Sony Mocopi now works on PC via a partnership with SlimeVR.
What Is Sony Mocopi?
Mocopi is a $450 streamlined body tracking kit for PC VR that launched in Japan in late 2022 and came to the US last year. The kit includes 6 trackers.
Each tracker features an inertial measurement unit (IMU) containing a tiny accelerometer and gyroscope. The data is fed into a skeletal model to produce a plausible (but imperfect) full-body pose estimate based on the relative rotations & forces of each tracker. IMU-based systems require per-user calibration, are subject to drifting, and don’t give the same quality as true positional tracking systems like SteamVR “Lighthouse”. The advantage, however, is that they don’t require base stations and can be very compact.
The trackers communicate via Bluetooth to the required Mocopi smartphone app. The app previously only supported forwarding the data to VRChat on Meta Quest, but that just changed.
It Now Works On PC
Sony has released a new software update to let it work on PC via a partnership with SlimeVR.
SlimeVR makes its own IMU trackers, and has a PC application for communicating with and managing them. The Mocopi phone app can now forward the Mocopi tracker data to the SlimeVR PC application, which then forwards it on to VRChat.
Cheaper Than Vive Trackers
Sony Mocopi could find its place in the market as a cheaper alternative to HTC for VR users who don’t already own SteamVR Tracking base stations.
A three pack of Vive Ultimate Trackers with straps or traditional Vive Trackers with straps and base stations will cost you $650, and you need to charge each individually.
Mocopi is priced at $450, and has a convenient simultaneous charging case. But again, keep in mind that Vive Trackers offer true 6DoF tracking for a more accurate result.
