Hover Camera, a foldable drone, follows you automatically, with 13MP camera for 4K video, ships in summer for less than $600
Aaron Tilley / Forbes :
Context & Ripple Effects
Subject-tracking flight used to be sold as an add-on: Perceptiv's SHIFT accessory cost $600 on its own just to track and frame subjects on an existing drone. Hover Camera folds that capability into the airframe itself at the same total price point.
The timing also sets up a direct collision with GoPro's foldable Karma quadcopter, announced months later at $799, while DJI's same-week Matrice 600 launch shows the market splitting between expensive pro rigs and cheap autonomous followers.
First-order effects
- GoPro's $799 Karma faces a foldable rival priced more than $200 lower with automatic following built in rather than bolted on.
- Buyers no longer need a separate tracking product like Perceptiv's SHIFT — follow-me flight moves from aftermarket accessory to included feature.
Second-order effects
- Drone makers competing above $600 are pushed to bundle autonomy into their base models instead of reserving it for flagship rigs.
- Aftermarket tracking accessories lose their niche as the camera-and-follow stack gets integrated by the drone manufacturers themselves.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, subject-tracking autonomy becomes table stakes across consumer drones — which is roughly where things land years later with Skydio's $999 Skydio 2 and DJI's Mini 4 Pro with ActiveTrack 360, leaving price and obstacle avoidance as the remaining differentiators.
The trend: Autonomous subject-tracking is migrating from bolt-on accessories and pro-tier rigs into every price tier of the consumer drone market, with sub-$600 foldables as the entry point.