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cageymaru
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- Joined
- Apr 10, 2003
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Valve is adding SMI eye-tracking tech to the OpenVR Platform and will be demoing the technology at GDC with an upgraded HTC Vive . The SMI eye-tracking technology allows for intuitive gesture-free navigation and more responsive avatars. There is also technology from the Japanese company Fove that allows a GPU to alter its load to focus on improving the scene where the user's eyes are concentrating. This doesn't mean that eye-tracking is guaranteed as an upgrade for a HTC Vive, but it is encouraging that SMI already has signed agreements with at least 10 different HMD manufacturers.
"Our collaboration with SMI on R&D, as well as on SMI's efforts to make eye-tracking enabled Vive units available to the larger VR community, have been critical to our growing understanding of how HMDs with integrated eye tracking will positively impact the future of VR." While it's near certain that eye-tracking will be a part of the HTC Vive in the future, the appearance of an upgraded headset at GDC doesn't necessarily indicate an upgraded consumer product in the very near future. However, SMI has signed agreements for its technology with at least ten headset manufacturers.
"Our collaboration with SMI on R&D, as well as on SMI's efforts to make eye-tracking enabled Vive units available to the larger VR community, have been critical to our growing understanding of how HMDs with integrated eye tracking will positively impact the future of VR." While it's near certain that eye-tracking will be a part of the HTC Vive in the future, the appearance of an upgraded headset at GDC doesn't necessarily indicate an upgraded consumer product in the very near future. However, SMI has signed agreements for its technology with at least ten headset manufacturers.