SteamVR tracking technology is now available to hardware makers, royalty-free, Valve announced. The decision will see HTC, Valve, and Synapse all working with hardware manufacturers to offer software and technical support to develop accessories HTC and Valve themselves might not have thought of. Full details of the program, as well as a guide to enrolling, can be found over on Valve’s SteamVR Tracking hub.
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What this means for you is that more VR headsets will soon be able to accurately track you using the Vive’s base stations.
Up to 32 sensors can be put on a single object, and they wirelessly communicate with the third part, the host.
“It’s critical to the future of the Virtual Reality Ecosystem to open up the tracking technology to support the growth of a healthy portfolio of products that work together with HTC VIVE”, said Raymond Pao, HTC VR vice president.
The kit is free for developers, but in order to participate in the program, each company must send at least one person to a $3,000 training course held in Seattle.
Those who would like to license SteamVR will receive a hardware development kit that includes a reference tracked device, sensors, and software tools that will assist in designing and building new VR devices and peripherals. With more devices compatible with SteamVR, the community will become more valuable for both developers and customers, pushing the platform onward to more innovations where third-party companies can contribute.
For Vive owners, the news could mean title-specific controllers, like a steering wheel for racing games.
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According to the FAQ that Valve has uploaded, no licensing fees will be charged for companies looking to use the Vive VR system’s tracking technology, as the goal is to have the technology proliferate as widely as it could. “We are very confident that doing so will result in new and innovative experiences for all VR customers”. In the longer term, it could be used in any product that needs motion controls or motion capture options.
