HTC announced the Vive Deluxe Audio Strap during its CES’2017 conference, though skipped on the accessory’s price and availability. The mystery was kept then so as to be revealed today, at the MWC event. HTC has now confirmed that the Deluxe Audio Strap will sell for $99.99 and ship in June. You can pre-order the add-on at Vive’s official website as the service initiates on May 2nd.
Vive Deluxe Audio Strap is an exclusive headphone developed by HTC for the Vive VR headset. The strap routes through the headset’s cables to one side and provides on-ear headphones that swing into place. The strap also adjusts with a dial feature at the back of the VR system. This new attachment for the headset minimizes the inconvenience of wires and magnifies the Vive experience.
The wire for the strap is solid built and offers much more flexibility than the Vive’s regular 3.5mm headphone jack. The company also offered a free Deluxe Audio Strap upgrade to all buyers of $1,200 Vive ‘Business Edition’ headset.
Apart from the headphone solution, HTC unveiled more details on the Vive Tracker as well. This small attachment adds motion tracking to any third-party accessory and assists in creating VR peripherals. The round and three-handed accessory weighs 85 gms and lasts for 6 hours on a charge. The company also promised to distribute the 1,000 Vive Tracker units to developers to kickstart an ecosystem of peripherals and software.
But that’s all past, what’s new is that the device will be available for order for $99.99 (same as the deluxe strap) starting on March 27th through the official website. However, only developers who didn’t get in that initial batch (2,300 applications were received by HTC) are eligible for ordering. The product will go on sale the next year for the general populace. This will allow developers to chalk out some ideas before the product is widely available in the market.
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