Htc vive could drop in price thanks to new steam vr tracking

Steam VR Tracking / Lighthouse technology uses small devices capable of projecting lasers that determine the position of the HTC Vive viewfinder and accessories equipped with a Vive Tracker device. The new version that is being developed right now will use a simpler and quieter design equipped with a single rotor instead of two, reducing its complexity, costs and also its price.

Valve works on new Steam VR Tracking for HTC Vive

During a Valve question and answer session on Reddit, Joe Ludwig, who has been closely involved in the virtual reality efforts for the company, confirmed the development of a manufacturing line for the new Steam VR Tracking base stations and that they "would start to appear during this year ” .

The Steam VR Tracking / Lighthouse base stations shipped with the HTC Vive glasses today have two rotors that are used to sweep the space with vertical and horizontal in-line lasers. These lasers are detected by the HTC Vive's sensors and are used to determine their location in space.

It goes from a dual rotor to a single rotor

The main difference in the new base stations is the move from a dual rotor to a single rotor design. Instead of using two lasers vertically and horizontally, the new base stations will use a single rotor that will make two diagonal sweeps tilted in opposite directions (as seen in the images).

The use of this new technology could lower the costs of the HTC Vive, which today is costing about $ 799.