HTC Shrinks Its VR Tracker And Introduces New Vive Facial
Vive Facial and Vive Tracker 3.0 are now available on HTC Stores.
Today HTC launches Live Tracker third generation, which is significantly smaller and lighter than its immediate predecessor . The Vive Tracker 3.0 is about 33 percent smaller than the 2018 model, 15 percent lighter, and about 10 centimeters or four inches smaller in footprint. This qualitative reduction in size means that the device is much easier to attach to the body or accessory, which is very burdensome for bulky older models. Oh, and now it uses USB-C.
Despite the smaller size, the company says the device will last 75 percent longer on a single charge, bringing the listed battery life closer to seven hours. HTC stressed that smaller trackers should make it easier to strap them to your wrists and ankles for full-body tracking in VR. Compared to testing the larger version in Rezzil Player 21 a few weeks ago the improvement is significant. But HTC has said there are no compromises in tracking accuracy compared to its older siblings.
There should be no claims for backward compatibility between new trackers and old hardware. The company says it seamlessly integrates with SteamVR 1.0 and 2.0 and remains compatible with any accessories you already have that use pogo pin connectors. The HTC Vive Tracker 3.0 is available starting today in both the US and Europe for $129/€139 both on the Vive's own website, Amazon and other participating retailers. We are waiting for information from the Russian counters.
At the same time, HTC is also launching a new Vive Facial tracker that "smoothly tracks 38 facial movements across the lips, jaw, teeth, tongue, chin, and cheeks." The idea is to allow people in virtual reality to project their own avatar with an exact version of their face tracked in real time. The system uses an IR illuminator connected to two cameras that track (presumably similar to how FaceID works) the movement of your mouth.
The company says it's not only a new tool for gamers and developers, but also a way to "push" future storytelling techniques. It can also be useful for corporate users who need to track facial feedback during product testing as well as in medical situations. Plus, it can offer cheap and fun motion capture for filmmakers who can't afford to shell out for more expensive and complex methods. And that, too, can be purchased from today on the HTC website.