Ubisoft wants players to keep an eye on The Division in more ways than one. As GameSpot reports, the publisher recently revealed that Tom Clancy’s latest will launch with full support for eye-tracking peripherals.
In practice, the optional technology modifies several in-game elements. Targeting, for example, is aided by automatic tags which are assigned just by looking at enemies. When scanning the environment, looking to the edges of the screen will prompt the camera to lean in that direction and give you a slightly wider view, not unlike panning the camera normally.
HUD components are also affected: Take-cover prompts will appear when scanning nearby defenses, and the mini-map will fade out when you aren’t actively looking at it. Minor though it is, this is arguably one of the feature’s more novel features, as it does not rely on analogue sticks.
The Division will become one of the first triple-A games to support such eye trackers as Steelseries’ $150 Sentry and Tobii’s $140 EyeX. Whether the functionality holds water remains to be seen. At the very least, eye-tracking technology could prove to be a godsend for handicapped gamers who are missing, or have limited function with, one or more of their hands, as it allows eye movement to replace thumb movement.
The Division will launch on PS4, Xbox One and PC on March 8, 2016. Its first open beta is now underway.
