HTC reduces its VR Tracker, debuts with new face tracking accessories

HTC today unveils its third-generation Vive Tracker, which is significantly smaller in size and weight than its immediate predecessor. The Vive Tracker 3.0 is about 33 percent smaller than the 2018 model, and 15 percent lighter, with a footprint of about 10 inches or four inches smaller. This decrease in quality of life size reduces the fact that the device can be attached to your body much more easily, or an accessory, something that is very burdensome on the bulky older models. Oh, and it now uses USB-C.

Despite the smaller body, the company says the device will last up to 75 percent longer on a single charge, pushing the quoted battery life to nearly seven hours. HTC pointed out that the smaller track cutters would make it easier to attach them to wrists and ankles for tracking the entire body in VR. Compared to testing the larger version in Rezzil Player 21 a few weeks back the improvement is significant. But HTC has said that there is no compromise in detecting the precision compared to its older siblings.

There should be no complaints about backward compatibility between the new trackers and the older hardware. The company says that it will be able to easily integrate with SteamVR 1.0 and 2.0, and that it will remain compatible with all accessories that you already own and that use the pogo pen connections. The HTC Vive Tracker 3.0 is available from today in both the US and Europe, at $ 129 / € 139, both from Vive’s own website, as well as Amazon and other participating retailers.

At the same time, HTC is also launching the new Vive Facial tracker, which ‘seamlessly follows facial movements across the lips, jaw, teeth, tongue, chin and cheeks’. The idea is to enable people in VR to project their own avatar with an accurate rendering of their own face, which is tracked in real time. The system uses an IR illumination connected to two cameras that monitor the movement of your mouth (presumably similar to how FaceID works).

The company says it’s both a new tool for gamers and developers, but also a way to build ‘momentum’ for future methods of storytelling. It can also come in handy for business users who need to monitor facial feedback during product testing, as well as in medical situations. In addition, it may provide cheap and cheerful motion recording for filmmakers who cannot afford to use more expensive, more comprehensive methods. And it’s also available today on the HTC website.