STOCKHOLM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tobii, the global leader in eye tracking, and Ubisoft®, leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, announced today an expansion of their partnership to provide new eye tracking features for the PC versions of WATCH_DOGS® 2 and Steep®. These titles provide gamers greater immersion through a steadily growing number of gaming devices, suiting a wide variety of gamer preferences, including peripherals: Tobii EyeX, Tobii Eye Tracker 4C and SteelSeries Sentry; gaming notebooks: Alienware 17, Predator 21X and MSI GT72; and monitors: Predator Z271T, XB251HQT and XB271HUT.
“We’re always looking for new ways to enhance immersion and capture the imagination of our players,” said Geoffroy Sardin, Senior VP Sales and Marketing, Ubisoft EMEA. “With these highly anticipated titles, we’re offering our PC players a chance to experience a new gameplay dynamic that we see great promise in.”
In WATCH_DOGS® 2, gamers benefit from various ‘Natural Targeting’ features that make character interactions more natural and fluid. For example, the character can run in one direction using their traditional mouse and keyboard or controller inputs and simply look at a hackable object in another direction to interact with it. Skiing through wildly adventurous mountain terrain becomes more exciting and immersive with eye tracking in Steep®. With implementations like ‘Extended View’ and ‘Clean UI,’ gamers are given more screen real estate with less on-screen distractions as they explore the environment using only their eyes.
“We’re excited to add two more AAA titles to our game portfolio and provide gamers even more opportunities to experience real eye tracking immersion,” said Oscar Werner, president of Tobii Tech. “Games like WATCH_DOGS® 2 and Steep® are concrete examples of the intuitive nature of eye tracking and demonstrate its application across a diversity of genres, too.”
The Tobii Eye Tracker 4C, shipping this November and available for pre-order for $149, will be compatible with both games. This new device enhances the gaming experience in over 40 titles through improved tracking technology and new head tracking capabilities (currently in beta).
View the constantly updated portfolio of Tobii Eye Tracking games and devices at www.tobiigaming.com.
Eye Tracking Features in WATCH_DOGS® 2 and Steep®
WATCH_DOGS® 2 (available on PC on November 29, 2016) – Besides adding a natural and intuitive way of interacting with the environment, eye tracking gives controller gamers a comparable mouse aiming experience, making aiming, covering and firing more effortless. The Extended View feature lets players literally keep an eye on opponents, tracking where they move or aim more easily during a chase. Additional eye tracking features for WATCH_DOGS® 2 will be announced following the game’s release. Those that purchase the Alienware 17 with integrated Tobii Eye Tracking will also receive a free copy of WATCH_DOGS® 2.
Steep® (available December 2, 2016) - The Steep® gaming experience utilizes eye tracking functionalities like Extended View, Free View and Clean UI to increase camera outlook without losing orientation of the player/character. For the first time in any game, Extended View functionality is also boosted by new head tracking functionality supported by the Tobii Eye Tracker 4C. The Mountain View feature plays an essential role in Steep® and allows the player to gather information about the surrounding environment, looking for missions and planning upcoming lines. The gaze-enabled interactions in Mountain View are concentrated around navigating and especially zooming in and out in the environment.
About Tobii
Tobii is the global leader in eye-tracking. Our vision is a world where all technology works in harmony with natural human behavior. Tobii operates through three business units: Tobii Dynavox makes specially designed computers that are controlled by eye movement or touch screens for use by people with special needs due to spinal cord injuries, CP, ALS or other medical conditions. Tobii Pro develops and sells eye-tracking equipment and services used today by more than 3,000 companies and 2,000 research institutions, including all of the world’s 50 highest ranked universities. Tobii Tech further develops Tobii’s technology for new volume markets such as computer games, personal computers, virtual reality and vehicles. Tobii is headquartered in Sweden and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (TOBII). The group has around 700 employees. For more information, please visit www.tobii.com.
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2014-15 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,464 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
©2016 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Watch Dogs, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries.
