I will be very curious to see how you are progressing: I have been torn over TrackIR for over a year now. I have a 24inch monitor and I have been wondering whether it's better to have that and track IR, or 3 monitors with Matrox TrippleH at 20inch each with no TrackIR, or one giant (37 or 42 inch) LCD with no TrackIR.
If you get a chance let us know some statistics: for example, week 1 you are 2 sec off the pace, week 2 one sec off the pace, week 3 within half etc etc.
I saw the review of trackIR on SRT and I was even more torn, so your feedback will be great.

Same here Francesco, but have been on the verge of making the cheap version, FreeTrack.

The large LCD I don't think will satisfy you. I'm running on a 50" plasma and see no more side than I would on a 20". I'm not keen on changing the FOV or seat position either. Also a no-go doing a custom resolution to mimick the 4:1 ratio of the tripleH.

Here, I can give a small report as of my first week or so.
Initially, the setup was extremely easy, but It seems that tweaking the head movement could take some time and a bit of work.

Here's a picture of the graph your given that allows you to change the different components of tracking...

http://img85.imageshack.us/my.php?image=97349251dh7.jpg

Initially, I didn't like the TrackIR. The idea was great, and the concept was great, but it felt like I had to hold my head very still to keep the view in the game stable. I've tweaked the settings a bit, and this problem has gotten better.

I would definitely say that if you aren't used to wearing a hat, that it may take even more time to adjust. I don't normally wear hats, and it's somewhat annoying.

In formula 1 cars (which is what i've been driving most recently) the TrackIR is great when you can find time to really use it. Side by side battles are much easier to deal with, being able to turn your entire view at will.

The trackIR hasn't affected framerates for me, detects the game automatically, and runs extremely smoothly.

The biggest issue I have currently with the setup is "re-centering". Every now and then, I might move the hat, or I might not have my head directly centered with the screen. This puts the view in the car at an offset. It's a simple fix however, as you can assign a "center" hotkey to any controller or keyboard. Pushing this re-centers the system. quick and painless, but can be annoying, especially if the hat moves.

Inside GT/NGT cars, the setup is a bit different. The ability to adjust views in the cars becomes even more convenient. I can finally use the "real" mirrors, as apposed to virtual.

Finally, I might mention that every game has a different default/built-in sensitivity to trackIR. I find that GTR2 is extremely sensitive, and I have to compensate with settings in the TrackIR software. Rfactor is setup perfectly.

So far, I can't say that i've lost or gained time on track. It feels somewhat strange looking around too much while driving. The most artificial aspect appears upon looking around in general. In real life, you can move your eyes around your personal field of view before you even need to turn your head. My 19 inch monitor's field of view is very small. I'm sure a bigger monitor would fix this problem.

Overall, It's a nice investment, I just need to learn to use it properly to get the benefits.

Got any pictures of your cockpit Andrew?

Thanks for the TrackIR review, very interesting.

Here's a picture Michael...

http://img166.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img1306zn2.jpg

The cockpit's the best setup I can deal with right now. It works nice, and I'll eventually get a better seat and frame so I don't need the milk crates, but right now they are pretty cost effective and supportive.

If you notice the small unit labeled VFR TFS2 (next to the hat). That is a tactile vibration feedback system that I installed into the seat from www.ivibe.com.

It's a new addition along with the trackIR, and for Rfactor and a couple other sims it is the most outstanding upgrade next to the G25.

The system draws data from the sims, and using 6 vibration motors, sends feedback to help one feel the car. Works better than the buttkicker bass shaker setup I've used in the past.

Great feedback, thanks. Interesting that it doesn't affect frame rates, and the hat thing would not annoy me in it of itself. The sensitivity issue worries me, but you mentioned that you can tweak that to your own tastes. When you switch between rF and GTR2 do you have to intervene and change settings for the trackIR or do you have them preconfigured differently for each sim?
The ivibe thing looks great, you can run it even if you are using headsets right? effect on framerates? a little expensive for my shrinking budget but.....

I think I remember reading once that the signal processing is done by the TrackIR hardware, hence minimal effect on framerate. Does that sound right Andrew?

I heard some guys are strapping wiimotes (that position dependent remote control for the Wii) on their heads for tracking! lol.

Francesco,

TrackIR software handles detecting of sim's and loads appropriate (user designated) profile automatically.

You might create a profile named "sports cars" and then you can assign the sports car profile to GTR2 and it will load automatically.

The Ivibe can be run with headphones/headsets, yes.
I've seen no effect on framerate, although there might be a small hit, but i've yet to notice it.

Yes the unit is a bit expensive, but if you consider that most people remove the motors from the seat that they come in, and install them into their own seat, its quite nice.
The unit uses two methods of providing feedback, Audiosense, and Intellivibe.

Intellivibe is the good one, as it detects data from a game to provide feedback. Audiosense just listens in on your computer's sound output and tries to do a similar job, but is never that good. You would use audiosense on games like GTR2, where an intellivibe file hasn't been created yet by the developers. Bit of a shame really, but keeps you addicted to Rfactor : )

Jonty,

Yes, the TrackIR does all the processing on its little chip. It's scary how small the actual TrackIR unit is.
The chip processes tracking at 120FPS, so there is absolutely no lag in the hardware.

Nice cockpit setup, Andrew! I'm using a cloth-covered bucket seat out of a '94 Honda Civic Coupe -- I mounted it on a 2' x 2' plywood base; I attached 2x4s on the bottom and mounted casters so it could roll like a desk chair, then I built-up a slightly-raised platform with 2x4s to mount the seat itself on. I retained the seat's slider mechanism, so I can actually move it fore-and-aft without having to roll it around.

I priced car seats at local salvage yards, but I couldn't find ANY reasonably nice seat for less than $90. I ended up buying the Civic seat that I have off eBay for $15 . . . and it cost me another $45 for shipping (YIKES!). Still cheaper than "Wrecks," but my wife almost had a coronary when the UPS guy delivered it.

:-)

Nice set up, was wondering, is that a Crestview Rebels hat?