FreeTrack Forum

Without a doubt the two most competitive platforms for running Freetrack are the Wii Remote and the PSeye. This is largely due to the superior frame rate each camera is capable of. The PSeye can handle 120fps, while the Wii Remote I believe does 90fps. Having used a 30fps webcam before, I can say the difference is night and day with a higher fps.

I'll keep this short and simple. I strongly recommend to anybody looking for a camera for Freetrack to get the PSeye over the Wii Remote. The main problem with the Wii Remote is the Bluetooth requirement. This wouldn't be such a hindrance if it weren't that not every Bluetooth software is compatible with the Wii Remote. The software that was bundled with the adapter I bought could not receive camera information from the Wii Remote. The one software suite that seems to work universally with the Wii Remote is BlueSoleil. I managed to get the Wii Remote working quite well with the trial version. Unfortunately, you can only use the trial for short periods of time, which is useless for any game play usage, and the full version costs something like $30+, which goes against the whole idea of using freetrack to save money in the first place. If you can get a Bluetooth adapter that comes with BlueSoleil, this might be a viable option. However, having used the PSeye, I believe the PSeye has other advantages also.

While the Wii Remote is sometimes incorrectly described as having 1024x768 resolution, this is actually interpolated from 128x96 using subpixel analysis. For any of you who weren't sure what to believe about this, I can lay down any confusion by telling you that with the Wii Remote, the resolution is definitely 128x96. I know this because there is a noticeable "stepping" of the tracking points when moving small distances, and is most noticeable if your range of motion is not large. However, if you place your Wii Remote closer to your LED assembly so that your range of motion is increased, it is not such a big deal, but something to think about. The PSeye does offer both superior resolution and frame rate (320x240 @ 120hz or 640x480 @ 60hz). When using the PSeye, the smoothness and speed of tracking feels just like a TrackIR (which uses 120hz also).

One of the advantages the Wii Remote does have is that its onboard processor can theoretically reduce some of the load on your CPU. However, with the prevalence of multicore processors today, I believe this point is moot. Repeated benchmarks have shown most modern games scale well in a dual core set up, but are incapable of fully utilizing a CPU with four or more cores. Adding the fact that Freetrack is not all that CPU intensive, you're really not going to suffer any performance drops using the PSeye. You can set the Freetrack process affinity to run on a single core in task manager and it won't interfere with your other cores. Plus in most cases, the bottleneck is the graphics card, not the CPU.

Finally, there is the issue of batteries with the Wii Remote. This I believe can be solved by purchasing some sort of adapter pack that allows your to plug it in. However, this is just adding extra cost. In terms of value, both the Wii Remote and PSeye are roughly the same price. I borrowed a Wii Remote from a friend to do the testing with, but there is the additional cost of the Bluetooth adapter and batteries/adapter pack. I got my PSeye for $20 CAD used off craigslist. I would only recommend using the Wii Remote if you already own both the controller, and a compatible Bluetooth adapter.

Overall the PSeye is the simpler setup as you do not need to purchase any additional accessories to use it, and as an extra benefit, it also doubles as an excellent webcam. Given the performance advantages, it should be clear that the PSeye is the weapon of choice for the ultimate Freetrack experience.

Note: I tried both platforms using Windows 7 Professional x64. I was unable to use the Wii Remote with the Toshiba Bluetooth Stack, using both trial and full version (my laptop is a Toshiba). Some people running a 32bit system or Windows XP have had success in that regard, but if you're using a 64bit OS, it's something to keep in mind.

Also, when using the PSeye, make sure to manually set the frame rate to 120fps in Freetrack or you may wonder why your frame rate is only 30fps. You may encounter an error if you try to make adjustments while the camera is running. Both platforms required some troubleshooting to get working right, but both work well in the long term afterwards.

Yep, the PS3Eye wins by a long margin.

Buying one using this Amazon link also helps support FreeTrack development.

I have both. Ended up staying with the Wiimote. Yes it has some limitations but it works great once you iron out the bugs!

The major issue with the wiimote I had was originally I couldnt get it to track, could see the dots in freetrack.. it had me stumped. Then I tried a different wiimote and it worked. No idea why but one of my remotes just wont track.

Also, I pulled out the IR filter from my PS3eye and now it wont focus correctly, I followed the online instructions and it was an older model That is a big risk with the PS3eye, you can easily ruin the camera and end up back at square 1.

cheers

You shouldn't need to modify a camera unless your lighting conditions are particularly bad and are having problems with reliable tracking. I have no problems with my unmodified PS3Eye.

ok quick update. This thread inspired me to revisit the PS3Eye. Glad I did!

I put a piece of cut floppy disk into the lens where I removed the IR Filter and bam! Works a treat.

Had to fiddle a bit with the driver to get the colour and brightness right but it IS so much better then the Wiimote! No more stuffing around with batteries and bluetooth! yay

All up cost me $25 for the Eye, $4 for IR parts.. not bad for a 120fps tracker

cheers

Too bad I can't pay with Paypal on Amazon   , is the FreeTrack PS3 eye available on Ebay also?

spike @ 06/09/2011 - 01h48 a dit:

Also, I pulled out the IR filter from my PS3eye and now it wont focus correctly, I followed the online instructions and it was an older model That is a big risk with the PS3eye, you can easily ruin the camera and end up back at square 1.

cheers

see my article here regarding reusing the existing lens (minus the IR coating)

http://forum.free-track.net/index.php?showtopic=3025

Everyone forgets to consider the WiiMote/BT Adapter/BT Stack resulting jitter.

My tests with an unknown BT adapter and Toshiba stack were *DISAPPOINTING!*. Jittering makes FT impossible to use. You just can't keep the focus at one place, it looks like I have epilepsy, it keeps shaking the view!

PS3Eye OTOH works pretty well. It ould work a lot better/use less CPU if we could get it working B/W / Grey Scale.

Even a simple webcam like the one I used the lens and lens holder ( My PS3Eye is the "bad" one ) @ 30fps worked greater than wiimote!!!

Now I'll use wiimote as a whiteboard/make my monitor "touchscreen"

WiiMote is evil for FT!

Keywords: Wii Wiimote PS3Eye PS3 Eye PSEye jitter jps .