4 Best Eye Tracker & Head Tracker Options for Star Citizen

Comparing the Beam Eye Tracker with other leading head and eye tracking solutions for Star Citizen

Table of Contents

• Head Tracking vs. Eye Tracking in Simulator Games
• Menu Options in Star Citizen for Head and Eye Trackers
• Comparison of Top Eye Tracker and Head Tracker Solutions for Star Citizen
• Detailed Comparison Table
• How to Set Up the Beam Eye Tracker in Star Citizen
• User Testimonials
• Supported Games
• Beam Eye Tracker Features Beyond Gaming
• Frequenty Asked Questions

Head Tracking vs. Eye Tracking in Simulator Games

Head tracking and eye tracking serve as gateways to deep immersion in simulator games, each contributing to a cohesive in-game presence.
Head tracking, a well-established and widely embraced technology in gaming for many years, involves physical movements like turning your head to explore the virtual environment. This engaging approach adds a dynamic and interactive element to your gaming experience, though it may sometimes be less suited for relaxed gaming sessions where minimal movement is preferred.
Eye tracking, in contrast, leverages the subtle, effortless motion of the eyes to enhance your field of view, inviting a more natural layer of interaction that marries your sight to the game's visuals without the need for overt gestures.
Combining head and eye tracking creates an incredibly immersive experience in simulator games. This fusion blends the subtle movements of your eyes and head, resulting in a unified interaction with the in-game camera that feels natural and immersive.

Menu Options in Star Citizen for Head and Eye Trackers

Star Citizen's integration of head and eye tracking technologies offers you an easy way to create a more immersive experience by controlling your in-game camera view with natural head and eye movements. Enhance situational awareness and interaction within the game, enable actions like scanning your surroundings naturally, focusing on targets, or navigating through complex environments with ease.

Star Citizen provides a range of input devices and software solutions in the OPTIONS MENU under the tab COMMS, FOIP & HEAD TRACKING. Click the dropdown menu for Head Tracking - General - Source and select your preferred head and eye tracking option.

As shown in the screenshot of the MENU OPTIONS below, you have TrackIR, Faceware and Tobii available by default. If you want to use the Beam Eye Tracker with OpenTrack, then select TrackIR as the input source.

Comparison of Top Eye Tracker and Head Tracker Solutions for Star Citizen

Beam Eye Tracker: Supercharge Your Webcam with AI

At Eyeware, we've developed an innovative eye tracker that transforms your webcam (or smartphone) into a gaming eye tracker using our advanced AI-powered algorithms. No additional hardware is required. Beam Eye Tracker is the first software of its kind to offer eye tracking and smooth 6 Degrees of Freedom (DoF) head tracking, supporting frame rates above 60FPS (for compatible webcams like the Logitech Brio or ElGato Facecam) for intuitive camera control in games. It uses the OpenTrack extension as an intermediary open source solution to enable eye tracking in over 200 games, including Star Citizen.

No webcam? No problem. You can easily transform your smartphone into a high-quality webcam by selecting one of the many free apps available, for more info you can check here. There is also the option to use FaceID-enabled iOS devices as trackers, offloading the processing from the PC to the iPhone or iPad and taking advantage of an increased tracking robustness using the 3D TrueDepth selfie camera.

TrackIR: Dedicated Infrared Head Tracker

TrackIR comprises an IR sensor placed at the top of your monitor and an emitter attached to your headset or cap. It’s great if you're looking for a robust head tracking experience and for a lot of gamers is the gold standard if it comes to head tracking in games when it comes to responsiveness and accuracy and also direct game integrations. The placement and attaching the emitter can be a bit of a hassle, but the accuracy you get in return is top-notch. It's a bit more of an investment but great for those who want a dedicated tracking device.

Tobii Eye Tracker 5: Dedicated Infrared Eye Tracker

The Tobii Eye Tracker 5 offers both eye and head tracking capabilities. It’s the leading eye tracking solution with tons of game integrations, including Star Citizen. It's on the pricier side and needs to be attached to the bottom of your monitor with the catch that it can sometimes be obstructed by other peripherals. If you’re looking for a comprehensive tracking experience and no hassle placing an emitter on your headset or cap, Tobii is a solid choice.

Faceware: Integrated Convenience

Faceware, Star Citizen's integrated head tracking feature, offers a straightforward and user-friendly solution, ideal for those who prefer not to use external hardware. While it may not offer the most advanced performance, it provides a reliable and convenient option for basic head tracking needs. It does not have an eye tracking option, but integrates seamlessly into the game and is a great starting point for newcomers. The game also includes Face Over Internet Protocol (FoIP), which enhances the immersion by mirroring your facial expressions in-game, adding another layer to your Star Citizen experience.

Comparison of Top Eye Tracker and Head Tracker Solutions for Star Citizen

Solution	Beam Eye Tracker	TrackIR	Tobii Eye Tracker 5	Faceware
Type	Software	Hardware	Hardware & Software	Software
Eye Tracking	Yes	No	Yes	No
Head Tracking	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Frame Rate	30 - 120 FPS (60FPS+ for supported high frame rate webcams, e.g. Logitech Brio, ElGato Facecam)	120 FPS	90 FPS	30 FPS
Hardware Required	None (Uses existing webcam or smartphone with webcam app)	IR sensor on monitor and emitter placed on headset or cap	IR device	None (uses existing webcam)
Setup Complexity	Easy (requires OpenTrack extension)	Moderate	Easy (potential obstruction issues)	Easy
Price	~ $30	~ $150	~ $300	Free
Uniqueness	First-ever gaming eye tracker using your webcam (or smartphone + webcam app)	Highly robust tracking	Eye tracking under low lighting conditions	Integrated in-game and FoIP for facial expression tracking

How to Set Up the Beam Eye Tracker in Star Citizen

Setting up the Beam Eye Tracker for Star Citizen is straightforward. Visit the Beam Eye Tracker’s support page for a step-by-step guide. Plus, check out this video explainer for visual assistance. Visit our Discord server for more information and direct support.

User Testimonials

We’re happy to count on a growing community of Beam enthusiasts worldwide joining the AI-powered eye tracking revolution for immediate access to more immersive gaming:

"By using webcam capabilities, the Beam Eye Tracker is opening up the market for head and eye tracking for gaming enthusiasts, streamers, and content creators.” – Nightmare_se, Twitch Streamer

"Simply the best way to track head and eye movements in games like Euro Truck Simulator 2 without expensive hardware!" – AP_101

"I tried the demo on a lark and it makes my webcam tracking work a million times better in SC. Definitely recommend giving it a try" – User on reddit

Supported Games

Beam Eye Tracker supports a variety of games through the OpenTrack extension:

Space Simulation Games

• Star Citizen
• Kerbal Space Program
• Elite Dangerous
• Star Wars: Squadrons

Flight Simulation Games

• War Thunder
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020
• Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition
• Top Gun: Maverick Expansion
• IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles
• IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad
• DCS World
• DCS World Steam Edition
• X-Plane 11
• AeroFly FS2

Racing Simulation Games

• Assetto Corsa
• Assetto Corsa Competizione
• F1 2023
• F1 2022
• iRacing
• Dirt 5
• Project Cars 3

Driving Simulation Games

• Euro Truck Simulator 2
• American Truck Simulator
• Farming Simulator 22
• BeamNG.drive
• Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop
• Dirt 5

FPS Games

• Arma 3
• DayZ
• Insurgency: Sandstorm

For a full list, visit here.

Beam Eye Tracker Features Beyond Gaming

Multi-Screen Pointer & Mouse Jumping

Enjoy seamless tracking across multiple screens and reduce the physical movement needed to move your cursor with Mouse Jumping. The software provides an efficient, streamlined experience without sacrificing your range of motion.

Presence Detection & Privacy Filter

Boost your security with the presence detection feature, automatically locking your screen when you're not present. Enhance privacy with the Privacy Filter, blurring parts of your screen that you're not looking at, providing an additional layer of protection for your sensitive information. Beam operates in real-time, right on your device without generating, storing, or transferring any biometric data or video recordings.