HTC VIVE DEBUTS NEW HARDWARE PRODUCTS TO GROW VIRTUAL REALITY ECOSYSTEM

VIVE TRACKER AND VIVE DELUXE AUDIO STRAP BRING NEW CONTENT AND PERIPHERAL OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOPERS, RETAILERS AND VR CUSTOMERS 
VIVE  EXPECTS COMMERCIAL WIRELESS VR ADAPTORS TO SHIP IN 2017

Las Vegas, Nev. – January 4, 2017–HTC VIVE™, the leader in room-scale Virtual Reality (VR), today debuted two premium accessories that will be available to consumers later this year, the Vive Tracker™ and Vive Deluxe Audio Strap™. The Vive Tracker will open new options for developers to make VR even more immersive with additional tracking capabilities and new peripherals. The Vive Deluxe Audio Strap is designed for a more comfortable and convenient VR experience, with integrated earphones and a sizing dial for a quick adjustment of the headstrap. In addition, the new headstrap routes the 3-in-1 cable in a cleaner and more comfortable way.

Vive Tracker

The Vive Tracker enables motion tracking for entirely new form factors to be trackable within the VR world, and is the foundation for building a new accessories ecosystem for  Vive. At CES,  Vive  demonstrated 8 Vive Tracker integrations that showcase the future of VR applications. Most important, the Vive Tracker will integrate with any number of future VR accessories via a simple connection, ensuring developers and consumers will have a single accessory to unlock thousands of new experiences. To foster development of new VR accessories, Vive will give away up to 1,000 Trackers to developers. Application information will be released at a later date.

  “To foster the long-term growth of VR, we want to make it even easier for developers to prototype and market more immersive controllers and accessories,” said Daniel O’Brien, GM, US and EMEA, Vive. “The Vive Tracker is the first step in growing an ecosystem of third-party accessories that will change how we interact with virtual experiences and provide consumers and businesses with an unlimited amount of content opportunities.” 

The Tracker weighs just under three ounces (85g) and is 99.65mm (Diameter) x 42.27mm (Height). The product will ship in Q2 with pricing announced at a later date.
 
“We were able to integrate the Vive Tracker into our fire fighting simulator within four hours,” said Dr James Mullins from Deakin University, Australia, creator of FLAIM trainer. “For us, the Vive Tracker eliminates both hard material costs to integrate tracking sensors, but also saves critical development time. Now, we can bring products with full motion control much more quickly to market." 

  At CES, Vive showcased a variety of Tracker-enabled accessories, including the first VR camera, multiple rifles built for VR shooters, haptic gloves for VR, and even training applications for Major League Baseball players and professional firefighters.

Vive Deluxe Audio Strap

The Vive Deluxe Audio Strap is designed with adjustable headphones, allowing you to enjoy 360-degree VR audio with even more comfort and convenience. The headstrap features integrated headphones and a new customizable sizing dial for quickly adjusting the fit of the headstrap, ensuring a tighter and more comfortable fit.

“We’ve continuously improved the core Vive experience, making it more comfortable and easier to use,” said O’Brien. “The Deluxe Audio Strap evolves this mission further, offering a seamless audio solution that also fits more comfortably for Vive users.” 

  The Deluxe Audio Strap will ship to retailers in Q2, and will be available to order on Vive.com. Pricing will be announced at a later date.

Wireless and VR

Vive also announced that it expects commercial wireless VR adaptors to ship in 2017.

“Our approach to wireless and VR is the same approach that we’ve taken with the Vive – wireless will be open-standard and we look forward to supporting any company that can demonstrate a low-latency solution to wireless VR,” said O’Brien. “We are confident that wireless VR will be a significant contributor to the Vive ecosystem in 2017."

Vive showcased TPCast, which was incubated through the Vive X accelerator program. It includes a one and a half hour battery, and latency as low as 2ms. TPCast will be shipping in the second quarter of 2017 and will retail for $249 USD. A five-hour XL battery will be available at a later date.

"We're very happy to work closely with VIVE to create a tether-less upgrade kit for the Vive as part of the Vive X program.  Wireless VR enabled by TPCast technology will provide a new level of freedom and open up even more immersive experiences to Vive users world wide," said Michael Liu, CEO TPCast.

For more information, visit http://tpcast.cn/h_en/index.html.

About HTC
HTC Corporation aims to bring brilliance to life. As a global innovator in smart mobile and virtual reality devices and technology, HTC has produced award-winning products and industry firsts since its inception in 1997, including the critically acclaimed HTC One and HTC Desire lines of smartphones, and is now leading the VR industry with the VIVE line of products. The pursuit of brilliance is at the heart of everything we do, inspiring best-in-class design and game-changing mobile and virtual reality experiences for consumers around the world. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). For more information, visit www.htc.com.

About HTC VIVE™
VIVE is a first-of-its-kind virtual reality platform developed by HTC and Valve for total immersion in virtual worlds. Designed from the ground up for room-scale VR and true-to-life interactions, VIVE delivers on the promise of VR with game-changing technology and best-in-class content. VIVE has been recognized with over 65 awards and wide critical acclaim since its unveiling in 2015. For more information, visit www.vive.com.