TrackHat Plus

[GlobusDiablo]

Stumbled on to this little beauty. Headtracking in cap (amongst other options), which means that I can use it with headphones, AND with my HT surround system. And get this guys and dolls, it's wireless... Yup...

Been hovering back and forth over the VR options, and I might just opt for this way cheaper solution instead :

http://www.trackhat.org/trackhat-plus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YHuMZgoXME

[AJH]

Seems a bit expensive for something that only provides tracking. It's around 1/6 (edited due to not having realized how far the pound plummeted) the cost of a Rift where I am if you don't already have a camera for it. I'd easily describe tracking as less than 1/6 of the advantage or the experience of VR. That said, I suppose the fact that the plus is wireless is a nice advantage over all the current VR options, so that should probably factor into the value proposition it offers as well.

Talking in terms of pure value for the money, I'd still personally advocate for VR being a better deal unless you really just can't afford it and need something now. For me, that value proposition probably falls at any tracking system costing more than about $85 or so after tax and such not being a better value than going for a Vive. (I say that as an owner of a second day pre-order Vive who was only second day because I spent a day deciding between Vive and Rift.)

Tracking gets you the ability to move your head, but it still has to map pretty artificially which doesn't feel as natural since you are turning your head further in game than you actually turn (if you want to be able to turn a long way) and have to look back at the screen still while you are turning away. You can't move around much and are pretty limited. Wireless is nice, but the cable really isn't a problem for seated experiences (where as a 10 hour battery life might be). This is why I only really consider tracking to be about 1/10 of the experience offered by VR and that might be being generous, but it's hard to measure such subjective and abstract things well.

One notable exception to that. If you place a very high preference on high resolution display, tracking may provide closer to 1/4 or 1/3 of the value since VR has a limited resolution. It seems most people find the resolution doesn't matter relative to the massive leap forward VR gives you in terms of overall experience. I do recommend trying VR first if you can to get a better understanding of how it changes presence and the feeling of immersion in the game to make a fair comparison if you are a graphic fidelity fanatic.

As far as value of the Vive vs the Rift, it's a much closer race, but Vive has the room scale features now and has a slightly better tracking system for the purpose. We don't know what Touch will cost yet, so in terms of absolute value proposition, it's hard to compare apples to oranges. The ability to interact with your environment is so critical to VR overall that I don't think it is really worth comparing the $600 to $800 price tags, but rather the price with touch capability (even most people who thought they would just want to do sim stuff have ended up wanting to experiment with interactive VR). It isn't clear what touch will cost yet, but it is expected to be in the $150/$250 range, so it is a bit of a wash, but the Vive's interactive capability is available now. If it would take you months extra to get the extra $200, that might be a factor as well though.

[GlobusDiablo]

Seems a bit expensive for something that only provides tracking. It's over 1/4 the cost of a Rift where I am if you don't already have a camera for it. I'd easily describe tracking as less than 1/4 of the advantage or the experience of VR. That said, I suppose the fact that the plus is wireless is a nice advantage over all the current VR options, so that should probably factor in to the value proposition it offers as well...

Not sure where you live or who you buy from, but here in Denmark prices equate to:

TrackHat Plus (including PS3 camera) including shipping/taxes and what not: 600 DKR
Oculus Rift incl. shipping/taxes and what not: 5.500 DKR

Making the Rift 9 times more expensive, leaving that argument completely invalid.
,
Apart from that, I guess I'm just left with the feeling that VR is just still too damn expensive for what we're getting. I've been trying to convince myself for some time, but I simply can't justify the cost/value. I love the idea of VR, but I think this headtracking solution will see me through nicely till next iteration of VR.

[AJH]

TrackHat Plus (including PS3 camera) including shipping/taxes and what not: 600 DKR
Oculus Rift incl. shipping/taxes and what not: 5.500 DKR

Yikes. Not sure if you get a good price on the TrackHat or a horrible one on the Rift. At that price difference, I would say go for the tracking as a better value. If the tracking system is less than 1/10 the cost of the VR system (including interactive controllers), it's a better value I'd say. My pricing here came up as around $95 or so for the TrackHat Plus kit after tax, shipping, etc vs $850 or so to go pick up a Vive at retail.

[Roger Wilco Jr]

Apart from that, I guess I'm just left with the feeling that VR is just still too damn expensive for what we're getting.

Sorry for the edit.

You get what you get, and what you're getting is an amazing experience that blows 2D (or even 3D) monitors away. I craved high resolution and was considering going to 4k, but I now know that there is no substitution for "being there". As for cost, I spent more on a 19" monitor about 20 years ago, and these HMDs are still a lot less than most high quality large monitors these days. If you can afford it, I'd say get in now and start Tripping the Rift. I'll bet costs won't come down as they improve image quality over the coming years. Also, I'm sure you could sell it at a reasonable loss if you really don't like it.

Oh, and head tracking is nice, but it doesn't compare to VR. I'll certainly keep my TrackIR for games that don't support VR.

FWIW, I went Rift because the majority (not everybody) of what I saw & read said the Rift looked better in ED and was more comfortable. I am looking forward to getting touch controllers for the Vibe's experience, but I'm willing to wait a bit for that. And as soon an a newer model with a wider FOV and better graphics comes along, I'll put my Rift up on eBay.

[Loriath]

I vote for ED Tracker Pro. Wireless unit will be available this fall.

[Dudley]

I vote for ED Tracker Pro. Wireless unit will be available this fall.

Not certain that I've mentioned this before but, ED Tracker... Marvellous for the expenditure, from £8 (build it yourself) to about £50 for the pro unit fully assembled.

I can't complain..(and I'm and old grumpy git..ask anyone.. ) - it's serving me well.

If anyone is looking for the tracking experience - it's truly a bargin and is a good start to see how tracking and ultimately VR will suit you..

o7 Dawg

[GlobusDiablo]

Cheers for the comments guys. I thought it over and ordered the TrackHat Plus cap. It has what I need for the right price, and will hold me over till next generation VR. I've tried the Vive, and read tons about both of them, and bottom line for me is, I just don't think they're worth the money. If I had unlimited resources sure, but I don't.

As for EDTracker, that was my first choice until I realised that the TrackHat Plus had 3 big advantages.

1. Mounted in cap means I can use it either with headset or HT surround (I prefer HT surround but use both)
2. TrackHat has Z axis. I can lean in and out. EDTracker can't do that
3. And finally, it's wireless

So it became a no brainer for me. Not saying the other solutions are bad, just saying that I finally found the right solution for me. At least for a generation or two of VR.

[Dudley]

Cheers for the comments guys. I thought it over and ordered the TrackHat Plus cap. It has what I need for the right price, and will hold me over till next generation VR. I've tried the Vive, and read tons about both of them, and bottom line for me is, I just don't think they're worth the money. If I had unlimited resources sure, but I don't.

As for EDTracker, that was my first choice until I realised that the TrackHat Plus had 3 big advantages.

1. Mounted in cap means I can use it either with headset or HT surround (I prefer HT surround but use both)
2. TrackHat has Z axis. I can lean in and out. EDTracker can't do that
3. And finally, it's wireless

So it became a no brainer for me. Not saying the other solutions are bad, just saying that I finally found the right solution for me. At least for a generation or two of VR.

Congrats CMDR.. enjoy.

o7 Dawg

[GlobusDiablo]

Congrats CMDR.. enjoy.

o7 Dawg

Thanks Commander.