One advantage of tearing down a VR system is that many things come in left-right pairs. After taking apart the first one, I learn lessons that help tearing down the second one more successful. It was true of headset LCD screens, and it is also true for the controller.

The parts are not interchangeable between these two, including the battery compartment covers that are almost but not identical.

Once the cover was removed we see four obvious fasteners to start.

There's a fifth fastener, hidden under a faceplate held with clips. I didn't find this the first time and ruined some things, but I was able to take this picture on the second pass.

Once those five screws are removed, the back cover is held only by clips and can be popped off.

The index finger trigger was a surprise: instead of a potentiometer, there is a small magnet. I think component U4 on the joystick circuit board is the Hall effect sensor reading magnet position for an analog value representing position of finger trigger.

There's nothing on the other side that look like a Hall sensor. Just a big joystick, an additional button, and a few resistors+capacitors.

Once the joystick circuit board was removed, the second screw holding the LED ring in place became accessible and the LED ring can be freed. I'll come back to this later.

Below the LED ring is an Y-shaped bracket holding the capacitive touch pad in place.

Once removed, releasing a trio of clips freed the touch pad.

Leaving the main controller logic board as the final component still in the handle, held by two more screws.

The vibration motor is the largest component on the back.

Almost everything is on the front, including the most surprising component J7: a 10-pin FPC connector is populated on this circuit board, but there was no associated FPC in the final product. Why is it here?

Now I return to the LED ring. No fasteners were visible so I started prying at seams.

Some clips popped loose and half of the mounting bracket came free.

Releasing more clips freed the inner ring.

All position reference LEDs were on a single long FPC, wound around the ring and folded into position. Small screws are distributed all around the perimeter to ensure everything is fastened tight and LEDs held in position.

But that's a solvable problem.

Once the innermost ring was freed, the LED host FPC could be peeled off.

LED array laid out flat on the workbench.

Every time I take apart a gaming peripheral, I am amused by the thought this single controller by itself has more computing power than an entire Atari 2600 console.