HTC’s new Vive accessories track VR limbs and other objects without the need for base stations
Although HTC has been producing VR trackers for years to work alongside its headsets, the Vive Ultimate Tracker is its first to support inside-out tracking, meaning it works without the need for the cumbersome external base stations used with older headsets. That means the Vive Ultimate Tracker can work seamlessly with all-in-one headsets like the Vive XR Elite or Vive Focus 3, with no additional sensors required. The tracker connects to the XR Elite and Focus 3 using a small $39 wireless USB dongle.
HTC’s press release notes that this could be useful for “gaming, sports training, motion capture, or industrial use,” and supported apps include VRChat, soccer game Skill Shot, and rhythm game Dance Dash. “VIVE Ultimate Tracker is about to make your XR sessions a lot more realistic and immersive, with super accurate full-body tracking – now for the first time on all-in-one devices,” said HTC’s global head of product, Shen Ye.
Up to five Vive Ultimate Trackers can be paired with a single Vive XR Elite headset, but much of HTC’s marketing materials focus on a three-tracker setup. You might have one tracker attached to each foot and one strapped to your waist, with your hands tracked by the headset’s existing motion controllers. But Vive Ultimate Trackers are also equipped with a one-fourth-inch mount to allow them to be mounted to other objects.
Each 94-gram tracker is equipped with a pair of wide-angle cameras, which they use to detect motion, and have a rated battery life of up to seven hours. They can be charged via USB-C when they run out of juice.
At launch, the Vive Ultimate Trackers are designed to work with HTC’s own headsets, but the company says it’s working on support for SteamVR and plans to release this functionality in beta in the coming weeks. That should allow you to plug its wireless dongle into your PC to use the trackers with other headsets or even for tracking without any need for a headset at all (such as for tracking people and / or objects in an industrial environment). Support for third-party all-in-one headsets is also planned, Ye noted on X (formerly Twitter).
As well as being available as a standalone accessory for $199, until December 31st, HTC is also selling the tracker as a three-pack for $599, which also comes with a wireless dongle, Dance Dash download key, and trio of straps for attaching the trackers to your waist and feet. Existing Vive XR Elite owners can get a $100 discount by entering the serial code of their headsets, and new owners can buy the trackers alongside an XR Elite for $1,499.
