June 6, 2019 – VIVE has announced today that is now on sale in North America, retailing for USD $1,599 on Vive.com and at select retailers. The VIVE Pro Eye features eye tracking technology, and according to VIVE, companies from multiple industries are already using VIVE Pro Eye for training and simulation, consumer feedback and analytics, and gaze-oriented navigation, among other applications.
Building on the design of the VIVE Pro, the VIVE Pro Eye was created with the needs of professional users in mind. Benefits of VIVE Pro Eye’s eye tracking functionality include:
- Precision Eye Tracking;
- Dynamic Training Environments: Simulate real-life scenarios and provide users with intelligent performance feedback;
- Deeper Data Analysis: Capture real-time user feedback through heatmapping and gaze tracking to gain insight into user behavior and decision processes;
- Intuitive User Experiences: Enable gaze-orientated menu navigation to remove the need for controllers;
- Features foveated rendering to focus GPU power on exactly where the user is looking to increase computing efficiency and image quality.
Some use cases of the VIVE Pro Eye include one at CES 2019, Major League Baseball (MLB) debuted eye tracking on VIVE Pro Eye as a key component of its ‘MLB Home Run Derby VR’ experience, allowing users full menu control without a traditional controller.
“We’ve invested in VR technology to connect our fans to our game and deliver a new level of engagement through VR game competitions and in-ballpark attractions,” said Jamie Leece, Senior Vice President, Games and VR, Major League Baseball. “By integrating eye tracking technology into Home Run Derby VR, we are able to transport this immersive baseball experience to any location without additional controllers needed. Our fans can simply operate menus by using their eyes.”
Other uses include the BMW M Virtual Experience, developed by Zerolight, which allows potential customers to configure, explore, and sit inside a simulated M5 in immersive virtual reality. Customers are able to customize the car and when customization is complete, they can get behind the wheel, interact with features, and take it for a test drive. After the experience is over, each customer receives a personalized microsite of their unique customizations and a 360 view to see it from all angles.
“The VIVE Pro Eye has taken everything that was great about the VIVE Pro and pushed it to the next level,” said Chris O’Connor, Technical Director at Zerolight. “Using this headset’s eye tracking technology, we can add significant extra value to our clients’ projects with foveated rendering and detailed user behavior insights.”
Ovation utilizes VR to help users gain experience in public speaking. The VR experience allows users to customize their training to replicate real-life situations from ballroom to courtroom, in addition to using eye tracking data to provide feedback designed to help grow users’ skills and confidence.
“Arguably the most important element of communication is eye contact; with the VIVE Pro Eye, Ovation can actively guide improvement by measuring and providing feedback on where exactly users are distributing their eye contact throughout a speech,” said Jeff Marshall, CEO at Ovation. “Our virtual venues come to life as individual audience members can react with various animations when a user makes direct eye contact with them. As a developer, there’s just no going back once you’ve seen all that eye tracking makes possible.”
Video credit: HTC VIVE/YouTube
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.