GTR does NaturalPoint® TrackIR Enhanced™
posted: Wednesday May 12
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SIMBIN DEVELOPMENT TEAM AB ANNOUNCES NATURALPOINT® TRACKIR ENHANCED™ MODE SUPPORT
Genre First for Head Tracking Technology, One Step Closer to the Ultimate Racing Experience
Vara, Sweden, May 25, 2004 - SimBin Development Team AB today announced
their upcoming racing simulation title, GTR, will include complete
support for NaturalPoint's TrackIR Enhanced™ mode.
Oregon-based NaturalPoint® Inc.'s TrackIR™ is a high-performance head
tracking system that enables hands free view control in popular games
and simulators. A slight turn of the head causes the in-game view to
pan in any direction, independent of mouse, keyboard, and joystick
commands. Look out windows and around highly detailed cockpits as if
you were in a real GT car.
Breaking Out of the Box
Constrained by a small view from the traditional computer monitor, it
is often difficult to see the optimum racing line, and hard to know
where opponents are on the track. This exciting technology allows the
sim racer to have complete situational awareness and become part of the
game world. It is now possible to see the apex of a hairpin turn before
the turn begins, which helps the user to keep the car on the fastest
line, as well as providing much better reaction time to any spinouts or
dangers present on the track. Additionally, having a full 360 degrees
of vision, the learning time for a new circuit is dramatically reduced
as the user can easily identify and memorize the location of trackside
objects for turning and braking references. Already lauded for its
incredible immersiveness, GTR, with the help of the TrackIR™ system,
puts the enthusiast into the car as never before.
Enthusiasts Demand Latest Technology
Now in its third generation of hardware, the TrackIR™ system has been
popularized by flight simulation software, and SimBin Development Team
is proud to offer the first racing simulation title with full support.
"GTR represents a new benchmark in racing simulations, and fully
supporting TrackIR Enhanced™ mode in the game is one more example of
our continued commitment to delivering the latest technology to the
racing enthusiast. We developed on the brand new TrackIR 3 Pro™ and
worked hand in hand with NaturalPoint® to get the most out of the
system. You'll also find a custom GTR profile built in to the latest
TrackIR™ drivers. Coming from the racing simulation community as
fanatics ourselves, we know what features the hardcore racer wants to
see, and as a company, we are committed to fulfilling the wish lists of
racers everywhere," said Ian Bell, head of studio, SimBin Development
Team.
About GTR
GTR is the new ultra-realistic simulation by SimBin Development Team AB
to be released later this year. Based on the FIA GT world championship
racing series, GTR includes all of the cars and drivers from the
standard season as well as the prestigious 24 Hours of Spa race.
Containing an unparalleled degree of detail and authenticity comparable
to the most exacting flight simulators, GTR challenges all expectations
of what a racing game should be. Developed and tested by champion GT
drivers utilizing actual racing telemetry data from the featured teams,
GTR will deliver the most realistic driving experience the world has
seen to date.
About TrackIR
The TrackIR is a one of a kind gaming controller designed to allow
accurate control of characters and environments through natural head
movements. It’s easy-to-use interface and unobtrusive form factor has
made it the premiere head-tracking controller.
In enhanced mode the TrackIR™ interacts directly with the game, instead
of emulating a mouse. The most important benefit of this is absolute
positioning. No matter where the user goes, the view will always return
to the game's dead center. With absolute positioning the user can set
up dead zones and non-linear motion scaling, because there is a
reliable center point to work with. Plus, the mouse is now free to do
the things the user expects the hand to be doing, independent of the
view.
TrackIR™ is available from leading gaming resellers including
E-Dimensional, RC Simulations, PC Aviator, Smartbytes, and
NaturalPoint’s own online store.
About SimBin Development Team AB
SimBin Development Team AB is a software development company comprised
of around 40 world class artists and programmers - all racing
enthusiasts - spread across the globe in 10 different countries and 4
continents working in a distributed development environment united with
the single vision of creating the ultimate racing simulation.
Headquartered in Vara, Sweden, SimBin Development Team AB was founded
in 2003 by CEO Henrik Roos, a three time Swedish GT champion and
current competitor in the FIA GT world championship.
SimBin Development Team AB (www.simbin.com)
About NaturalPoint®
Based in Corvallis, Oregon, NaturalPoint® is the creator and
manufacturer of the TrackIR™ and smart-NAV product lines. NaturalPoint®
specializes in providing innovative control solutions through optical
tracking technology. NaturalPoint® has developed pointing systems for
computers, video games, military simulators, and unique display
systems.
NaturalPoint® (www.naturalpoint.com)
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