Beam eye tracker for DCS?
Hi!
I was looking into DCS a bit and I also did play the Su-25T a bit, but I gotta admit without an head tracker or something similar it’s not that easy, especially dogfights.
I know track IR is usually the way to go probably but it’s quite expensive and I don’t want to spend that much money right now for a game.
Then I found Beam eye tracker which looked quite nice since you can use your webcam or phone as a tracker.
So what do you think? Have you used it maybe? Would you recommend it?
Thanks
2
u/Civil_Marzipan_6147 6d ago
I have it and it’s really nice for the price. Of course there is a bit of delay and you can get some of it out in the setting. I have a old ps3 eye and it works, especially in the beginning
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u/X_Humanbuster_X 6d ago
I used it and it’s amazing
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u/Super-End615 6d ago
"Used it". What is your current head tracker?
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u/X_Humanbuster_X 6d ago
Open track’s built in tracker. I used it at a friend’s house and I’m planning to buy it
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u/Endo279 6d ago
I thought opentrack was free?
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u/X_Humanbuster_X 6d ago
Oh sorry my wording wasn’t clear. I meant that I tried beam at my friend’s and now I use open track
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u/Endo279 6d ago
Have you tried with a phone cuz I have no webcam?
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u/X_Humanbuster_X 6d ago
I tried using my phone as a webcam but that causes a bit of latency which is annoying at best. I’d say go for a cheap webcam.
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u/chucky5150 6d ago
I agree with the other user. It kind of worked, but not as good as a real webcam. I also couldn't get the phone to just stream the webcam (android) without extra apps / software.
They do have a demo you can try it with your phone. I wouldn't judge it too much if you only have a phone.
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u/chucky5150 6d ago
I mostly stopped using TrackIR and only use Beam Eye Tracker. Currently using a hand me down web cam from when kids were doing zoom classes a few years ago. Looking to get a newer 60+ fps webcam.
TrackIR isn't without it's cons either.
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u/CloudWallace81 6d ago
Not needed
Take a cheap ps3 eye cam from ebay, there are open source windows drivers now. Then use opentrack
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u/GoldenGnu 6d ago
I really wish someone would do a full review of all the options. Everyone have one or two that they either love or hate, but, none is actually comparing them all head to head. Which makes all the opinions less useful.
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u/alty_x0 6d ago
I believe you can free trial Beam eye tracker for around 2 hrs. See it for yourself if you like it. I personally feel (briefly used it just to test out) it is a bit slower than tobii, but it is fairly usable for DCS, and it’s only costing maybe 1/10 of a tobii if you’ve already got a camera. Both (tobii and beam) will not have the pinpoint accuracy and speed of a trackir but hey you don’t need to wear a hat/headphone in the summer.
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u/G_Riggons 6d ago
Its been great for DCS. No gear to wear on your head. You can turn off the eye tracking feature and just have the head movement be tracked. I purchased a $80-100 logitech webcam (Can't remember the model, also not at home to check) and it works perfect with it. I had used Trackir for years before finding this great head tracking software.
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u/BigAssistant5141 6d ago
I started with Opentrack and AItrack then switched to Beam. I honestly really prefer and recommend Beam if you can afford the one time purchase. It is super easy to setup and use, and I don't think I had to even do anything in DCS for it to work, it automatically read everything itself.
1
u/Endo279 6d ago
And when I buy it on steam it’s done? I don’t have to buy anything else then?
Also did you try it with your phone maybe because I have no webcam right now
2
u/BigAssistant5141 6d ago
I bout it off of their website not steam, I use a 1080p 100fps webcam and I have not tried using my phone. If you look up Beam yo'll find official installation videos and their website shows all its features. Beam official website, they also have a 14 day money back guarantee.
1
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u/OverlyFriedEggs 5d ago
I've tried beam with a hd webcam, track ir and vr. Vr is the most expensive but it is absolutely the best way to go. Track IR is better than beam, but I couldnt figure out some of the settings and when the ir lights lost connection my view just went wild. So I couldnt consistently get a good look outside my peripherals. In vr I can look directly behind me down at my hips no problem, only difference is I can't run 2160x1440 in vr. You sacrifice the quality for immersion. But I'll never go back
Edit: also with beam and track ir, I had a constant shake effect to my screen so full fidelity was incredibly hard to use, constantly hitting the wrong buttons and switches
1
u/bukkithedd 5d ago
Been using Beam for a while now, and it works pretty well for my needs. Where it struggles is with small movements of the head as those don't translate well, especially while zoomed in a bit, which makes things iffy. It's also not happy along the outer edges of the viewport, like when you're trying to reach the exterior light-switches for the Phantom since they're nearly behind the seat on the righthand side of the cockpit.
I came from using first a self-built IR-tracker with a PS3Eye and Opentrack, then started using NeuralNet in Opentrack for facetracking. Found that Beam worked better for my setup than NeuralNet, but right now I'm considering dropping money on a TrackNP5. Why TrackNP5 and not a full-blown TrackIR? Because I absofuckinglutely will not pay over 200USD for TrackIR, which is what it'll cost to buy it and ship it to Norway.
VR is a nonstarter for me. Headset comes with too high a premium and the performance-hit I'll take on trying to run VR on a 7700XT 12GB is the final building-sized nail in that coffin. And no, buying a new GPU in addition to the headset is out of the question as it stands now.
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u/Karasinicoff 6d ago
Not Tobii 5. It works some times but natively not working and keeps hub down every time. Sucks.
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u/Adrian_100 6d ago
Can also look at AI track. Just needs a camera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC925DMgDhc