Beam Eye Tracker news & patch notes

Performance

• Lower CPU usage: Up to 40% less CPU usage in some tracking and camera preview cases, leaving more resources available for your game and the rest of your system.
• Lighter camera preview: The camera preview is easier on your CPU, especially with high-resolution webcams.

Robustness

• Safer hotkey handling: Invalid saved hotkeys are now ignored instead of causing problems. Keys reserved by Windows are also rejected cleanly.
• Clearer settings errors: If Beam can't read or write its settings, the message now tells you why, with hints about permissions, antivirus, or Windows Controlled Folder Access.

What's Next

• The Linux and macOS public betas are still our next major milestones. While working toward them, we squeezed in this update to deliver these performance improvements and a handful of bug fixes, including several for the Standalone version.

🤝 Community Profiles via Steam Workshop

• Browse and subscribe: Browse Immersive Camera profiles shared by other players and creators on the Steam Workshop. Flight sim profiles, racing setups, FPS configs. Click Subscribe and Steam handles the rest. Profiles stay up to date when creators publish changes.
• Publish your own: Found an Immersive Camera setup that works great for a specific game? Click Publish to share your profile on the Workshop. This is great for creators: publish a profile, link it, and your viewers get your exact setup.
• Available under Immersive Camera → Profile → Community Profiles

🆕 Demo Profiles

• Four new demo profiles help newcomers experience eye tracking and head tracking separately before combining them:
• Demo - Head Movements - Relaxed: Slow, gentle camera response. Great for open worlds and flight sims.
• Demo - Head Movements - Fast: Quick, snappy camera reactions for action games.
• Demo - Eye Movements - Smooth: Continuous, linear response to where you're looking. No deadzone, no sudden jumps.
• Demo - Eye Movements - Snappy: The camera snaps to position when your eyes move toward the edges. More dramatic, more responsive.
• Each demo profile disables the other input type so you can feel exactly what each one does on its own. Try all four in a game, 30 seconds each, then switch to the Default Profile as your starting point and dial in your own settings from there.

👁️ Individual Head & Eye Tracking Toggles

• New toggles to enable or disable head tracking and eye tracking independently.
• Mix and match: use head tracking only, eye tracking only, or both together depending on your setup and game.

⌨️ Hotkey Updates

• Pause to Current: Renamed from Pause/Resume. Pauses the Immersive Camera while keeping the in-game camera at the current position. Press again to resume.
• Pause to Center: New hotkey. Pauses the Immersive Camera while the in-game camera points forward to the centered position. Press again to resume.
• Head/Eye toggle hotkeys: Toggle ON/OFF the Camera Response to Head or Eye movements separately.

✨ UX Enhancements

• Start Tracker at App Launch: New option under Settings → General → System. Enable to have the Tracker start automatically when the application launches.
• Revert Mirroring: New option for webcams that deliver a mirrored video feed. Allows you to revert the mirroring to the original orientation, which is required for head and eye tracking to work correctly. If unsure, run a Calibration and Beam will automatically detect and set this option.

🔧 Under the Hood

• Crash monitoring: Anonymous crash reporting system. If Beam crashes, we receive reports automatically so we can prioritize fixes. No personal data is collected. This should not impact performance, but let us know if you notice anything.
• Updated localization: Language updates that were missing in the beta are now included.

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Freetrack protocol cleanup on uninstall: Some games like ETS2 would still detect a tracker after Beam was uninstalled, blocking mouse controls. Beam now properly cleans up the freetrack protocol registration when you uninstall.

🔜 What's Next

• We're working on Linux support.

This beta brings community profile sharing via Steam Workshop, hotkey updates for the Immersive Camera, individual head and eye tracking toggles, a Start Tracker at App Launch option, and a Revert Mirroring option for webcams with mirrored feeds.

🤝 Community Profiles via Steam Workshop

• Publish your current Immersive Camera profile to share it with the Beam Eye Tracker community directly from the app. • Browse profiles shared by other users on the Steam Workshop to help bootstrap your experience with ready-to-use settings. • Available under Immersive Camera → Profile → Community Profiles.

⌨️ Hotkey Updates

• Renamed Immersive Camera's Pause/Resume to Pause to Current: Pauses the Immersive Camera while keeping the in-game camera position at the current position. Press again to resume. • Added Pause to Center: Pauses the Immersive Camera while the in-game camera points forward to the centered position. Press again to resume.

✨ UX Enhancements

• Added Start Tracker at App Launch option under Settings → General → System. Enable to have the Tracker start automatically when the application launches.

👁️ Individual Head & Eye Tracking Toggles

• New toggles to enable or disable head tracking and eye tracking independently. • Mix and match: use head tracking only, eye tracking only, or both together depending on your setup and game.

📷 Revert Mirroring

• New option in camera settings for webcams that deliver a mirrored video feed. • Allows you to revert the mirroring to the original orientation, which is required for head and eye tracking to work correctly. • If you are unsure whether your webcam needs this, run a Calibration. Beam Eye Tracker will automatically detect and set this option to the correct value.

🔧 How to Access the Beta

Steam Version: Make sure you're signed up for pre-release access on Steam. Here's a quick video guide if you haven't signed up yet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeS7bCwXJ7U

⚠️ Note: Localization may not yet be fully updated in this beta. Please try it in English if you encounter any issues. For long-term use, we recommend staying on the non-beta version, especially once the new features are officially released.

ːsteamthumbsupː Help Us Improve

Please test it out and share your feedback! Questions we'd love your input on: • How do the Community Profiles work for your use case? Any features missing? • Do the new Pause to Current and Pause to Center hotkeys cover your needs? • Are the individual head and eye tracking toggles intuitive to use?

Beam Eye Tracker v2.5.5 now connects directly with compatible games. Opentrack is not required to run in parallel. This update concludes the recent open beta and thus includes all changes since 2.4.5.

This is probably our biggest release so far and marks a major step toward making Beam as seamless as possible. It also includes many other improvements you'll discover along the way.

🎮 Direct Game Camera Control

• Beam connects directly to your games without requiring Opentrack to run as a separate app. It integrates Opentrack components directly for a seamless experience. • For those who prefer Opentrack, you can still use it as before. • Settings have been optimized to allow a strong out-of-box tracking experience for basic users and detailed and easier to understand settings for advanced users.

👷‍♂️ Advanced Controls for Power Users

• Direct Game Camera Control now includes detailed tuning options under Immersive Camera → Advanced Controls. These settings should cover most needs for users who previously customized Beam with Opentrack. • Adjust deadzones, maximum camera output, head/eye movement thresholds, camera responsiveness, axis inversion, and more. • Each degree of freedom can be adjusted individually: Head Roll, Pitch, Yaw, X, Y, Z. Eye Tracking Horizontal and Vertical.

💪 Performance & Tracking Improvements

• Improved filtering that significantly reduces camera jitter when your head or eye movements are small. This delivers a stable feel without compromising the responsiveness of the controls. • Smooth Immersive Camera output for high game frame rates even when the webcam runs at low fps (15-30fps). • Improved Power Plans and CPU usage optimization.

📂 Profiles System

• Create, switch, duplicate, and share customized settings profiles. • Default Profile: Try the cockpit-ready baseline settings optimized for Direct Game Camera Control. • Auto migration: Your previous settings are automatically converted to profile files. • Freetrack 2.0 toggle: Allows Beam to directly control the game camera in compatible games. Off for Opentrack profiles.

🎮 Hotkeys Upgrade

• Supported devices: Joysticks, Gamepads, Steering Wheels, Flight Sticks, Arcade Sticks, Mice. • Multi-binding: Assign up to 3 different hotkeys to one action. Use different devices for the same command. • Single-key support: Any single key can now be assigned. No modifiers like Ctrl/Alt/etc. required.

📕 Game Setup Guides

• Onboarding now directs users to https://beameyetracker.com/games for game-specific setup guides. This ensures anyone using games that need special settings (like Star Citizen, F1 or Farming Simulator) can find the info right away.

🔄 Natural Movement: "Link Camera Position Response to Head Orientation"

Enabled by default in the new Default Profile.

• How it works: When enabled, moving your head forward (in the direction your nose points) moves the in-game camera toward where the camera was pointing. This links camera translation (x/y/z) to head orientation. Same for sideways/up-down movements. • When disabled: Head-forward always moves in a fixed in-game direction, independent of head rotation. • Result: More natural & immersive feel for most users.

✨ UX Enhancements

• Recenter Overlay Visibility: New setting under Tracker → Recenter Tracking Overlay Shows On Top. • ON: Recenter dot shows on top of games (except some exclusive fullscreen) to aid with recalibration. • OFF: Not forced on top. Better immersion in-game, but you're still expected to look at where the point would be. • Eye tracking overlay now scales with screen size for a more consistent experience. • Double-click on the tray icon to open the full Beam Eye Tracker app. Single click opens the Quick Access window. • Social media links updated in Quick Access window showing in your tray if you want to help us spread the word. Thanks in advance! • Eye Tracking Overlay, Productivity and Privacy features are now not accessible from the Quick Access UI, once again, to keep things simple for most users. You can still access and enable them inside the full app interface.

🐞 Bug Fixes

• Fixed crashes when using Nvidia Broadcast. • Fixed app crash from faulty calibration files. • Beam now appears as "Beam Eye Tracker" (rather than "launch") in Windows Settings > Apps > Startup (Standalone version). • Startup notification if antivirus blocks the app.

🌍 Localization

• Full update of all existing languages with additional refinements. • Initial Polish support added. Translations may still need improvements. Feedback is welcome!

🔧 Installation Improvements

• Build is digitally signed (again) to help reduce antivirus and Windows Smart App Control issues. • This version also bundles Game Input + Visual C++ redistributables.

🙏 Thank You

Thank you to everyone who tested the beta and provided feedback. Your input was invaluable in shaping this release and making Beam better for everyone. This update is enabled thanks to the inclusion of components from the Opentrack project (https://github.com/opentrack/opentrack). Special thanks to Stanislaw Halik and all the contributors for their work.

📣 Help Us Reach More Users

Simplified onboarding, strong out-of-box tracking, and game setup guides mean less setup time and more time in-game. Friends and family who wouldn't have bothered with Opentrack and multiple apps can now jump right in. If you know someone who'd enjoy more immersion in their games, share the Beam Eye Tracker and help us grow the community.

Overhauling hotkeys and introducing profiles!

📁 Profiles

Profiles allow to create sets of customized settings. Easily switch, share, duplicate, etc.

- Freetrack 2.0 toggle: turn it ON/OFF in the profile — replaces "Install Opentrack Components" - Try the "Default Profile": includes cockpit-ready baseline settings ready for Direct Game Camera Control - Auto migration: your previous settings are converted into profile files

🎮 Hotkeys Upgrade

- Supported devices: Joysticks, Gamepads, Steering Wheels, Flight Sticks, Arcade Sticks, Mice - Multi-binding: assign up to 3 different hotkeys to one action (use different devices for the same command) - Single-key support: any single key can now be assigned — no modifiers (Ctrl/Alt/etc.) required

🔄 Natural Movement: "Link Camera Position Response to Head Orientation"

Enabled by default in the new Default Profile (recommended).

- How it works: When enabled, moving your head forward (in the direction your nose points) moves the in-game camera toward where the camera was pointing — linking camera translation (x/y/z) to head orientation. Same for sideways/up-down movements - When disabled: head-forward always moves in a fixed in-game direction (independent of head rotation) - Result: more natural & immersive feel for most users

Additional Improvements

- Performance: improved Power Plans and CPU usage - Installation: standalone installer now bundles Game Input + Visual C++ redistributables

How to Access the Beta

Right-click Beam Eye Tracker in Library → Properties → Game Versions & Betas tab → select beta - Public Beta Version from the dropdown

Beam Eye Tracker v2.5.0 Beta now connects directly with compatible games. No Opentrack required. This update has been a long time coming and marks a major step toward making Beam as seamless as possible. It also includes many other improvements you’ll discover along the way.

How to Access the Beta

You can join the Beam Eye Tracker Beta by following the instructions here: https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/276C-85A0-C531-AFA3

Notes:

- Localization is not yet available in this beta. Please try it in English for now. - For long-term use, we recommend staying on the non-beta version, especially once the new features are officially released.

Help Us Improve

Please test it out and help us streamline onboarding for all future Beamers with just a few clicks and no extra software.

Questions we’d love your feedback on:

- How do the default settings feel when Beam directly controls the game for the first time? - Are there any settings or adjustments you think are missing? - If you still prefer using Beam with Opentrack, were you able to recreate the same experience without much effort?

Features

Bug Fixes

New API & SDK v2.0 Brings Powerful Upgrades for Game and Extension Developers

User Experience Enhancements

Bug Fixes

Deprecation Notice

Enhanced Webcam Compatibility

• Beam now supports more webcam devices, including the OBS virtual camera, PS3 Eye Camera (when using the universal driver: https://github.com/jkevin/PS3EyeDirectShow/releases) and other devices that rely on DirectShow drivers.
• The "Shared" camera access mode has been enhanced for better compatibility with other applications that access and control your webcam.
• Steam Version only: The “Eyeware camera” virtual camera is now fully functional.

UX Enhancements

• If Beam is already running, attempting to launch it again will bring up the tray window or sign-in dialog, making it easier for users to find and access Beam.
• The default eye tracking overlay color has been updated to the brand accent color.
• Standalone Version only: Clicking the tray icon now also brings up the sign-in page, providing a more intuitive user experience.

Bug Fixes

• Standalone Version only: Some users experienced Beam crashing at startup (the tray icon would appear for a few seconds and then disappear closing Beam). This was fixed by disabling offline access on the specific PC on a case-by-case basis (the majority of users won’t have this issue). The video preview link has been updated.
• Improved logging capabilities for more efficient troubleshooting in the future.

• Fixed a bug that occasionally caused Gaming Extensions to crash when Windows switched from desktop mode to fullscreen game mode.
• The tray icon now reacts to clicks for the Steam Demo, bringing the welcome screen to the front.
• Enhanced logging for webcam discovery to assist in debugging user setups.
• Updated the version number format in the About section (e.g., 2.2.1 instead of 2.01.0001).

Eye Tracking Overlay Optimizations

• 0% GPU Usage for Eye Tracking Overlay: We've reduced the GPU load to 0% by shifting processing to the CPU, now requiring only an additional 1-3% CPU usage depending on your processor.
• Increased Frame Rate and Responsiveness: The overlay now operates at the camera's FPS, providing smoother motion and significantly lower latency. Previously, it was capped at 30fps to reduce processing demands on the GPU.
• Resolved Compatibility Issues: We've resolved the notorious "Black Screen Issue" associated with outdated drivers by eliminating the dependence on OpenGL.
• Overlay Behavior Adjustments: Optimized to disappear seamlessly when hidden, especially during recording sessions with OBS, to enhance recording clarity.

UX and Performance Enhancements

• Improved Guidance for Users: A new first-time popup guide has been introduced for the eye tracking overlay to facilitate user onboarding.
• Enhanced Visual Quality: GIFs on feature cards are now rendered with higher quality, ensuring a more visually appealing experience.

Bug Fixes

• Gaming Extensions API Correction: Fixed a bug that prevented the Gaming Extensions API from updating correctly with the main screen, thereby enhancing accuracy and reliability in tracking.

Multilingual support

• Added support for 10 languages: English, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Japanese, Korean, and Italian.
• Beam Eye Tracker by default will now use your Windows system language. You can change this in the Settings under General > System (scroll to the bottom). Make sure to restart the app for language settings to take effect.
• Note: Languages have been mostly auto-translated. Please report any major errors for correction.

Bug Fixes

• Calibration when using the Beam Eye Tracker iOS app extension without a connection has been improved to halt properly if disconnected.

No Webcam! No Problem.

Simplified Branding, Unified Webcam & iOS Edition

• The app has been rebranded to Beam Eye Tracker (by Eyeware) and now merges webcam and iOS editions into one comprehensive solution.
• The Beam Eye Tracker iOS app now serves as an extension to the Beam Eye Tracker enabling Face ID-equipped iPads/iPhones to function as eye trackers. This is a free upgrade. You can now offload processing and improve calibration robustness.
• The iOS app extension also acts as a virtual camera. You can use your iOS device as a regular webcam for other applications as well. Note: performance depends on network speed.

UX Improvements

• Updated user interface for a more sleek, modern look.
• When switching between webcams while in Exclusive access mode, the recommended format is now preselected. It prioritizes high frame rates and resolutions close to 720p.
• Settings window now enables mouse wheel scrolling across the entire interface, simplifying navigation without requiring cursor placement in specific scrollable areas.
• New "Tracked Eyes" option under Settings > General. Select 'Both' for optimal tracking robustness when possible. Choose 'Left Only' or 'Right Only' if you have one notably dominant eye.

Bug fixes

• Solved an initialization issue which was preventing some users from starting the app.
• Ensured that the calibration window accepts the first click, which was being rejected randomly.
• Corrected virtual camera naming.

Current limitations of iOS app extension

• Productivity and Privacy features, as well as Tracked Eye selection are unavailable in the iOS app extension.
• Supports only 30fps at present
• Orientation is limited to landscape mode with the selfie notch on the right.

Advanced Camera Management

• 60FPS+ tracking on webcams that support higher frame rates. Make sure to set the performance mode to "high performance" for the best experience.
• "Exclusive" and "Shared" mode are now available in the camera settings, with “Exclusive” allowing you to fix a custom resolution and framerate. Use "Eyeware camera" as your virtual cam in third-party apps when in “Exclusive” mode.
• In the "Preview" video it is now possible to change the format and exclusive access in real-time for quick testing.
• Elgato Facecam support and other UYVY video format webcams.

Tracking Performance Improvements

• 50% reduction in head tracking jittering.
• Smoothened eye tracking and reduced latency.
• Introducing sliders in Settings to adjust the filtering levels for head and eye tracking individually, allowing users to fine-tune the balance between smoothness and responsiveness.
• Latency reduction and minimization of lost frames sent to the API of gaming extensions.

UX improvements

• Removed startup pop-up to prevent disruptions when webcams or displays are unplugged. Alerts will now only appear during tracking activation.

Bug Fixes

• Implemented fallback functionality for displays incompatible with the Windows API device enumeration.
• Resolved a startup issue linked to core selection on some systems.

Turn Your Webcam Into a Gaming Eye Tracker

• Added a menu on the tray window to easily access actions like quitting, leaving feedback, seek support or refer the app to friends.

• Range and responsiveness parameters now replace previous head and eye tracking sensitivity settings, offering improved customization.
• Reduced default head tracking sensitivity to minimize jitter.
• Important: Due to the updated sensitivity settings, please adjust the Beam settings and your current OpenTrack configuration. View the updated guide.