Available Protocols
FreeTrack 2.0
Industry-standard protocol compatible with hundreds of games
SimConnect
Native support for Microsoft Flight Simulator X, FSX Steam, and Prepar3D
FlightGear
Direct UDP integration for FlightGear flight simulator
FSUIPC
Legacy protocol for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002/2004
Virtual Joystick
Emulate joystick input using vJoy driver
UDP Network
Send raw tracking data over network via UDP
Wine
Run Windows games with head tracking on Linux via Wine/Proton
Platform-Specific Protocols
Mouse (Windows)
Emulate mouse movement for games that don’t support head tracking
libevdev (Linux)
Virtual joystick output for Linux using libevdev
IOKit FooHID (macOS)
Virtual HID device support for macOS
Advanced Protocols
OSC (Open Sound Control)
Send tracking data via OSC protocol for integration with audio/video software and VJ tools
Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Platform | Use Case | Game Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeTrack | Windows | General gaming | 800+ games |
| SimConnect | Windows | Flight simulators | FSX, P3D |
| FlightGear | Cross-platform | FlightGear only | FlightGear |
| FSUIPC | Windows | Legacy flight sims | FS2002, FS2004 |
| Virtual Joystick | Windows | Any game with joystick | Universal |
| UDP | Cross-platform | Custom applications | Developer tool |
| Wine | Linux | Windows games on Linux | FreeTrack-compatible |
| Mouse | Windows | Tablet emulation | Legacy games |
| OSC | Cross-platform | Audio/video software | Creative tools |
| libevdev | Linux | Virtual input | Linux games |
| IOKit FooHID | macOS | Virtual HID | macOS apps |
Choosing a Protocol
Check game compatibility
Most modern games support FreeTrack 2.0. Check the supported games list for your specific title.
Use native protocols when available
If playing FSX/Prepar3D, use SimConnect for best performance. For FlightGear, use the FlightGear protocol.
Try virtual joystick as fallback
If your game doesn’t support head tracking but has joystick support, use Virtual Joystick to map head movements to joystick axes.
Popular Game Examples
Flight Simulators
- Microsoft Flight Simulator X - SimConnect
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 - FreeTrack
- Prepar3D - SimConnect
- FlightGear - FlightGear protocol
- X-Plane - FreeTrack or Wine (Linux)
- DCS World - FreeTrack
- IL-2 Sturmovik - FreeTrack
Racing Games
- Assetto Corsa - FreeTrack
- Project CARS 2 - FreeTrack
- rFactor 2 - FreeTrack
- iRacing - FreeTrack
- DiRT Rally - FreeTrack
Space Simulators
- Elite: Dangerous - FreeTrack
- Star Citizen - FreeTrack
- Everspace 2 - FreeTrack
- X4: Foundations - FreeTrack
Military Simulators
- ArmA 3 - FreeTrack
- Squad - FreeTrack
- Escape from Tarkov - FreeTrack
- DayZ - FreeTrack
Some games may require additional configuration or registry entries. Refer to the specific protocol documentation for detailed setup instructions.
Configuration Location
Protocol settings are stored in:- Windows:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\opentrack-2.3\ini\opentrack-2.3.ini - Linux:
~/.config/opentrack-2.3/opentrack-2.3.ini