Are Vive XR Elite trackers worth it?
Maybe, but they are expensive
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With the release of the Vive XR Elite on the horizon, we’re trying to sniff out as much info as we can find about the new headset, and we’ve seen a few people asking if the Vive XR Elite trackers are worth it.
HTC Vive XR Elite VR headset
Chipset
Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2
Storage
128GB
RAM
12GB
Display resolution
1920 x 1920 per-eye
Battery Life
Up to 2 hours, comes with a hot-swappable 26.6Wh Battery
Weight
1.37lbs/0.62kg
A good question, if we’re honest, as the HTVC Vive line-up of VR headsets is so broad that it’s easy to get confused about which features what headset has and what accessories each one needs.
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We feel the need to reiterate that the Vive XR Elite is standalone, meaning that you don’t need any additionals to make it work. That being said, the Vive XR Elite is compatible with some of the accessories of the previous Vive VR headsets.
This includes the subject of this page, the trackers. This are small wrist-mounted modules that enhance the accuracy of the hand tracking. So, Are the Vive XR Elite hand trackers worth it? Or are they a superfluous extra not worth the cash? Let’s take an closer look.
Are the Vive XR Elite trackers worth it? No, probably not
The main issue here is that the Vive XR Elite is a standalone VR headset, so the whole point is that it’s all you need. While we don’t disagree with the idea of offering accessories, we do disagree with the idea of the accessories in question being necessities. This is because it’s at odds with the entire concept of an ‘accessory’.
Semantics aside, another issue with the Vive XR Elite trackers is the cost. At $129 a piece, the price is pretty hard to swallow.
Additionally, the official Vive website is particularly scarce when it comes to details about the trackers, however, it can be safely be said that they work in a similar way and offer almost identical functionality to the Vive Wrist trackers of old.
Of course, the main benefit of the hand trackers is that they’re self tracking, resulting in more reliable positional data being sent when the Vive XR Elite controllers are outside the field of view of the camera. This forms the main drawback of inside-out tracking.
So, are the Vive XR Elite trackers worth it? Probably not, however if you find the inaccurate position of the controllers particularly annoying, it might be worth the investment.
