Missing device properties for Vive trackers.

[matzman666]

Since the latest updates the vive trackers are missing the device properties _Prop_Axis0TypeInt32 and _Prop_Axis1TypeInt32. Before these device properties were reported by the vive trackers and had the same value as the vive controllers.

[JoeLudwig]

Vive trackers don't actually have any analog axes. The fact that they pretended they did was a bug.

Is this causing a problem for you somehow? Maybe we can provide a workaround?

[matzman666]

According to the Vive Tracker Development Guidelines (p. 25) they do. The USB messsages you can send to the tracker have data fields for a trackpad and a trigger. You can build controllers using a Vive tracker that are functionally equivalent to a normal Vive controller. My DIY controller has a working joystick and an analog trigger.

The vive tracker not having the analog axis properties poses a problem in the OpenVR Input Emulator configuration dashboard overlay. I query these properties to only show configuration entries for inputs actually present on the device. I could hard-code this according to the device manufacturer, but I would prefer having a generic solution that queries the device properties.

[dariol]

fyi, here are the latest guidelines: https://dl.vive.com/Tracker/Guideline/HTC_Vive_Tracker(2018)_Developer+Guidelines_v1.0.pdf

[JoeLudwig]

The axis type properties are hard-coded for a handful of controllers to enable legacy access. They aren't part of the new input system at all. The Lighthouse and Oculus drivers don't set them anymore.

It sounds like they're actually wrong for your DIY controller too. Did the property used to return trackpad or joystick in that case?

I've been trying to reach you to have a deeper conversation about OpenVR Input Emulator. Can you email me at joe@valvesoftware.com so we can figure out a time to jump on the phone and talk about this and other new-input related issues?

[matzman666]

fyi, here are the latest guidelines: https://dl.vive.com/Tracker/Guideline/HTC_Vive_Tracker(2018)_Developer+Guidelines_v1.0.pdf

Is that the manual for the new 2.0 version of the tracker? WTF? So the rumors I have heard are true. HTC completely removed the option to communicate via USB with the tracker. So, no analog axis and no way to configure the low pass filter. That's a massive downgrade.

The manual I linked above should still be the latest for the 1.0 version of the tracker. It still stickied in the Developer Discussion section of the HTC community forum.

The axis type properties are hard-coded for a handful of controllers to enable legacy access. [...] It sounds like they're actually wrong for your DIY controller too.

All 1.0 trackers should have analog axes. It's a feature that was also advertised by HTC in their community forum. It's only the 2.0 version of the tracker that apparently has this feature cut.

Did the property used to return trackpad or joystick in that case?

It returned trackpad. The input related properties were all identical to the values reported by the vive controller.

Can you email me at joe@valvesoftware.com

I'll shoot you a mail.

[mmorselli]

That's why I prefer to use analog thumbsticks via 2.4Ghz in my VR gun projects (where your input emulator is a core part - happy to see you again on the scene @matzman666 )

[walrus]

For what it's worth, an HTC staff member said on the Viveport Forums that they're working on a firmware revision that will reenable USB features. However, given that it took them four months after people started complaining about their being missing, and that the timeframe for this revision is 'within a few months' I wouldn't hold your breath.

[PeterSHollander]

Hey - Just hopping in as I'm diving back into reintegrating the Vive Tracker into our hardware as well. When retesting our hardware in Unity, my previously functional control of the analogue axes and trigger is now silent; I'm assuming this stems from the same issue?

We heavily rely on the Tracker's ability to transmit custom analogue data (as described in their earlier documentation), as that was the primary driving feature that allows us to utilize HTC's product in our application. Removing touchpad filtering on the Tracker for this custom data use-case was something we corresponded over (and subsequently updated SteamVR with) after my last visit to Valve @JoeLudwig.

I'm just checking in to hear what the status might be of this situation? Hoping to have access to the custom analogue data again soon so we can get on with development. Cheers.

[mellott124]

This makes a lot of sense now and why I've been troubleshooting for weeks why my Vive tracker inputs over USB no longer work. This breaks the 1.0 trackers. 2018 tracker support for USB is about to roll out as well and some people have preliminary releases. I'm one of those but can't get my USB messages through due to the limitations listed above by others.

Please re-enable these features. This is severely crippling Vive tracker use for custom peripherals.

[mellott124]

Please update!!!!! USB support for Vive tracker pucks is out. Right now to get the analog inputs you have to modify a json so the tracker appears as a controller. Then analog inputs appear. This is fine for developers but not end users.