Renowned crowdsourced repair guide site iFixit has finally taken apart the Oculus Rift CV1 (consumer version 1) and published a teardown of this virtual reality headset, showing that the VR headset packs beautiful innards and a good repairability score.
The breakdown shows that the Rift is fitted with a dustproof fabric and a stretchy black lycra that safeguard the insides of the headset. The fabric, covering a thin plastic frame, is also designed to protect the lenses of the device.
Rather than a smartphone display, Facebook subsidiary Oculus decided to equip the device with two adjustable displays that are mounted to the lenses.
Speaking of lenses, iFixit has uncovered that the Oculus Rift is shipped with a single set of asymmetric, nonremovable lenses rather than interchangeable circular lenses that were seen on previous Rifts.
These hybrid, odd-looking Fresnel lenses, according to iFixit, produce "large viewing angle and short focal length, but with a fraction of the material."
The iFixit team further explains that the lenses have an asymmetric shape to minimize spherical aberrations.
Repairability Score
The iFixit team thinks the CV1 is decently repairable. It has given the VR headset a repairability score of seven out of 10.
Here is why.
On the upside, iFixit believes the cable management on the CV1 is way enhanced from the development kits. It comes with a well-built connector for easy removal. It's easy to take out the earpiece speakers because of the spring connectors. The face pad is also held in with plastic clips that are easily pulled out.
On the downside, iFixit says getting inside is tricky as there exist hidden internal clips that protect the device's dust shield. I's also impossible to replace the CV1's head strap without having to cut through the fabric on it.
Moreover, it says the headset has an intricate design and webbed ribbon cables, making it complicated to remove the displays, lenses and motherboard. These ribbons, however, are properly labeled for easier reassembly.
You may want to check out the iFixit teardown review to have a better look at what's inside the premium VR headset.
