HTC Vive’s Tracker peripheral may not have been on the market that long, but it’s already due a future-proofing update.
At Mobile World Congress 2018 this week in Barcelona HTC debuted a new version of the Vive Tracker that’s designed to support Valve’s upcoming refresh to its SteamVR tracking hardware. Back at CES in January, HTC showcased a new version of Valve’s base stations for its Lighthouse tracking system, which is smaller and more efficient than the existing stations that come bundled in with the Vive. This new version of the Tracker, just like the upcoming Vive Pro and its updated wireless controllers, is designed to be fully compatible with that new base station.
The Trackers were shown working with Mi Hiepa Sports, a soccer training and rehabilitation app from the UK. In the pictures in this article, you can see the device fitted with a blue sticker, though they appear to still be the exact same size and puck-like shape. The current Vive Trackers, which cost $99 a piece, are attached to real-world objects so that they can be tracked and virtualized inside of VR. As with Mi Hiepa, some are also using it for full body tracking.
HTC isn’t saying whether or not these new Trackers will cost the same or include any additional functionality just yet, though there’s still much to learn about Vive Pro and SteamVR’s refresh as a whole. The upgraded headset is meant to be launching soon as a base unit for existing Vive owners to pick up, while the full set with controllers and base stations will be arriving later this year. Prices for either package are yet to be announced.
