Headtracking is great. They have plenty of options to configure the tracking. The sensor will either follow a "lean" or "turn" of your head. I am currently experimenting with different settings to find what works best for me with the most movement left to right from center of the cockpit camera. I mainly only use it for "look to apex" but have been able to check the mirrors as well as other vehicle position during passing attempts.
This is my current set up. Unfortunately I will have to re-adjust the settings once my permanent tv stand and seat replacement arrive this weekend/next week.
Cons:
In general, the headtracking is quite accurate. I do notice some slight twitching of the camera from the center position but there are options to adjust the sensor/camera angle sensitivity to reduce/remove this. I have been tinkering with the settings to allow full driver side to passenger side movement of the camera. Unfortunately, I have not been able to produce this. I know it is possible due to the configuration settings; but I have not had any luck. It is most likely due to the proximity of the Kinect sensor to my Playseat. For those of you who do not have experience with any Kinect motion control, Microsoft suggests a very large, very open play area with no obstructions and a minimum / maximum distance of 6 ft. to 8ft. away from the sensor. Obviously, my rig is much closer to the sensor than this so I am sure I am losing some precision in tracking. Nyko announced months ago that they would be releasing a "zoom lens" for the Kinect that would allow for close proximity play. I will be picking this up in the near future.
PROS:
If you have played Shift 2 you will be familiar with the "look to apex" function of the helmet view. Using this felt very unnatural and it seemed I spent more time compensating for the movement of the camera than using it for its advantage. The Kinect headtracking in FM4 is the exact opposite. Since you are in control of the camera movement, with multiple configuration settings, the "learning curve" is small to non-existent. I felt very comfortable using it after very few laps around Infineon. And if there is one track that is full of elevation changes and turns it is Infineon. The movement of the camera is as slow or fast as you would like it to be. I suggest using the head turn tracking instead of lean, mainly because it feels more natural.
You can look to the apex of a turn and the camera will follow to your point of view. As you go through the apex and your line of sight adjusts, the sensor follows. This provides a very smooth and natural experience that "headtracking" in GT5 and helmet view in Shift 2 just cannot even come close to.
Bottom-line:
If you have the financial means or are just a tech/sim nut then Kinect is something you may want to invest in. If you do not have the capital for such an adventure than you NEED to at least try it out. This is the first game on XBOX using the Kinect for headtracking control in a race-sim environment; but it certainly does not preform like it is the pioneer. It is an absolutely wonderful feature that multiplies the immersion by a factor of infinity.
GET IT!
EDIT: If you made it to this point... Thanks for reading. Please feel free to share feedback, questions, or complaints.
This weekend I will be capturing, uploading, sharing configuration and gameplay video highlighting the efficiency of Kinect. If you have any requests do not hesitate to let me know.
