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Cut the crap - Is the Aimtrak any good?

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Ragtag83:


--- Quote from: Ginsu Victim on October 30, 2009, 12:38:23 pm ---
--- Quote from: SGT on October 30, 2009, 12:28:21 pm ---Some just want to know if others are happy with theirs.   If people are not happy with theirs, they probably won't spend the money to try it themselves.
--- End quote ---

But just because I'm happy with mine doesn't mean you would be with yours. There are things I don't like about it and things I do.

What I consider acceptable may be unacceptable to others.

--- End quote ---

I second that. I am using the AimTrak as it's own system. No arcade machine yet. My primary purpose for the AimTrak right now is a portable system where I can grab the guns, leds, and a harddrive and hook it up elsewhere.  My primary use is probably much different than others, so my opinions on how I like it will differ. For example I favor the no need for drivers very highly, while others on a dedicated machine may not care as much as I. Even accuracy will be favored differently. Obviously we all want it to be perfect, but it may work well enough to make some happy and not others. So as much as you want and easy answer, that answer may be wrong for you. Best way is to read through the posts, and as much time that has been spent arguing this issue we all could have reread all the posts on the AimTrak and make our own conclusion of if we wanted to buy or not...or wait for more info.

Ginsu Victim:

 :applaud:

AndyWarne:


--- Quote from: RandyT on October 28, 2009, 06:49:13 pm ---
 but I am reluctant to compare it favorably to the technology used in the arcades.  
--- End quote ---

Thats an interesting comment.

I have looked at the technology used in arcades.
There are three main types of arcade gun:

Optical:
These are largely immune to distance and other positional issues but are inherently inaccurate, especially at screen edge. They rely on the screen scanning a black frame then a white frame when the trigger is pulled in order to sense the CRT beam position. This means they dont have any tracking ability at all.  Wont work on LCD .

Early image sensing:
The Sega system. This used a very expensive large camera and lens in the gun and a number of switched LEDs around the screen. Despite the complexity and cost (check out the cost of the gun for this system on Happ!) this was never a very reliable nor accurate system, especially when used with CRT screens. It also suffered from frequent failures of the LED boards.

Time Crisis system:
This uses a similar setup to the Aimtrak but has LEDs positioned at each side of the screen. This is accurate but I have only tried this system once, and the gun was located at a fixed position a long distance from the screen, so it was not possible to check accuracy after movement but I suspect it would become inaccurate. I also suspect this system has a large minimum screen distance.
 


RayB:

Chripes, I don't see what the problem is with a poll and "short answer". It's not much different than relying on Amazon reviews and ratings for a product. If in the end you're not happy with what you bought, well TS, it happens all the time with every category of product.  There's always going to be a gamble when purchasing something you haven't inspected firsthand, but I guess this hobby has more than the usual share of OCD and perfectionist personality types. Personally I think 15 yes and 1 no puts this product more in the "safe bet" category for most people.

Back to the angled screen topic: is the driver smart enough to process the screen shape as a trapezoid rather than a rectangle?


Ginsu Victim:


--- Quote from: RayB on October 30, 2009, 01:14:15 pm ---Chripes, I don't see what the problem is with a poll and "short answer". It's not much different than relying on Amazon reviews and ratings for a product.
--- End quote ---

It's completely different. Reading through reviews on Amazon means actually reading and making up your own mind. Amazon doesn't say "Yes, buy this!" or "No, avoid it!" Even the system of 5 stars there is better than yes or no.

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