IL-2 How to Upgrade to TrackIR (Head-Tracking)

[Col Ninny]

To get serious about advancing in IL-2 BoS, you need to getting into a head-tracking system. It's not an arcade game. This video discuss the pros and cons of doing so.

[Jumoschwanz]

Track IR is a downgrade, it is all hype and does not work well as a hat-switch can.

[Igo kyu]

Track IR was a very annoying experience. I got version 4, and in a very short time version 5 came out. I had some issues with 4, somebody said get the current drivers, so I went to get them, and the current drivers were for version 5. Basically, once they've got your money, forget you.

[idefix44]

OS: Seven 64 bits
TrackIR: 4
Driver: 5.1.300

Works fine.

[Igo kyu]

Originally Posted by idefix44

OS: Seven 64 bits
TrackIR: 4
Driver: 5.1.300

Works fine.

Thanks for that, I might even refind it one day. Where does one legitimately find that driver?

[idefix44]

On Natural Point web site of course...

[bladeracer]

Originally Posted by Jumoschwanz

Track IR is a downgrade, it is all hype and does not work well as a hat-switch can.

I get lost trying to use the hat, it doesn't have the sensory feedback of head movement. I prefer to tilt my head and have my view change to that position, very natural, no issues. And I don't need a third hand just to see what's happening around me

[Jumoschwanz]

Originally Posted by bladeracer

I get lost trying to use the hat, it doesn't have the sensory feedback of head movement. I prefer to tilt my head and have my view change to that position, very natural, no issues. And I don't need a third hand just to see what's happening around me

Pssssst, the hat-switch is located right on the top of the stick, you don't need an extra hand. It takes brains to set up a hat-switch and use it, so I can understand why not many have done it. Expert hat-switching in this video;

[bladeracer]

Originally Posted by Jumoschwanz

Pssssst, the hat-switch is located right on the top of the stick, you don't need an extra hand. It takes brains to set up a hat-switch and use it, so I can understand why not many have done it. Expert hat-switching in this video;

[Jumoschwanz]

Originally Posted by bladeracer

I also have damage to my right hand and thumb that makes using hats on the stick impossible, ..

Sure, people who are disabled need special equipment to help them every day.


It just depends on if you are interested in gaming and entertainment, or if you are interested in shooting down other fighters. When a hat-switch is set up correctly, letting go of it always returns the line of sight to the gun-sight so gunnery is always accurate and quick. Also the positions the hat-switch will move to are exactly defined in degrees so the pilot always knows the attitude of his aicraft in each position the hat-switch is in.

With track-IR and VR, with no anchor for the line of sight and no known positions for views, the line of sight is always free-floating. Many kinds of feedback to the human are missing flying a computer sim compared to a real aircraft, so orientation etc. all takes extra time and is less accurate. With the hat-switch and it's views anchoring the position and attitude of the virtual pilot and aircraft the virtual pilot is at an advantage.

So you are correct that Track IR is not better just because I say so, it is better because of objective logic and facts, and also hard statistics.