HTC VIVE Ultimate Tracker launches to augment VR/AR headset use with wearable tracking

 HTC VIVE claims to have made the Ultimate version of its optional Trackers for headsets such as the XR Elite and Focus 3. It is rated to enhance gaming, training or working in virtual or augmented reality (VR/AR) thanks to "new self-tracking technology".

It includes dual wide field of view (FOV) cameras, 6 degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) inside-out tracking and "proprietary" low-latency dual-band Wi-Fi, and is thus backed to supersede other accessories such as tracking base-stations by allowing each VIVE Ultimate Tracker to provide awareness of its own location in 3D space at all times.

The Ultimate Tracker is also equipped with a standard 1/4"-20 UNC mount, POGO pins and a quick-release TrackStraps system, thereby boosting VIVE's value proposition of the accessory as the equivalent of the Sony mocopi for HTC's ecosystem.

Accordingly, the OEM has priced each one at US$199, although 3 can be bought together with the VIVE Wireless Dongle required for compatibility with VIVE headsets.

That bundle, which also includes a TrackStraps set and a Dance Dash download key, now has an RRP of US$599, but is discounted by US$100 for those with a valid XR Elite serial number until 31 December 2023.

The VIVE Ultimate Tracker has yet to appear on Amazon, although it might join its Tracker 3.0 predecessor on the platform soon.