In this review I'll be taking a look at NaturalPoint's TrackIR 4 Pro and the TrackClip Pro.
The TrackIR 4 Pro is the latest version of NaturalPoint's head tracking system for TrackIR Enhanced games and simulations, a list of which can be found here. The system provides players with 6 degrees of freedom of head movement which is translated into 3D movement within the game in real time. By 6DOF NaturalPoint means rotation with yaw, pitch, roll, and translation with x, y and z movement. This is achieved by the use of some pretty sophisticated IR motion tracking technology that sits atop your monitor and 3 curved reflectors that clip onto the brim of a cap or visor which you wear whilst gaming, but more on that later.
The TrackClip Pro is NaturalPoints answer to those customers that really want to use the system but don't want to have to wear a cap or visor whilst gaming. The system works by clipping to the left side of your headset and actively, through the use of IR LED's, communicating with the TrackIR 4 Pro rather than simply reflecting the signal back as the clip on reflector system does.
As a reference the MSRP for the TrackIR 4 Pro is US $179.95 and the MSRP for the TrackClip Pro is $39.95, you can find local pricings by going through NaturalPoints reseller page found here. The reason I am listing the US MSRP is because NaturalPoint don't hold their regional resellers to a price point. Clicking on the Missoni link on the page though revealed the both units bundled together for AU $299.
Packaging and Contents
The external packaging looked very good and everything inside was obviously packed with care, its great to see that level of all round professionalism displayed by a small company.
The package I received contained the TrackIR 4 Pro, a Track Clip, a Track Visor and the TrackClip Pro. Quick install manuals were included for both the TrackIR 4 Pro and the TrackClip Pro as was the latest driver CD which also contained a soft copy of the full manual.
The one thing that really struck me was how incredibly small the TrackIR 4 Pro unit is:
TrackIR 4 Pro next to a 20 cent coin
You certainly won't find it getting in the way. The TrackClip Pro is very light and you would expect this to be the case as it is designed to hang off one side of your headset.
Software and Hardware Installation
The software installation couldn't have been easier, I inserted the cd and the install program ran automatically, I followed the instructions in the quickstart guide and there were no issues. Once the TrackIR 4 Pro was plugged into the test system the Windows XP Found New Hardware wizard popped up and again it was a simple matter of following the quick install guide and I was up and running. As a side note the latest drivers cover the install of the TrackClip Pro and therefore plugging that piece of hardware into your system is totally transparent, no interaction is required at all.
Hardware installation of the TrackIR 4 Pro consists of plugging it into an available USB port and attaching/sitting it ontop of your monitor. As you can see from the images below the TrackIR 4 Pro's “feet” are highly positionable and I tried mounting it on 4 different monitors without any issue.
Sitting on top of a 21 inch CRT
Clamped onto the top of a 19 inch wide screen LCD
The Track Clip simply slips onto the brim of any cap or visor that you wear during gaming.
The TrackClip Pro has an expandable clip that will fit pretty much any set of headphones or headset, I tried connecting it to 2 sets of 5.1 surround sound headsets with much wider arms than normal and it had no problems securely fastening in place. As you can see in the image below NaturalPoint have pretty much got you covered.
TrackClip Pro clipped onto a pair of Medusa 5.1 Classics
Both the TrackClip Pro and the TrackIR 4 Pro come with a velco fastening strap so you can keep all of you cables together, I found this especially handy when using the TrackClip Pro.
Testing
I tested the TrackIR 4 Pro and the TrackClip Pro using the following games/sims and recorded demonstration video from each one.
rFactor
GTR2
Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX)
Aces High 2
Flight Simulator X
The TrackIR 4 Pro worked straight out of the box with FSX, i didn't need to set or tweak any settings in game or in the TrackIR software to get it working the way I wanted it to. Its hard to explain the level of realism that this small piece of hardware can add to a flight sim like FSX and how much more intuitive flying using the 3d cockpit becomes. Almost immediately I started to move my head and look through banked turns to my target points, you are no longer left guessing where runways or gates are when performing turns you simply look through the turn. This lends itself to much smoother flying again adding not only to the experience but also the level of satisfaction you get from the sim. On several occasions I've found mission markers obscured by parts of my own aircraft, for example a windscreen pillar or one of the aircrafts engines (something I wouldn't have been able to see anyway without the TrackIR 4 Pro) and instead of banking the aircraft randomly to try to find the marker I simply moved my head to look around the object.
Another thing that brings FSX to life when using the TrackIR 4 Pro is the fact that when you move your head the sounds of the environment move with you
Another thing that brings FSX to life when using the TrackIR 4 Pro is the fact that when you move your head the sounds of the environment move with you
, for example when flying the Amazon flying boat mission, if you look out the window towards your port side engine the sound of that engine gets louder as you would expect.
Sometimes, the TrackIR 4 Pro does need resetting in game to centralise it, it doesn't happen randomly as far as I can tell and its normally due to your other half talking to you, causing you to either move your head completely out of range of the receiver or hitting pause and physically moving away from your machine...If you find, as I did, that this is the case then you can bind any key/key combination to reset the unit to centre of screen for individual profiles for example racing or flight. This comes in very handy when you consider the sheer amount of keys that are already taken up by sims such as FSX.
I found moving to a race sim like rFactor or GTR2 required more seat time than using the TrackIR 4 Pro with a flight sim, it took around 2 hours to feel comfortable with it, I also had to set the ingame look ahead and roll settings to 0 as they would now be handled by the TrackIR 4 Pro. Once I got used to adjusting my driving style I found that I was naturaly leaning my head and looking through apexes as I would in a real race car. I also found my positional awareness was greatly enhanced by the TrackIR 4 Pro, no longer was I guessing where opponents were in relation to my vehicle based purely on sound I could now simply look left or right and see them. This in itelf lead to a much cleaner racing experience. I even found myself looking left and right at Nuerburg and Birmingham circuits before pulling out of my garage so as not to take anyone out that was moving down pit lane.
One thing that I must mention at this point is that if you plan to use a TrackIR 4 Pro with a racing simulator like rFactor or GTR2 then you need to use it all the time
if you plan to use a TrackIR 4 Pro with a racing simulator like rFactor or GTR2 then you need to use it all the time
, not just for your race. You need to learn a track with it, practice your race strategy and setup with it and then use it in race. If you don't you won't be affective at all as the TrackIR 4 Pro influences greatly how you take corners and apexes and therefore your whole racing line. The more you use the TrackIR 4 Pro for racing the smoother your racing line becomes.
As with FSX I immediately felt the benefits of using the TrackIR 4 Pro with a flight sim, in this case not only does it help with the general feel of flying but also when keeping track of enemies. I could naturally follow my target with my head and never lose sight of it. Anyone who has spent any time in a combat flight sim will know how important it is to never lose sight of your target and using the TrackIR 4 Pro in a combat flight sim that supports it gives you a massive advantage against online opponents.
The software that comes with the unit is highly configurable and you can create as many different profiles as you want. The software automatically sets specific supported games to use the default, racing, flight or combat flight profiles, however you can set any game to use any profile.
Each profile is editable, here you can select whether you are using the TrackClip Pro the visor clip (Vector) or the sticky reflective dots that come supplied with the unit.
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You can also edit each of the 6 degrees of freedom settings individually and see how the changes you make to the curve affect your head movement in game by watching the virtual heads as seen below.
You can also see if there are any hotspots or intense light reflections affecting the unit by viewing the tracking screen.
Then adjust the settings to counteract any adverse lighting conditions:
Conclusion
As you can tell I am very impressed with both the TrackIR 4 Pro and the TrackClip Pro. Whether you run a TrackIR 4 Pro whilst wearing the cap and TrackClip or you use the TrackClip Pro you will get a great head tracking system that massively increases your screen real estate. When you compare the price and tiny amount of space taken up by the system to the cost of buying 2 more screens and something like a Triple Head 2GO, plus a video card capable of driving all 3 screens in game, I simply wouldn't think twice about buying the TrackIR 4 Pro. Both the base unit using the Track Clip and a cap and the TrackClip Pro give amazingly smooth response to head movement, the TrackClip Pro however does seem to cater better to brighter envitonments. Which brings me to my next point.
There is one drawback and it wouldn't be fair to everyone reading this if I didn't note the fact that this system is susceptible to irratic behaviour in oddly lit rooms. If you have a study as I do that is hit by intense midday sunlight then it renders the system (even with its light filtering settings) pretty much unusable during this time as hotspots were created on the window blinds and the system could not differentiate between the reflectors/active IR LED's and the light created hotspots. If however your computer room is evenly lit or you only really game at night then you won't have any problems.
Even with that in mind I still consider this an absolute must have if you are a flight or race sim fan
I still consider this an absolute must have if you are a flight or race sim fan
, the level of realism and immersion that is added to any title that supports it makes this piece of hardware as important a step forward as using a joystick/throttle or wheel. Its as if you have bought a completely new game with every title that supports it.
My rating for both the TrackIR 4 Pro and TrackClip Pro is 8.5/10, it is easy to use, easy to setup and easy to get used to, only the sensitivity to extreme light conditions lowered its score for me, that being said I will never race or fly again without it.
Another thing that brings FSX to life when using the TrackIR 4 Pro is the fact that when you move your head the sounds of the environment move with you 
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