The Vive Tracker is now available to consumers for the first time and it’s coming to market at a price of $99, and along with the initial offering of the consumer release on this product for HTC Vive headset owners HTC’s Vive team is also launching a handful of new bundles to go along with it, making it possible to enhance the VR experience. For those unfamiliar with the Vive Tracker, it’s a piece of hardware which allows the user to augment their VR experience by attaching the tracker to other hardware for motion tracking. So, for example, you could attach the Vive Tracker to a toy gun and use it for the gun in a video game, though the applications for how to use the Vive Tracker are able to extend beyond just this particular use case.
In addition to launching the Vive Tracker, there are also a few other accessories which can be used with the tracker to improve the experience, keeping in mind that each accessory will be catered to a specific consumer based on what the accessory supports when it comes the actual activity. The first accessory is called the Hyper Blaster, which is a light gun to be used with shooting games and it comes with a retro-inspired design. Also worth mentioning is that the Hyper Blaster comes with the first game to start, called Duck Season, and the total cost of the bundle is $149 which comes with the blaster, the game, and the Vive Tracker.
The second accessory bundle is called the Racket Sports Set, which comes with the Vive Tracker as well, and includes a set of handles made to feel like paddles and rackets for games like Tennis and Ping Pong. They’re custom-molded and weighted to make things feel more realistic, and the package comes with handles of both the types mentioned above. The bundle also comes with a digital download code for the game called Virtual Tennis. This bundle will also cost $149.99. The last accessory is called the Track Strap, which was designed to allow for strapping the Vive Tracker to your hands and feet for tracking and movement of the body part you strap it to within the virtual experiences. This doesn’t come in a bundle but instead is sold as a standalone item for $24.99, and comes packaged with a download code for a dancing rhythm game called Redfoot Bluefoot on Steam. The Track Strap, the Vive Tracker, and both Vive Tracker bundles are all available as of today, though it’s worth mentioning that only the Track Strap has officially launched today, with the other two bundles only being available for pre-order and coming along with a ship date of sometime in the middle of December.