Last week we reported on a rather purffect application for Vive’s new Tracker. Indie developer Triangular Pixels is using the device to keep tabs on their pet cats, thus not bumping into them when wearing a headset. Today, we’ve got a first look at it in action.
Triangular Pixels posted the below video today. It shows a runthrough of the team’s HTC Vive launch title, Unseen Diplomacy, with the tracker enabled. A blocky black and white cat, visually consistent with game itself, makes a nuisance of itself as a player infiltrates a secret base. At kinds gentle nudges are needed to keep the path and at other times the cat sits and stares — likely in bemusement — as the player fights off a swarm of drones.
Oh it also walks off the site into a lava pit, too, but that’s only in VR thank goodness. The best bit of the video though as to be the final minute set inside Valve’s The Lab where the cat obliviously sits next to the small robotic dog that scurries around the hub world.
As you can imagine, perfecting this project without making it immersion-breaking is going to take some work, and you can follow its progress over on Twitter. Triangular Pixels will also soon start accepting donations for the project.
As for release? Well, the Vive Tracker itself isn’t out yet. It’s expected to go on sale to developers soon for $99.99 with a wider roll out taking place later in the year. Hopefully Triangular Pixels will be able to get the cat tracker up to snuff by then; our pets will be thankful for it.
