let's talk about the future

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OlivierMDVY
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Location: France

let's talk about the future

Post by OlivierMDVY »

Any plan to release a new TrackIR software version?

Or will we see a new TrackIR device?

It is very very quiet at the moment...
Seth Steiling
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Re: let's talk about the future

Post by Seth Steiling »

Hi Olivier,

There are plans!

Right now we're working like madmen on a different product line (our OptiTrack motion capture product), so that has a lot of focus from our engineers. We have some cool stuff that will be in the works before too long, though, on the TrackIR line. I can't give any detail just yet, but it'll be sweet. ;-)

Edit: I should add, is there anything in particular that you are hoping to see?
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TrackIR | OptiTrack
Taldren
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Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2015 4:32 am

Re: let's talk about the future

Post by Taldren »

I really like the 5 Pro, but I really would like to see a "6" soonish for Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen that offers better construction materials (the pro clip is so fragile) and some more accurate head tracking for weapon aiming support.
OlivierMDVY
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun May 29, 2005 5:00 am
Location: France

Re: let's talk about the future

Post by OlivierMDVY »

TrackIR 6.0
Should work without any track clip pro or hat.
Should recognize your face and move the in-game camera according to your head movement
LilOne
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Location: Sweden

Re: let's talk about the future

Post by LilOne »

I do enjoy my head-tracking, so it will be interesting to see what comes after TrackIR 5 (thought I of course hope for continued support for TIR4/5 too). 8-)

Head-tracking should be in any game offering 1st and/or 3rd person, if you ask me. Because even if you are lucky enough to have a multi-monitor support a screen is still like running around with blinkers (blinders) on. :o
Seth Steiling
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Re: let's talk about the future

Post by Seth Steiling »

Taldren wrote:...and some more accurate head tracking for weapon aiming support.
OlivierMDVY wrote:TrackIR 6.0
Should work without any track clip pro or hat.
Should recognize your face and move the in-game camera according to your head movement
It's interesting to see these two pieces of feedback juxtaposed. They both reflect cool ideas that sort of work against each other from an engineering standpoint—though both are valid ideas with useful implications.

One direction is to push further into tracking fidelity for new applications like aiming in titles like Star Citizen. Alternatively, we could move toward a face tracking approach, which has the benefit of tracking sans-accessory, but with the tradeoff of reduced tracking accuracy and higher noise/jitter levels in the raw data (which would make aiming in Star Citizen all the more difficult).

We see the value in both approaches. The challenge for us is to determine what path (one of these, or another) will provide the best and most useful experience—or perhaps blending the two in a single solution, if possible (certainly a very difficult engineering problem to solve!).

Whatever path TrackIR takes moving forward, we are definitely chewing on these ideas and discussing possible solutions internally. :-)
Marketing Manager
TrackIR | OptiTrack
OlivierMDVY
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Joined: Sun May 29, 2005 5:00 am
Location: France

Re: let's talk about the future

Post by OlivierMDVY »

And what about an eyes tracking?
Taldren
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Re: let's talk about the future

Post by Taldren »

Been using TrackIR5 in Star Citizen and it really doesn't have the fidelity to do it well. You can get it to work but the head control required really stresses the neck and means you cant play very long. When it works its great.
Seth Steiling
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Joined: Fri Jun 27, 2008 11:29 am
Location: Corvallis, Oregon

Re: let's talk about the future

Post by Seth Steiling »

Taldren wrote:Been using TrackIR5 in Star Citizen and it really doesn't have the fidelity to do it well. You can get it to work but the head control required really stresses the neck and means you cant play very long. When it works its great.
Yeah, the ideal solution for a very fast-paced, high-precision, head-tracking-based aiming system with absolute positioning (i.e. no drift) will require a very high resolution and high frequency measurement device, so you can apply heavy filtering without introducing any lag. This is technically possible to produce, but only at a substantially higher cost that what we can deliver with TrackIR. I'd love to see what a multi-megapixel camera running at several thousand FPS could produce with maybe 40-50 frames worth of a Kalman filter. It'd probably be insanely stable while totally responsive. And a lot of moola. :-)
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Taldren
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Re: let's talk about the future

Post by Taldren »

Seth Steiling wrote:
Taldren wrote:Been using TrackIR5 in Star Citizen and it really doesn't have the fidelity to do it well. You can get it to work but the head control required really stresses the neck and means you cant play very long. When it works its great.
Yeah, the ideal solution for a very fast-paced, high-precision, head-tracking-based aiming system with absolute positioning (i.e. no drift) will require a very high resolution and high frequency measurement device, so you can apply heavy filtering without introducing any lag. This is technically possible to produce, but only at a substantially higher cost that what we can deliver with TrackIR. I'd love to see what a multi-megapixel camera running at several thousand FPS could produce with maybe 40-50 frames worth of a Kalman filter. It'd probably be insanely stable while totally responsive. And a lot of moola. :-)
Well, I don't think price is going to be as much of an issue as you may suspect. Star Citizen itself has 800,000 people who have thrown money at a game no where near done that are buying really expensive HOTAS rigs in anticipation. Pretty sure it would be a wild success with that crowd as long as the durability and quality is there. Same with the Elite Dangerous players, although I am sure there is plenty of overlap. Although what you describe may be a little overkill ;)
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