When you stop to think about technology and how computers are advancing, two things come to mind. First off, you think of how great it is that we are moving so quickly through the many different stages of computer technology. You begin to dream about what you might see come to pass in your life time. Then the second thing comes to mind. The one thing that doesn't make you near as hopeful as the first. That is how you’re going to find the money for yet another computer upgrade since your system became obsolete the day after you bought it! Well, I hate to tell you this, but the time has come for yet another upgrade.

A few years ago the flight simulator community was gifted with one of the greatest gifts since the creation of the joystick. The gift I speak of was the TrackIR from NaturalPoint. While there were many skeptics at first, this quickly changed. TrackIR users began uploading videos of how well the TrackIR worked in different flight simulators and first person shooter games. Skepticism quickly turned to admiration and the TrackIR quickly took over the community. After a few weeks of using the TrackIR, virtual pilots and virtual chain saw weilding first person shooter fans we’re happier than ever and could not imagine ever flying or playing without it. Another thing that they could not imagine is that it could get better. But it has…..

Last week NaturalPoint publicly announced the existence of the TrackIR2; a new and improved version of the original TrackIR. It just so happened to be our luck that NaturalPoint asked us to be part of the beta testing process. Our mission was to put the TrackIR2 through the paces and see how well she handled during hours of flying. Let me make this perfectly clear; we are absolutly amazed!!! How NaturalPoint took the perfect product and made it better is beyond us. But the difference is very clear and the capabilities of the TrackIR2 are stunning.

To begin with, the TrackIR2 runs on a completely new set of software. The new version, 3.00, looks almost identical to previous versions with only a few slight changes. Do not let the looks fool you though. NaturalPoint started from scratch on this new version of software and left nothing the same except the general look to it. Everything else is brand new code and is highly optimized to work with the TrackIR2. Even though it is optimized to work with the TrackIR2, TrackIR1 users can still download and use this software. So old units can still benifit from the new smoothing algorithims and optimized functions.

The main, hotkey, and motion pages are still identical in looks to the original version. Nothing serious was changed to the design of these pages. The main differences are seen in the Tracking page. The concept of filters and noise reduction is a thing of the past. Instead, NaturalPoint has created a new way of tracking “preferred” objects. Based on the settings, the software looks for specific shapes and sizes of reflective surfaces to track. It has been noted by the beta testing group that the interference from external IR light has been greatly reduced. This results in a much better response while tracking the correct objects.. NaturalPoint also added a built in setting for use with either the reflective dot that comes with the unit or the TrackHAT. (The TrackHAT is a comfortable, well made, baseball type hat with a built in reflective surface. Best results are obtained when a square reflective surface (comes with the TrackIR2) is placed over the built in reflective material)

Last but not least, NaturalPoint has added more games to the “auto-load profile” list to make it easy for gamers of all types and genres. Version 3.00 now supports auto-load profiles for Battle of Britain, IL-2: Forgotten Battles, Lock On: Modern Air Combat, Enemy Engaged, MkMapper, and Falcon 4. As more games are released with native TrackIR support, this list will grow exponentially.

On top of the new software, the TrackIR2 boasts a huge improvement in hardware capabilities.

To begin with, the case design has been modified slightly to include many new features. The most notable of these features is the TrackIR2 Enhanced Mode indicator. When you are in enhanced mode, the entire case glows a blue from an encased LED in the rear of the unit. Not only does this add a quick visual reference of what mode your currently in; it is also a very nice added visual effect to the case. The status LED has also been changed from the single color LED in the TrackIR1 to a bright three color LED. The indicator LED now cycles through green, yellow, and red depending on if the TrackIR is tracking, paused, or not tracking any source at all. To top it all off, the TrackIR2 comes with a more solid and sturdy base to ensure it holds it’s proper placement.

The next thing we looked at was the actual hardware changes; what NaturalPoint did to the guts of the TrackIR.

The first thing we noticed was the added feature of USB hot plug capability. Now the TrackIR can be swapped with other USB devices without having to reboot the computer. This makes instillation of new drivers quick and easy. Although that is a great feature, it is not where NaturalPoint made their money. Their biggest achievement was upgrading their imaging camera to a 100 frames per second (FPS) imager. The new imager scans so much faster than the TrackIR1, we noticed an immediate difference. The stutter that we used to get from the TrackIR1 is completely eliminated. Even when we used our hands to whip the reflective surface across the device's field of view, we noticed a solid track on the tracking screen. Coupled with the new smoothing algorithm they programmed into the software, this feature greatly reduces the choppiness of every simulator and game we tested the TrackIR2 with. This paves the way to a more realistic flight experiance and at least tripples the immersion factor generated by using the TrackIR2.

One of the last things we noticed about the TrackIR2 is the increased tolerance in it's tracking ability when dealing with excessive sunlight or background lighting. In all of our tests, we have not witnessed the TrackIR2 losing its track on the TrackHAT, even when we had a sunlit window open behind us. While the tracking screen does fill up with unwanted interference, the TrackIR2 continued to track the TrackHAT flawlessly. This is extremely nice for those of us who have windows or other light sources directly in front of the TrackIR2 device.

Overall, we are very pleased with the performance of the TrackIR2. From the very beginning we saw a great improvement over the TrackIR1. The ease of use, software capabilities, interference tolerance, game compatibility, and precision are well above the original TrackIR’s performance.

All of the new hardware and software features make the TrackIR2 a much more dependable source for view control in every game. For pilots, the immersion factor just went through the roof. For the first person shooter fan, the precision would make even the best sniper pleased.

It is our recommendation that the TrackIR2 should be an item on every computer gamer's Christmas list this year!!