XR headset manufacturer HTC VIVE has debuted its VIVE Ultimate Tracker, which will offer users multiple vantage points for body tracking, Shen Ye, Global Head of Product, HTC VIVE announced in a blog post on Wednesday.
HTC VIVE’s Ultimate Trackers will offer next-generational motion-capturing (mocap) technologies for avatars and real-time 3D (RT3D) content development.
The new tracking technologies will not require base stations to operate, allowing people to receive full-body tracking with minimum gear and multiple points of reference. Each set of up to five Ultimate Trackers will also provide users six degrees of freedom (6DoF) at the same time.
It also features a 94-gramme form factor, a battery life of up to seven hours, and a connectivity range of up to 10 metres of operating distance.
Additional specs include proprietary, low-latency 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi as well as 6DoF ‘inside-out’ tracking.
Ultimate Trackers offer completely different form factors compared to the VIVE Tracker 3.0 by featuring flat, lightweight frames. However, they also work synchronously with HTC VIVE’s XR Elite headset and VIVE Focus 3 for optimal interoperability.
Potential SteamVR-HTC VIVE Ultimate Tracker Integration
Furthermore, the new device may work independently with SteamVR, rather than with XR headsets, in the near future to further democratise the technology. HTC VIVE plans to debut a beta version of the Ultimate Tracker interface for SteamVR “in the coming weeks,” it said in a statement.
Doing so will open up the Ultimate Tracker for operations in industrial use cases, allowing both developers and professional manufacturers to leverage the technologies. This will eventually narrow competition with Meta’s Quest 3 mixed reality headset in a bid to attract VR game developers, instructors, and creatives.
Users can also attach the trackers to numerous accessories like equipment, providing a host of new training scenarios like dancing, sports, and others. The device can specifically enhance training skills linked to foot tracking, namely for football players.
Building on the successes of the HTC VIVE Tracker 3.0, the unit will have a price tag of $199 USD per unit. The company will also offer an additional three-pack bundle with a wireless dongle and other tools at $599.
Comments on HTC VIVE Ultimate Trackers
Several firms working in real-time 3D (RT3D) content creation are leveraging the nascent technology and offering their feedback.
Jesse Joudrey, Chief Technology Officer, VRChat, said in a statement,
“The VIVE Ultimate Tracker is a fantastic solution for those seeking an extremely flexible and standalone layer of full-body tracking in social VR. With the Ultimate Tracker, HTC Vive has developed a way to bring a new immersive world to so many people”
VRChat has long been a supporter of HTC VIVE and Sony-based solutions and remains a major platform for spatial communications and VR social environments.
Dr Thomas Day, Head of Innovation, Rezzil, added that recent work on his company’s PCVR app Rezzil Index revealed the VIVE Ultimate Tracker’s ease of use.
Rezzil Index is a football training and rehabilitation software used by Professional and Grassroots sports schools, academics, and football teams, among others.
Dr Day explained,
“We’ve used the last few generations of VIVE trackers with some of the biggest football clubs around the world, but these have been PCVR based so a lot of kit to carry around. With these new Trackers it means we can take a VIVE XR Elite and the VIVE Ultimate Trackers in a tiny carry case which now makes it easy to transport to football clubs, academies and schools. This has reduced set up time drastically
He concluded: “Because these trackers run on OpenXR we’ve not even had to do any custom development to get them working, they just work as any other tracker on any other platform.”
Adam Dickinson, Director, Rezzil, continued: “From elite athletes to casual gamers, it’s extremely versatile and easy to set up anywhere.”
Seeing your feet in VR is cool, but it’s even cooler to USE them! I made several penguin foot mechanics in this experiment, using @htcvive‘s newly released, self-tracking VIVE Ultimate Trackers. Check it out! #VR #gamedev #madewithunity pic.twitter.com/ycBTR7dKOM
— Zi — majormcdoom.bsky.social (@MajorMcDoom) November 29, 2023
Zi, an Independent XR Creative and Former Owlchemy Labs Developer, explained how the device’s feet-tracking technologies were instrumental to his VR experiments in Unity.
He explained: “Seeing your feet in VR is cool, but it’s even cooler to USE them! I made several penguin foot mechanics in this experiment, using @htcvive’s newly released, self-tracking VIVE Ultimate Trackers.”
Furthermore, JJFX, Founder, International Dance Association, commented on the XR motion-capturing solution.
JJ founded the International Dance Association, which is the world’s first VR-based dance community. Its members consist of real-life dancers and teachers with diverse dancing styles and cultures.
I got to get early access to the @htcvive ultimate tracker & I have to say I’m IMPRESSED! The fact that it’s fullbody tracking ANYWHERE is awesome but it could also keep up with quick movements & some breakdancing too! Now you can play #VR FBT games anywhere in your house! pic.twitter.com/6uzw5BYlGP
— JJ VR (jjfx IN JAPAN) (@JJFX_MULTIMEDIA) November 29, 2023
He said in a statement on Twitter,
“I got to get early access to the @htcvive ultimate tracker & I have to say I’m IMPRESSED! The fact that it’s [full-body] tracking ANYWHERE is awesome but it could also keep up with quick movements & some breakdancing too!”
HTC VIVE FOTA 6.0 Update
News of HTC VIVE’s Ultimate Trackers comes amid a major update to HTC’s mixed reality platform.
Named FOTA 6.0, HTC VIVE has made a host of improvements to its platform. For example, the firm added rulers to its mixed-reality room setup where users can precisely measure objects in XR spaces.
Also, developers can toggle beta features on and off without registering their emails or moving between multiple versions of its system software.
A new beta feature of the platform will offer direct hand manipulation, where users can “tap and scroll in the system [user interface] like it’s a touch interface.”
People with devices registered with VIVE Business and Warranty Services can also toggle seamlessly between the VIVEPORT Store and VIVE Business AppStore.
Finally, HTC’s VIVE XR Elite’s base-level functionality now features the latest Android security patch level.
Regarding user interface improvements, HTC VIVE has upgraded pass-through to turn on after resuming the headset from standby. This will allow users to check their surroundings before joining immersive spaces. Users can also turn on and off hand tracking right from the VIVE menu for added usability.
Additional enhancements include faster and more reliable access to the headset’s QR code scanner. Also, HTC VIVE has removed limitations on data transfer speeds for connected USB accessories, and users can power off headsets while in standby mode by holding the headset button.
Finally, the company will back developers on its software platform with persistent anchoring. Persistent anchoring allows developers to resolve anchors up to 365 days after they are hosted on the platform.
Developers can also adjust their OpenXR app display frame rate from 75 to 90 frames per second.
