What you need to know
- HTC unveiled the Vive Wrist Tracker for its Vive Focus 3 standalone virtual reality headset at CES 2022.
- The new accessory can track hands, is much lighter than the Vive Focus 3 controller, and will be available for $129 in early 2022.
- HTC is also working with Lumen Technologies for private 5G and edge computing on the Vive Focus 3, and with XRHealth and MyndVR for therapeutic applications for the Vive Flow smart glasses.
HTC announced new accessories and features coming for its Vive Focus 3 at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 today. The first new product is the Vive Wrist Tracker to be used with the standalone VR headset.
The Vive Wrist Tracker works similar to the Vive Focus 3 controller, but can provide more accurate tracking from the fingertips to the elbow while out of view of the headset's sensors. The company said it can used for activities where hands would frequently not be in front of the headset such as yoga, training scenarios, or location based gaming.
It is 85% smaller and 50% lighter at 63 grams than the controller with a detachable strap that can be cleaned or replaced. It also features one button pairing to sync wirelessly with the Vive Focus 3 and the USB-C charged battery supports up to four hours of constant use. The Vive Wrist Tracker will be launching first in the United States sometime in early 2022 for $129.
The Vive Focus 3 will also receive two new accessories with an advanced charging case and a charger for multiple batteries. The Vive Focus 3 Charging Case features a rigid shell design where users can easily stack multiple cases on top on one another and an auto-pairing feature that syncs a headset and controllers while plugged into the case. Meanwhile, the Vive Focus 3 Multi Battery Charger will support charging up to four Vive Focus 3 batteries simultaneously, since the all-in-one headset includes a swappable battery.
HTC announced that it had partnered with Lumen Technologies and launched a new application that provides a "portable, private 5G experience" for the Vive Focus 3. The app offers data rendering that can be done wirelessly through the cloud via Lumen's platform instead of wired to a computer or done on the headset itself.
The company is also working with extended reality and therapeutic application leader XRHealth on new virtual treatment rooms that include "physical therapy, occupational therapy, and pain management," and with MyndVR, a developer of VR solutions for older adults, on the MyndVR Originals therapy app that can help improve moods and reduce isolation. The app will be coming to the Vive Flow in early 2022.
