Vive Tracker Dev Kit Begins Shipping, Still Accepting Applications

One of our favorite VR hardware reveals at CES, has begun shipping out to developers.

HTC unveiled their Vive Tracker at CES earlier this year, opening up an entirely new world for developers to create immersive experiences with additional tracking capabilities. The motion tracking hardware device, that can fit in the palm of your hand, can be attached to a range of accessories and peripherals, like a baseball bat or rifle, bringing real world objects into the virtual.

The reveal was an exciting evolution of the Vive platform and from the early Vive Tracker demos we saw on display at CES, our minds raced with ideas on how this device could enable a large accessory ecosystem for new VR experiences and interactions.

At the time, HTC began accepting requests for Vive trackers from developers and hardware designers, announcing that they would be distributing 1,000 free units. But according to the company’s latest announcement, HTC may have underestimated demand, revealing they have received over 2,300 applications for the initial allotment of Vive trackers.

“We are already seeing fresh thinking for VIVE Tracker and we couldn’t be more excited by the breadth and depth of the applications we’ve received,” said Daniel O’Brien, GM, US and EMEA, HTC VIVE. “For us, the tracker represents an important investment in the VR community to grow the future of VR without limits on experimentation.”

Speaking with an HTC representative, we were told that there are currently no plans to increase the number of dev kit trackers, which will be distributed globally, but we are sure to hear more about pricing and availability of the devices soon.

As an initial allotment of Trackers began shipping to developers late last week, their is still hope to get your ideas into the hat. The Vive team will continue to keep applications open, even with the high volume they have already received. You can apply here.