As technology improves, so does our relationship with it. We expect more from it constantly, and when it comes to gaming, we’ve increasingly looked for ways to make experiences more immersive and intuitive. So does Tobii–the current software and hardware giant behind eyetracking technology–have the answer to immersive gaming?
With the advent of virtual reality, many have equated the idea of immersion with VR. Tobii looks like they want to change that idea. With the release of a recent trailer stating the collaboration between Tobii Eye X and Ubisoft, the two have updated the PC version of Tom Clancy’s The Division with several major new features to show that even traditional video games can benefit from such technology.
If you haven’t heard of the game Tom Clancy’s The Division, it’s an online, open world cover-based shooter where teams of tactical agents from “The Division” have come together to take back New York City after a devastating pandemic brings societal collapse. The game puts you into the shoes of one of the agents, charging you with taking on enemy factions, saving innocents, and restoring some semblance of order to the anarchic city. While the game uses some elements of role playing games with regards to customization, much of the game is a third person shooter that requires quick reflexes, tactics and teamwork to succeed.
In the game, Tobii provides a few essential updates that make gameplay more organic, which you can view below. You’ll notice a thin white circle in the video called a “gaze point,” which is meant to direct your attention to where the game’s player was looking, but is only used for illustrative purposes, and isn’t a part of gameplay. Using Tobii’s eye-tracking technology, The Division offers multiple new features, including:
- Cover at Gaze: the ability to look at an object and find cover from enemy fire. The player would use this feature by first looking at cover, which triggers a button prompt over said cover, allowing a player to respond and move between spaces even more swiftly and efficiently than ever before.
- Clean User Interface: the ability to access info with a glance and avoid on-screen distractions. The UI elements–including the map and other information–would lose opacity until looked upon. Think of how there are certain elements on your computer that remain hidden until your mouse hovers over them: but instead of your mouse activating them, it’s your gaze.
- Enemy Tagging: the ability to tag an enemy with your gaze so that your teammates know their location. Leading to an almost literal idea of “if looks could kill.”
- Aim at a Gaze: the ability to aim your gun’s sights or aim a grenade with your gaze, leading to increased accuracy when you fire.
- Infinite Screen: the ability to look even further past the edges of the screen for a larger field of view.
Could this change the entire industry? Eyetracking technology has been out for years, but now it’s getting to a point where it can be done cheaply and in a variety of ways. Having games that let players worry more about what to do instead of how to do it could make playing a more seamless experience, though some players will undoubtedly miss the challenging dexterity needed to overcome certain obstacles.
For more on the Tobii Eye X experience, check out the Tobii Tech Experience. Tom Clancy’s The Division is currently in its beta phase and will release on March 8th of this year. For more information on the game, check out The Division’s Ubisoft website.