diff --git a/apps/openmw/engine.cpp b/apps/openmw/engine.cpp
index 5e83a20056..474d8d78c3 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/engine.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/engine.cpp
@@ -73,6 +73,36 @@ void OMW::Engine::executeLocalScripts()
     localScripts.setIgnore (MWWorld::Ptr());
 }
 
+void OMW::Engine::updateFocusReport (float duration)
+{
+    if ((mFocusTDiff += duration)>0.25)
+    {
+        mFocusTDiff = 0;
+
+        std::string name;
+
+        std::string handle = mEnvironment.mWorld->getFacedHandle();
+
+        if (!handle.empty())
+        {
+            MWWorld::Ptr ptr = mEnvironment.mWorld->getPtrViaHandle (handle);
+
+            if (!ptr.isEmpty())
+                name = MWWorld::Class::get (ptr).getName (ptr);
+        }
+
+        if (name!=mFocusName)
+        {
+            mFocusName = name;
+
+            if (mFocusName.empty())
+                std::cout << "Unfocus" << std::endl;
+            else
+                std::cout << "Focus: " << name << std::endl;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 bool OMW::Engine::frameRenderingQueued (const Ogre::FrameEvent& evt)
 {
     try
@@ -176,24 +206,9 @@ bool OMW::Engine::frameRenderingQueued (const Ogre::FrameEvent& evt)
         if (mEnvironment.mWindowManager->getMode()==MWGui::GM_Game)
             mEnvironment.mWorld->doPhysics (movement, mEnvironment.mFrameDuration);
 
-        if (focusFrameCounter++ == focusUpdateFrame)
-        {
-            std::string handle = mEnvironment.mWorld->getFacedHandle();
-
-            if (!handle.empty())
-            {
-                MWWorld::Ptr ptr = mEnvironment.mWorld->getPtrViaHandle (handle);
-
-                if (!ptr.isEmpty())
-                {
-                    std::string name = MWWorld::Class::get (ptr).getName (ptr);
-                    if (!name.empty())
-                        std::cout << "Object: " << name << std::endl;
-                }
-            }
-
-            focusFrameCounter = 0;
-        }
+        // report focus object (for debugging)
+        if (mReportFocus)
+            updateFocusReport (mEnvironment.mFrameDuration);
     }
     catch (const std::exception& e)
     {
@@ -211,6 +226,8 @@ OMW::Engine::Engine(Cfg::ConfigurationManager& configurationManager)
   , mNewGame (false)
   , mUseSound (true)
   , mCompileAll (false)
+  , mReportFocus (false)
+  , mFocusTDiff (0)
   , mScriptManager (0)
   , mScriptContext (0)
   , mGuiManager (0)
@@ -320,6 +337,11 @@ void OMW::Engine::setNewGame(bool newGame)
     mNewGame = newGame;
 }
 
+void OMW::Engine::setReportFocus (bool report)
+{
+    mReportFocus = report;
+}
+
 // Initialise and enter main loop.
 
 void OMW::Engine::go()
@@ -416,8 +438,6 @@ void OMW::Engine::go()
                                   *mEnvironment.mWindowManager, mDebug, *this);
     mEnvironment.mInputManager = &input;
 
-    focusFrameCounter = 0;
-
     std::cout << "\nPress Q/ESC or close window to exit.\n";
 
     mOgre.getRoot()->addFrameListener (this);
diff --git a/apps/openmw/engine.hpp b/apps/openmw/engine.hpp
index 96b7cf52e1..8bf2dbbcf8 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/engine.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/engine.hpp
@@ -68,6 +68,10 @@ namespace OMW
             bool mNewGame;
             bool mUseSound;
             bool mCompileAll;
+            bool mReportFocus;
+            float mFocusTDiff;
+            std::string mFocusName;
+
             int total;
 
             MWWorld::Environment mEnvironment;
@@ -78,9 +82,6 @@ namespace OMW
             ESM::Region test;
             boost::timer timer;
 
-            int focusFrameCounter;
-            static const int focusUpdateFrame = 10;
-
             Files::Collections mFileCollections;
             bool mFSStrict;
 
@@ -98,9 +99,9 @@ namespace OMW
 
             void executeLocalScripts();
 
-            virtual bool frameRenderingQueued (const Ogre::FrameEvent& evt);
+            void updateFocusReport (float duration);
 
-            /// Process pending commands
+            virtual bool frameRenderingQueued (const Ogre::FrameEvent& evt);
 
         public:
             Engine(Cfg::ConfigurationManager& configurationManager);
@@ -142,6 +143,9 @@ namespace OMW
             /// Start as a new game.
             void setNewGame(bool newGame);
 
+            /// Write name of focussed object to cout
+            void setReportFocus (bool report);
+
             /// Initialise and enter main loop.
             void go();
 
diff --git a/apps/openmw/main.cpp b/apps/openmw/main.cpp
index aa8b13b80d..933d1c48aa 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/main.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/main.cpp
@@ -102,6 +102,9 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, OMW::Engine& engine, Cfg::Configuratio
             "\n\twin1250 - Central and Eastern European such as Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Slovene, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian (Latin script), Romanian and Albanian languages\n"
             "\n\twin1251 - Cyrillic alphabet such as Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian Cyrillic and other languages\n"
             "\n\twin1252 - Western European (Latin) alphabet, used by default")
+
+        ("report-focus", boost::program_options::value<bool>()->implicit_value(true)
+            ->default_value(false), "write name of focussed object to cout")
         ;
 
     bpo::parsed_options valid_opts = bpo::command_line_parser(argc, argv)
@@ -202,6 +205,7 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, OMW::Engine& engine, Cfg::Configuratio
     engine.setSoundUsage(!variables["nosound"].as<bool>());
     engine.setScriptsVerbosity(variables["script-verbose"].as<bool>());
     engine.setCompileAll(variables["script-all"].as<bool>());
+    engine.setReportFocus(variables["report-focus"].as<bool>());
 
     return true;
 }