
and other popular Flight Simulation titles, implemented an alternative view control interface along side the TrackIR interface but limited it to supporting 3DOF at NaturalPoint's request.
TrackIR 4 Pro
Some reviewers found the TrackIR 4 Pro with TrackClip Pro bundle to be expensive at the $200–$220 price, while still considering it a worthwhile purchase for serious simulation users. As of June, 2009 the bundle is available for $120.Additionally, one review noted that the TrackIR 4 Pro runs at a temperature which they consider higher than normal when it is actively tracking.
The manufacturer has indicated that this is within the products designed tolerance.
TrackClip PRO
Some reviewers found the TrackClip PRO to have loose joints, be less durable than desired, and one was disappointed that it was unable to be positioned on the right side of the head, while still recommending the product.See also
Other solutions for head-tracking in PC games:- FreeTrackFreeTrackFreeTrack is a general purpose optical motion tracking application for Microsoft Windows, released under the GNU General Public License, that can be used with common inexpensive cameras. Its primary focus is head tracking with uses in virtual reality, simulation, video games, 3D modeling, computer...
, an open-source and free head-tracking software which users can build their tracking hardware with webcams and infrared LEDs cheaply.