While the general public will be able to pick up a Vive Tracker at a yet-undetermined point later this year, game developers and anyone creating Vive content will be able to get their hands on the accessory as early as March 27 for $99.
The Vive Tracker can either attach to normal objects like a baseball bat or golf club to allow those items to be tracked in a VR environment or can interact with specifically designed devices like prop rifles and haptic gloves for a more immersive virtual reality experience.
Either way, the small device opens up new ways for developers to diversify gameplay within their VR games without needing to design their own VR accessories.
Additionally, HTC announced a consumer-focused financing plan aimed at addressing the high pricetag attached to PC-centric VR. Going forward, new Vive purchasers will have the option to pay for a Vive headset through varying monthly payments rather than as one lump sum.
Currently, the payment plans break the cost of the $799 headset down into payments that range from $40 to $138 depending on length of the financing term.
Ultimately, obtaining both a Vive and a VR-ready PC is still a hefty investment, but breaking the significant one-time payment down into several, more digestible installments could make a Vive a more realistic purchase for many VR-curious players and help to grow the platform as a whole.