HTC VIVE™, recognized by the industry as the leading
Virtual Reality (VR) product, expanded its VR ecosystem by announcing pricing
and availability dates for the Vive Tracker and Vive Deluxe Audio Strap. The Vive Tracker, built to empower developers
and accessory makers to make VR even more immersive, will be available on March
27 for developer purchase through Vive.com. The Vive Deluxe Audio Strap is also
said to go on sale for pre-order on May 2, with expected delivery in June. Both
products will be available for a suggested retail price of $99.99.
"We see an incredibly strong future for VR, and
have created an entire ecosystem around Vive. The Vive ecosystem is evolving,
adaptable and will continue to grow to drive the industry forward," said
Daniel O'Brien, GM VR, US, HTC Vive. "The Vive Tracker is a key piece of
that strategy and when paired with Vive technology and programs such as
Viveport and Vive X, represents a significant opportunity for us and our
partners to make the Vive ecosystem synonymous with the growth of
VR."
Vive will further expand the industry's leading VR
ecosystem by allowing developers to bring real-world objects into VR and
dramatically expand the capabilities to create even more amazing VR experiences.
Vive has already received over 2,300 applications for the first 1,000 Vive
Trackers. Applications crossed a wide spectrum of non-gaming applications of VR
areas such as Education, Enterprise, Training, Health and Wellness and more. In
fact, nearly 60% of applications were non-gaming or non-entertainment content.
"Building an object that can be tracked
alongside the Vive can be complex," said Joe Ludwig of Valve. "But
the Vive tracker makes tracking objects in VR so simple that anyone can do it.
We're thrilled that HTC has developed this product and we're looking forward to
seeing what people build."
But in a new twist in the virtual reality market, Valve
has announced that South Korean electronics corporation LG will be producing a
new VR headset for the SteamVR tracking system. A prototype of the head-mounted
display will be shown at GDC this week, where LG will take feedback from
developers before it settles on the design of commercial units.
"The LG HMD prototype is designed to deliver a
high fidelity, next generation VR experience," reads Valve's press
release. Back when the HTC Vive was announced, it appeared weird that and a
little curious that the software and tracking technology were called SteamVR
but the headset itself was branded HTC. But Valve's intentions soon became
clear: to build tracking technology that other hardware companies can take
advantage of, not to sell a single package like the Oculus Rift.
Pricing and other details will be announced at
"a later date." Given that the headset is still in the prototype
stage, so it could be a year or more off. Still, it's exciting that an HTC Vive
and Oculus Rift competitor is emerging so soon.
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