HTC extended its VR/XR line-up with the Vive Ultimate Tracker, a motion-tracking device designed to support diverse use cases. 

In a blog, the company’s VR specialist Vive noted the accessory sports its own sensors and cameras to enable full-body tracking and precise spatial positioning. 

It stated this eliminates the need for external set-ups such as base stations, which identifies the location of headsets and controllers during metaverse-related activities. 

HTC noted the “self-tracking” device is designed for its Vive XR Elite and Vive Focus 3 headsets using its wireless USB dongle, though there will also be compatibility with gaming platform Steam’s VR offering, with a beta version due to be made available “in the coming weeks”.

Vive Ultimate Tracker weighs 94 grams and employs a pair of wide field-of-view cameras to ascertain “its own location in 3D spaces” to deliver six degrees of freedom tracking. It employs a proprietary low-latency 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection along with a 5GHz option, with a coverage range of up to 10 metres.

Battery life is up to seven hours.

The company added the accessory can also be attached to objects, citing uses for industrial VR training “where there is a need to track a wide range of equipment and props”. 

Up to five trackers can be employed simultaneously, enabling “multi-point full-body tracking”. 

Vive Ultimate Tracker is priced $199, with the company offering a range of promotional offers in the US and UK until end-December.