Eye Tracking Software Fix

General discussion
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Hello Everyone!
I am back to help everyone out once again with a software I have been working on to help everyone out.

if you are like me and saw the Droolon Pi1 eye tracking module and thought. wow, eye tracking on a Pimax! that must be great! and you buy it. and low and behold. it is barely usable. it can not track properly, it gets very hot etc. well I got fed up with that. so I went out and made my own software/firmware for it. (the firmware is a branch of an official 7invensun firmware that 7i has provided to me through an email)

well, what does this that you made do? how can it improve on a product that seems hopeless?

as long as you follow the instructions I listed on the github repository, the Eye tracker becomes

  • more accurate

  • less hot less

  • power draw

  • still runs at 120 hertz*

  • and no longer a need for an external cable to the pc

it performs best directly connected to the headset, with the 15mm foam. please be aware, the cable thing has only been tested by 2 people, both with the same results, that might not be the case for you, as well as the size of the facial interface.

I will continue to try to update this as time goes on to better improve upon the code.

make sure to download the full code it will not work unless you do so.
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also make sure. you followed Pimax’s original instructions for the Eye Tracking module. as that is required for this to work.

once you have done that, the files are listed in numerical order of what to do
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start by running the firmware upgrader. then run the runtime .exe
after that, make sure to run the AMCap that comes with the files on the top right you will see the words “capture” click that, and in the drop down click “Set Frame Rate”
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set your frame rate to look like mine. it should say “10000” and the “Use Frame Rate” box should be checked.
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once that is done, click OK

if you click on “options” in the drop down, click “Video Capture Pin”
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have that match these settings. this will provide it with 120 hertz at the default resolution.
once you are done click “Apply” then click “OK”
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it should now say 120 fps as shown below
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Next up you will need the file called “lib”
replace the files in the AseeVR runtime with these. this will make the tracking more accurate.

Capture
Capture1666Ă—626 82.5 KB

close AseeVR with task manager (or right click and select exit) same goes for the program called “Forward” power down the vr headset by holding the power button. wait roughly 10 seconds and turn the Pimax headset back on. and start AseeVR.

you will notice the eye tracking is now significantly more accurate and slightly smoother. i am still working out the bugs as it is still not fully done. but as of now. it changes the eye tracker from “functional” to “usable”

thanks so much for your time! and i hope you enjoy the eye tracking! any questions comments or concerns, please message me on discord @guppyexpress#0001

*the 120 hertz is tentative at the moment so it is not fully guaranteed

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Other person who tried it out here. Seriously recommend giving this a try because it’s damn amazing how well it worked out. Not perfect, but especially with not needing a second long cord routed from my PC it was great. Felt pretty accurate and responsive, more so than I was used to. There was only one slice in my left field of view that wouldn’t track quite right, but it was so small I didn’t even notice during some regular gameplay and nigh everything else worked fantastic even on aggressive mode with large FoV. 11mm foam still worked quite well in my experience and was only slightly worse, so if you prefer 11mm foam you should still have a good experience, but the 15mm was definitely better.

Calibration may be a little finnicky to start and report your eyes are too high up, but it still tracked well once I moved my HMD a little bit up to start the process and then back into its normal fit for the rest of the calibration. No issues tracking then.

This is how the Eye Tracking should have been on release

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While I have no doubt this is as awesome as I hope it is, I feel it wise to advise a bit of caution installing any thing to your computers containing exe’s that sound too good to be true.

I will wait untill I can run this in an isolated VM just to be safe

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I completely understand the concern as I am not 7invensun and I am not Pimax.

But I am the co owner of a video game development company Tsar-Dev-Collective
We created a futuristic vr competitive vr racing game called Elec, as well as a dll fix for the lighting effects in beatsaber. So we would not like to tarnish our name by creating any such programs that could harm one’s computer.

This project was created because I was honestly mad that 7invensun wouldn’t fix the eye tracking and it annoyed me.

I did get in contact with 7invensun and this is a branch from their official firmware/ software.

But I can completely understand why there is a concern as people often put viruses in .exe programs.

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So are you “allowed” to distribute this?

They gave you their internal source code allowed you to fix it and post the compiled result , but obviously no source code?

Why did they refuse to fix it? Will they eventually accept your Pull Request into their official firmware soon?

Sorry to sound so skeptical…It’s just a bit “odd”

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So this is branched off of the 30 hertz firmware, which might I say, is outdated, as Pimax gives out the 100 hertz firmware now(I did not interfere with that as 7i did not give it to me to do anything with, along with I did not deal like it is right to mess with that version seeing as it is the one that gets shipped with the eye tracking). and thus this is just 7invensun trash. They did not give the internal source code, I had to de compile their code and piece it back together, as it is a modified version of their software,(just like mods in video games) the source code is not visible as that can cause some confusion on those who would like to download it and use it, 7invensun doesn’t want to fix the eye tracker because??? I honestly have no idea but the eye tracker as many here can agree. Sucks. And is a nice paperweight. I do not believe they will ever accept it into their official firmware/ software as it was created by a 3rd party and I understand, yes it is a bit odd so to speak. For someone to make a new software/ firmware out of spite. And that is very odd. But that is how I ended up creating the light fix for beatsaber which hundreds of people now use so they can play beatsaber without parallel projections.
If you do not trust it, I understand and feel free to run it in a VM first, you will notice it is exactly the same as every other install of AseeVR and the eye tracking firmware.

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I dont see there is anything to lose, the eyetracker as is, is just a paperweight.

I’m amazed someone is willing to pick up the slack and fix this PoS. If it works, you are the hero they dont deserve.

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This sounds great! I need to try that soon.
I was using mostly my Index for the last year, just so much easier to use.

Can someone please enlighten me on what games the eye-tracking really works?
On all steam-vr games? Does it work on Oculus games, too?
I just bought Lone Echo (1/2) and it would be amazing if eye-tracking would work for it…

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Cool, I feel better knowing the whole backstory to how this project came to be.

Without this information I thought that you may have had access to source code in some official capacity.

I was just saying with the announcement of the VARJO AERO they supposedly have Foveated rendering working correctly. And that I wish my eye tracking worked and then your thread suddenly appeared.

I hope it works it would be great.

Question: So other than getting the eye tracking working correctly, does this improve the DFR compatibility with games or is this still down to Pimax implementation of DFR.

Also as Pimax updates their software in the future, is there a possibility they may overwrite your code or firmware and I would have to reapply it again?

Also since you modded their driver/firmware could you explain a little about what you actually changed to make it “better” (maybe that info would be too technical, I don’t know)

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And it can’t even do that properly, its not heavy enough to keep the paper down.

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Dfr is limited to what supports ffr.

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Hello!, no it does not improve DFR compatibility as that is controlled by the game devs. as Pimax updates their software in the future they might overwrite the code. so yes you would have to re apply it again. and i wish i could explain it. but i am on less than 2 hours of sleep and frankly at the moment i cant even remember what i did hahaha

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Not sure If I should be happy about this.

unless it means that general eyetracking DFR support in Pitool improves across both 7Insun an Tobii users.

If OpenXR support is added its a possibility.

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Even if I jump through hoops and do the fix outlined in the post you sent, this doesn’t resolve the fundamental problems with the product, chiefly among them game compatibility, design (they interfere with distance to eyes, per NextGenVR’s review).

Go on Youtube, every review of the eye tracking modules is negative. I can’t find a single positive review:

Not just youtube, but the forums, and the product’s own product page. The product maintains a 3 star average review score by intentionally keeping up a duplicate completely generic 5 star score that seems dubious at best:

Average review:

"Dennis Dier
I Do Think the technology behind it is awesome! Personally I dont think enough games support this , but I only have a handful of vr games. I works somewhat on dirt 2, only the right lens will work correctly as the left lens will dumb down the whole view in low resolution. Unfortunately my fave shield had to be modified. I didnt have any pads that would work well with my glasses so I had to use one thin and one thick foam so my glasses wouldn’t touch the eye tracker. I am more optimistic about the eye tracking for the pimax 12k. I might change my rating as I try using it for other games like Alyx and project cars 2. This did not work with automobalista 2"

All of the reviews are one star, there are four 5 star reviews, which are actually duplicates of two 5 star reviews:

The 5 star reviews:

carlos mandianes

Eye Tracking Module

I haven’t been able to use it because I have the pimax 8kx , but I don’t have the controls to use it.
I.m waiting for them

c

10/27/2020carlos mandianes

Eye Tracking Module

I haven’t been able to use it because I have the pimax 8kx , but I don’t have the controls to use it.
I.m waiting for them

D

04/16/2021David Spalinger

The Future: Brought to You by Pimax!

Way ahead of its time. I love the boldness of this company and the risks they take. If it were not for these risks it would take A LOT longer to get innovations like this. I do know with advancements like this you really need GPU headroom to get the most out of the products and all of its attachments. Technically speaking the eye tracking module should make it easier on your GPU and decrease the relative entry point, but I didnt get the 8K Pimax without full intentions of taking it to the extreme so its the sole reason I upgraded my PC with the 10900 and 3090. This company does rely slightly on intuitive users but rest assured there are guides everywhere if you need them. Take care and have fun!

D

04/16/2021David Spalinger

The Future: Brought to You by Pimax!

Way ahead of its time. I love the boldness of this company and the risks they take. If it were not for these risks it would take A LOT longer to get innovations like this. I do know with advancements like this you really need GPU headroom to get the most out of the products and all of its attachments. Technically speaking the eye tracking module should make it easier on your GPU and decrease the relative entry point, but I didn’t get the 8K Pimax without full intentions of taking it to the extreme so it’s the sole reason I upgraded my PC with t

If it wasn’t for these four 5 star reviews, which are actually duplicates of two 5 star reviews that you either created on purpose our have intentionally allowed to remain up, the average review score across 14 reviews would be 1.5 stars.

We aren’t stupid children. We are enthusiasts who typically have a lot of experience behind PC’s in general. When you treat us like stupid children you lose credibility.

This is why I have exactly zero faith the Pimax 12k will ever see the light of day and if it does it will do so with half of the features currently advertised.

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Noted you haven’t bothered to try the Ops fixes. He does not work for pimax btw. Instead of going by reviews that existed before @guppyexpress ’ efforts to improve a dud to something functional. If you have an ET you have nothing to lose but time.

Presume your an Atheist noted. :laughing:

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@pimaxUSA was right to move your ET comments to an ET topic.

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You know, maybe you could try the fix in this very thread before you keep knocking the ET and bringing up reviews from way back before this happened? Instead of just bringing up a billion links all the time.

Nobody is arguing the thing had massive issues before. Should it have required a third party fix like this? Absolutely not. But it exists now so it’s better than a paperweight in my experience now.

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Just stumbled into this topic. I had a conversation with @SweViver on Twitter yesterday, and he told me that the eye tracker is working fine these days and that I should just download the latest software/firmware from the Pimax website. Is this correct? If so, where can I find it? If not, has anyone actually tried @guppyexpress 's solution? Is it worth the risk? My eye tracker is still unboxed, should I open it? No turning back after that …

Could someone please clear this up for me?

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I did. Check the first reply of the thread.