After almost a year of the official launch of the Vive, an accessory arrives that significantly improves the ergonomics of the device, along with a tracker designed for use with external peripherals.
One of the weakest aspects of the commercial version of HTC Vive is undoubtedly the ergonomics. From the first moment it has become clear that it resembles more the systems that we have seen in the development kits, both Oculus and HTC itself, than a finished product, being PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift two good examples of a more advanced and comfortable fastening system. Well, HTC has decided to put an end to this situation with the launch of a new fastening system with integrated headphones, whose appearance is tremendously similar to that of the commercial version of the Rift and gives the whole a much more “finished” look.
As can be seen in the image, it includes a rotating disc on the back that allows us to make a better adjustment once we have the helmet placed on the head. The headphones include a system that allows them to go up and down in a similar way to the Rift, and if we add the new 3-in-1 cable to the set, the result is noticeably superior to the HTC Vive as is. The release of this Deluxe Audio Strap will occur in the second quarter of the year, and the price will be announced when the date approaches.
On the other hand, the Vive Tracker is an accessory that allows us to add positioning to any object to which we can hook it, such as a racket, a weapon or even a Guitar Hero-type guitar. The Tracker contains the same sensors as the Vive itself and motion controllers, so it will receive the signal from the Lighthouse emitters and transmit to the helmet its position in space. Like the fastening tape, the Tracker will be available in the second quarter of the year.
