Image Credit: HTC
Eye tracking is one feature that could could benefit the performance and affordability of high-end virtual reality headsets. The HTC Vive should become the first mainstream headset to put that theory to the test.
A Chinese startup known as 7invensun (pronounced seven-in-ven-sun) is announcing it will be releasing a new eye tracking module for the Vive next month. The module is called the aGlass and it will be available for “limited pre-order sales” next month, according to HTC. The company is referring to this first roll-out as a developer kit, but preorders are open to anyone.
According to HTC, the system will cost about $220 and will release first in China next month before rolling out towards Q3 in the west.
Unlike other eye tracking solutions that require hardware to be installed at the manufacturer level, the 7invensun devices are modular in nature. The thin plastic overlays can be placed manually inside the Vive headset by the average VR user, according to the company. The eye trackers are designed to be wired directly to the headset over USB. Two separate USB chords are connected to each of the aGlass devices. The two chords are then joined by a USB combiner and fed into the Vive’s single port.
The aGlass consists of two separate trackers built specifically to fit alongside the lenses of the Vive. Each tracker has a halo of IR lights combined with sensors that can track the…