HTC's New Vive Wrist Tracker Makes VR More Immersive

HTC is ready to expand the arsenal of add-ons available for its Vive Focus 3, starting with the new Vive Wrist Tracker. Built specifically to work with the Vive Focus 3's inside-out tracking, the Vive Wrist Tracker features one-button pairing for easier connectivity. HTC says that the tracker is also 85% smaller than the controller for the Vive Focus 3, and 50% lighter, too.

Part of what makes the Vive Wrist Tracker so cool, though, is that it isn't tied just to your wrist. You'll also be able to attach the tracker to other devices, like toy guns, wrenches, and whatever else you want to bring into the virtual world. It's a neat idea that should help you make your VR experiences even more immersive by giving you real-world components to interact with.

HTC also says that the Wrist Track will be capable of predicting movements when the headset can't see them. Additionally, even though it's situated on your wrist, it will be able to accurately track your arm's location, when you bend your elbow, and more.

On top of offering more immersive ways to bring objects into VR experiences, the HTC Wrist Tracker will also let you pull 3 degrees of freedom (DoF) devices into 6 DoF. With 3 DoF, the user can only interact with the object using joysticks or other interactive controls. With 6 DoF, though, the user can interact directly with the object and it can be tracked in the 3D environments.

With the Wrist Tracker, HTC will allow users to track small objects like a ping pong paddle or wrench with greater precision. This allows for greater immersion within certain environments. Unfortunately, you'll need an optional add-on to attach the tracker to those devices, but HTC says it will release a 3D CAD for people that want to build their own docks or harnesses for the tracker. The Vive Wrist Track is set to launch in early 2022 and will retail for $129.