Skytrak update

[calebm1001]

Well, this whole year has been anti-climatic.

[Mr. Mizzy]

I reached out through Facebook Messenger a couple of weeks ago and of course got very little from them, but they did claim 3.4 and 4.0 are "coming". I asked if they would be out at the same time and they said no. The way the responses were worded it makes me think they will just ride the current sales trend until it dips, then hand out 3.4, rinse and repeat.

[trumb1mj]

I remember Seth coming on here and blasting me for making "personal attacks" well guess what, the criticism was warranted. They don't value us as customers any longer and would rather squeeze every penny out of the current product rather than making steady improvements. Mevo+ looks amazing........

[mikewohlwend]

Flightscope may force them to release it soon. Even though Flightscope is dropping the ball with only iOS compatibility in my opinion.

[jrz]

At this point I think it's looking like the days of Skytrak are over. I predict they will continue to spend remaining funds on advertising in order to help them sell off remaining inventory, while keeping us at arms length with Skytrak Alternative Facts (SAFs) (2019 was their best year ever - ha ha!!! my a#@ it was; and the software update is coming) so new buyers don't notice anything is up. Then, they'll fire all but one contract developer and put the software in "maintenance mode."

[dborden0]

I suspect that the developers are already gone, or the one engineer who actually knew how to code left. It really looks like a money grab at this point. I would bet any new integrations announced are an upcharge.

[mikemcd22]

I'm not so sure... They still have a solid foothold on the price point. I think we all agree the next step up is $4,500.00 or greater. Not everyone has that type of disposable income. I think they bought some time with the E6 Connect subscription at between $300.00 and $600.00. That said, there wasn't a sense of excitement about the direction they are taking.

[trumb1mj]

They had a strong foothold until Mevo+ came out. Flightscope has the infrastructure to run like a real software company and now they have a $2k unit that does everything and more.

[SkeetShooter]

This is not good that they won't even address the updates or the fact that they showed a beta version of 3.4 over a year ago. Its clear they have the development and tech already produced. I am going to have to try to get my hands on a Mevo+ for comparison. If I can get $1400ish for my ST and case, I might consider selling, and upgrading to Mevo+ if (and only if) we can get it to display out.

I hope Par2Pro can meet with them and address the questions to them. I'm really bummed now.

[Jayzee]

I really hope someone at the show will record a interview with them and ask the important questions we all want to know the answers to.

[SkeetShooter]

Guarantee they won't answer them to our satisfaction. It says something if Cory from Par2Pro doesnt have a video up on their youtube page yet. They have done the demo day and have already interviewed Flightscope... SkyTrak is not in those vids... I'm not hopeful.

[alwayzgolfin]

So I was really thinking that SkyTrak was the way to go...until possibly now. IF the mevo+ is even remotely comparable to Skytrak, Skytrak is toast and you can clearly see that they are indeed happy taking money without improving anything. I have been on the fence for years on buying a sim set up...maybe I waited for just the right time to jump in. I don't know, but the sentiment of how SkyTrak is treating their current customers is not looking good. I am actually debating if I even want to buy a Skytrak now. I hope we get to see some real numbers and comparisons on the Mevo+ because that is what EVERYONE is waiting on. IF Mevo+ blows Skytrak out of the water, guarantee we will all see those Skytrak updates FAST....BUT it may be too late already! Time shall tell the true story.

[Shipwreck34]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but isn't the Mevo+ not able to be used inside due to using Doppler tech, just like the Mevo? And you need the little metal stickers? Making that aspect just as inconvenient as Uneekor? The Mevo+ has a camera for recording your swing, but that isn't a ball flight analyzer. Did I miss that in the demo?

If I'm not wrong, how is that direct competition for the SkyTrak, even at 1/4 the price like the Mevo?

[Tonysmjc]

One little metallic dot does not a problem make

[Celeras]

You need twice the space for the Mevo+, you need to dot the balls, and it's iOS only with nothing for Android or Windows. Calling it a competitor based on that information is quite the stretch, and that's not even taking into consideration that the much more expensive Trackman struggles with accuracy indoors.

Might want to hold your horses.

[alwayzgolfin]

mikemcd22 That is awesome! Cant wait for the update on the Mevo+ Thank you!! Shipwreck34 It is on their website that the Mevo+ can be used indoor and outdoor, and it is going to be direct competition for sure if Skytrak dont pull off a miracle at this point. Only way Skytrak still wins its lion share is if the Mevo+ is a flop...just mho. The stickers thing has been debated on this forum as well as others for a while now that most did not see much of a difference using them or not. Right now, I am seriously impressed with FS and they actually brought something new to the show this year which further cements the point that they are staying innovative. If your not innovating - your not alive!!! We will have to wait and see how the Mevo performs.

[jrz]

@mikemcd22 Even with their stronghold on their segment of the market, they have ceased development of their five year old product and gone completely dark. The days of skytrak as we knew it are over.

[mikewohlwend]

I was holding out hope that Par2Pro would do a video from today

[Morini]

A parallel of sorts is Skypro, another product in the Skygolf portfolio. I bought one as soon as it came out. It also had a forum where the developers would post personally and help out. The software improved significantly over the first year or two, and it was voted top swing analyzer by one of the golf magazines.

We were all debating when the next generation of Skypro would come out. Software development continued steadily ... until it didn't. The developers who posted vanished. The product continued to be sold, but died a slow death with absolutely no updates for years. I now hear that it has been abandoned, and is no longer manufactured.

Is that the future of ST? Would seem very odd, given that it is a no brainer product in that it fills a price performance niche. It has clearly sold reasonably well, and they are still advertising. The margins on hardware must be huge.

[mikewohlwend]

Might as well see if tagging anyone will help SkyTrak-SkyGolf SkyTrak_James SkyTrak_Jordan SkyTrak_Rahim SkyTrak_Seth

[Morini]

Here are some of the positives (in terms of longevity and continued development of ST)

• still advertising
• Seth still at company
• Seth & others suggest sales are great
• Seth reassures that development is ongoing.

Here are some of the negatives:

• going from multiple updates to none in over a year
• ST staffers stopped posting on forums
• cryptic and non-convincing reasons for lack of updates
• underwhelming presence at PGA show

Here is a quote from Seth from June that gives us clues:

Rapsodo develops our hardware, they have no impact on our software delivery schedule. And we have plenty of great devs. Sometimes it's just not as easy as it seems - GDPR and security was a huge bridge to cross, but there are other factors at play.

https://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum...042#post215955

First of all, you can see the relationship/distinction to Rapsodo. Rapsodo hardware. Skytrak software. Can anybody shed light on the exact relationship between Rapsodo, Skytrak and Skygolf. Is it a licensing agreement? Partnership? Ownership?

The second part of that quote is the cryptic reference to other factors at play. As trumb1jm has pointed out, there is more to it than GDPR, and Seth admits as much here.

What are those other factors?

• Cashing out and abandoning product? Seems unlikely. I am sure it is selling well, and would sell even better with updated software.
• Resources diverted to new product? Quite possible, but where is it?
• Major development team staffing issues? Seth denies this,and it shouldn't set them back a whole year.
• A non hardware related reason? For example, patent dispute, licensing dispute, pending sale of company.

I am going to speculate that it is the last one.

[brendogs]

All valid points, I'm a new SkyTrak user and purchased 2nd hand. I'm enjoying the experience quite a lot to be fair.

What is it that you guys are expecting/hoping in this next 'update' ?

The only thing I wish it had was club path and face angle, in which case you couldn't really ask for much more!

[Morini]

There are a few things, some more pressing than others. High ball speed fix. Multi-user support. There was talk of adding spin decay, not sure what came of that. This video from a year ago featured the updates that never came. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2no0Kk1xxqE

They did have calculated (not measured) path and face data in an earlier version of software. It was accurate IF and only IF you struck the ball centre face.

[GungHoGolf]

I’m at the show and have updated what I learned from SkyTrak and the Mevo+ in my group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/skytrakusers/

[dborden0]

Cliff notes for us without Facebook?