HTC sold out its initial batch of Vive Trackers, which are currently geared toward developers so they can prepare VR software and hardware accessories.
The $100 unit can be tracked throughout a room by the same technology pioneered at Valve Software and used with the HTC Vive headset. The Tracker is a small lightweight gadget meant to be mounted to a coming wave of accessories like guns, phones, gloves, cameras and a whole lot more. The real-life object is matched to visuals in VR that end up making a virtual world feel more immersive.
The unit went on sale last week and quickly sold out, with the company still accepting new orders for future batches. An HTC spokesperson declined to share how many were sold in the initial batch, and said the company is “working hard to get more stock quickly.” The spokesperson said more information on availability would be coming soon.
The 1-year anniversary of the Vive going on sale is coming up this week and HTC will soon be expanding its ecosystem with the Tracker as well as a $100 audio strap that integrates headphones into the headband much like the Rift. Also, one of the startups funded through the Vive X program, TPCast, said it would ship in April an accessory to Chinese customers that would make the headset wireless.
The Tracker accessories should enhance both arcades and home experiences and we can’t wait to see what clever ideas developers come up with for the hardware.
