Enterprise-focused VR hardware maker Manus is today announcing a new take on the SteamVR Tracker.
The company’s new professional-grade Tracker launches pre-orders today. According to the company, the device features more sensors for accurate SteamVR tracking, as well as an interchangeable battery that apparently offers four and a half hours of use on a full charge. Check out a first look at them in the trailer below.
New SteamVR Tracker Revealed
Previously the only other company to make a Tracker peripheral for SteamVR was HTC. The puck-shaped device is tracked by Valve’s base stations just as headsets like the Index and Vive and their respective controllers are. These pucks can be attached to real-world objects and developers can mirror them in VR. You might, for example, use a replica gun in a VR shooter or a racket in a tennis game for added immersion.
Manus itself previously used the Trackers for hand-tracking on its pair of professional-grade gloves. In June of last year, the company launched Polygon, a platform that combined a number of technologies — including the Trackers — for a full-body VR tracking solution. Manus says its new solution is 44% lighter than HTC’s offering, coming in at 62 grams.
Manus hasn’t revealed a price for the new Trackers, but given that it’s intended for use by companies, it’s safe to say it probably won’t be cheap for consumers. SteamVR Trackers, by and large, haven’t been embraced by many games and entertainment apps considering the extra clutter and price they add to already-messy and expensive PC VR setups, but make great sense for enterprise use.
What do you make of the new SteamVR Tracker? Let us know in the comments below!
