Teardown experts iFixit have disassembled the new Vive Pro to see what they could find. In addition to confirming that the headset’s new displays are made by Samsung, the organization also gave the headset a favorable repairability score.
IFixit, which provides repair manuals and tools for consumer electronics, is the king of teardowns, and their latest victim is newly released Vive Pro. Their Vive Pro teardown walkthrough details the disassembly process (you can catch a video summary heading this article).
At the outset, an actual X-ray of the headset from Creative Electron shows the inner workings in detail, including every screw in the headset.
After removing the shell in Step 6, you can see the intricate ribbon cable which winds its way under the faceplate and connects to the headset’s 32 IR tracking sensors. Each sensor hides underneath one of the circular divots seen on the outside of the headset, which filter out non-infrared light, making it easier for the sensors to pick out the infrared light coming from the base station tracking beacons.
In Step 12 iFixit pulls out the optics assembly and removes the display from the lens housing to find a pair of 1,440 × 1,600 Samsung AMS350MU04 AMOLED displays, which is believed to be the same used in Samsung’s Odyssey VR headset.
Having disassembled the entire headset, iFixit gives the Vive Pro an 8 out of 10 when it comes to repairability, citing the following:
Disassembly with standard tools is straightforward, nondestructive, and free of booby-traps.
Adhesive is used very sparingly, securing the lenses, microphone, and sensor arrays.
This is an unusually complex device with a lot of delicate bits, and the manufacturer does not provide a service manual—so use extra caution if attempting a repair.
In addition to other popular headsets, iFixit also tore down the original Vive (including controllers and base stations), which also saw an 8 out of 10 repairability rating.
