The HTC Vive VR headset started shipping at the beginning of April, with delivery dates being set toward the end of summer.
With the headset now out in the market, it's not surprising that a number of consumers are wondering what it is about the wearable that makes it a highly desired device among VR enthusiasts.
The mystery surrounding the VR headset was finally revealed at the latest teardown session by iFixit. As always, iFixit revealed every single step involved in the teardown and backed up its findings with relevant images.
At the first part of the report, iFixit first detailed the specs and features found in the HTC Vive VR headset. According to iFixit, the headset features a pair of 1,080p AMOLED displays that have a combined resolution of 2,160 x 1,200; a refresh rate of 90 Hz; a built-in camera; a microphone; sensors such as a laser position sensor, gyroscope and accelerometer; headset tracking of 360 degrees using Lighthouse IR emitters and horizontal field of view of 110 degrees.
Upon accomplishing the second step of the teardown, the team at iFixit managed to find more features in the HTC Vive VR headset. These include the standard 3.5 millimeter audio jack, a single HDMI port flanked by dual USB 3.0 ports, DC barrel jack and the model number of OPJT100.
One interesting find was the headset's rightmost USB port, which is left open for third-party accessories. According to iFixit, Leap Motion managed to come up with a specialized mount for attaching the company's proprietary Controller to the front part of the headset.
Here are just some of the comments made by iFixit while performing the teardown.
1. The eye relief adjustment on the Vive headset should not be confused with IPD since the adjustment is actually used for manipulating the distance from the headset's optics to the wearer's eyes.
2. This adjustment is not found on the Rift CV1 because of the latter's asymmetric lenses. With this type of lenses, users simply adjust their focus by pushing the headset either higher or lower on their face.
3. The Vive's outer shell actually covers a number of sensors, which, according to HTC, are 32 in total.
4. Compared to the Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive does not actually track the location of IR emitters.
5. The Vive's front-facing camera is manufactured by Sunny Optical Technology and reads as TG07BC1551. If the name rings a bell, it's because it's the same Sunny camera modules found in Project Tango and OnePlus One devices.
6. Each of the sensors is individually numbered.
All in all, the teardown involved a total of 25 steps. iFixit gave the HTC Vive a repairability score of 8 over 10 wherein 10 is the perfect score, which means that the headset is somewhat inexpensive to repair and easy to disassemble.
Still, iFixit reminded users that a large number of the headset's components are quite delicate and suggested that a service manual must be secured prior to attempting a repair on the headset.
