There is a lot of visual information in the world we inhabit, and Tobii is on a mission to help us truly see everything out there, especially when it comes to gaming.
Having broken into the rapidly expanding esports industry, Tobii’s eye-tracking technology is now an integral part of the Formula 1 gaming experience with the newly released F1 2017. The popular racing game will allow players to see where their eyes are moving on the screen as they sprint towards the finish line.
One example of eye-tracking’s application within the F1 game is seen in turning, where eye-tracking can help the driver more fully see an upcoming curve and therefore be able to plot for optimal speed in and out of the turn—using the eye-tracker to ensure his gaze is on the “apex”—as Tobii game experience researcher Andrew Frank explained on Tobii’s blog.
The decision to bring Tobii into the fold was not an immediate or easy one for Codemasters, which creates the F1 game franchise, according to programmer Nicolas Chemin.
“To be honest, it’s not something we’d initially considered adding to our title,” Chemin said in an interview featured in Tobii’s blog. “However, when we saw Tobii Eye Tracking in action, we could instantly see how it would enhance the player experience in F1 2017.
“For us, it’s not so much about solving problems as opening new doors. It allowed the team to expand the experience thanks to this extra source of control.”
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The specific gameplay advantages that eye-tracking provides include “extended view,” which incorporates the positions of a player’s head and eyes to tell the camera where to focus. Additionally, Chemin mentioned in the interview, Codemasters used eye-tracking to create a more responsive, minimalist gaming interface that shows the driver’s heads-up display only when he or she is looking right at it.
“It also makes providing a better user experience easier,” Chemin said. “For example, normally we cannot get both wing mirrors visible on the screen without compromising the camera view in other areas. With eye tracking, you simply look at the wing mirror, and it becomes fully visible. You don’t have to compromise.”
The integration of Tobii’s product into F1 2017 called to Chemin’s mind a video of Nico Hulkenberg, an F1 driver for Force India, using eye-tracking while navigating an actual racing circuit. By wearing smart goggles, Hulkenberg allowed Tobii and Sky Sports personnel to track his eye movements.
“The way we interact with technology is becoming more natural and intuitive. Voice control is almost common place these days, adding head and eye tracking takes it to the next level,” Chemin said. “Replacing this (standard gaming controllers) with natural input where appropriate would streamline the experience.”