Tobii Horizon — gearless head tracking

Gamers, especially sim gamers, love head tracking. It seems that once you start using this feature, you wonder how you ever managed without it. Head tracking allows the gamer to control what they see by moving the in-game camera with a simple turn of the head. No need to shift hands to a joystick or any other control device. No need to input a complex set of keystrokes. In short, head tracking allows you to keep your hands on the controls and your head in the game.

Unfortunately, head-tracking hardware can be expensive and may require additional gear, which complicates things. It’s not a straightforward solution. That’s why we came up with Tobii Horizon — a software-based alternative for PC-laptops that leverages the in-built webcam to deliver 6DoF head tracking – straight out of the box!

First shipping on Lenovo Legion 7, Tobii Horizon is a software alternative to gear-based head tracking.

What is Tobii Horizon?

Tobii Horizon is a PC-laptop application that uses the in-built webcam to bring real-time 6DoF head-tracking to gaming. It supports extended field-of-view, enabling the user to control the in-game camera with natural head movements.

Because it’s software, Tobii Horizon is a low-cost, easy-to-integrate solution for gaming computers. For the gamer, Tobii Horizon is a weightless approach to head tracking — no hats, no reflectors, no additional hardware. First out to support Tobii Horizon is the Lenovo Legion 7. And we are working closely with other manufacturers to get this awesome feature shipping on as many gaming laptops as possible.

50 titles and counting

At Tobii, we work directly with game developers so that AAA titles such as Assassins Creed Valhalla, Elite Dangerous Odyssey, Star Citizen, and Euro Truck Simulator 2 are directly compatible with Tobii Horizon. For other games that support in-game camera control with head tracking, users will need to download the Tobii Game Hub to connect Tobii Horizon with game commands. The complete list of supported games is available at gaming.tobii.com/horizon.

Some of these games are free and can be an additional incentive to purchase devices that support Tobii Horizon for gamers wanting to develop new skills.

The benefit of a software solution

Traditional head tracking hardware in the form of hats with sensors or a tracking device means weight, and some devices can be cumbersome, as well as costly — which can be prohibitive for those who’ve already maxed out on their computer specs. Screen width is also a limiting factor — you see only see what the screen allows you to see, and wider screens may not be the answer.

Tobii Horizon ships directly on the factory image, with new versions pushed through Windows Update. It is the best low-cost head tracking solution currently available for gaming laptops because it works with the in-built webcam and, so it doesn’t add to hardware costs or require design changes.

Find out more

For the moment, Tobii Horizon is an application for laptop manufacturers. To find out more, the list of compatible games and devices that support Tobii Horizon out of the box, visit Tobii Horizon.