iFixit teardown finds Steam Frame largely repairable, but its cooling fan is buried deep
iFixit's teardown of Valve's Steam Frame finds a VR headset that is easier to repair than most, except for a cooling fan buried behind optical and thermal components. Replacement batteries and displays will not be available when its parts store opens.
To get at that fan, a repairer has to work past the optical assemblies and through a dense tangle of thermal hardware, cables and other components. The fan and heat pipe are separate parts, which iFixit counts as a plus, but simply getting to the fan is the bigger obstacle. That is a lot of disassembly for a component likely to need cleaning over time, since fans accumulate dust and eventually wear out. Burying one this deep makes the Steam Frame a harder repair than it otherwise would have been.
Elsewhere the teardown describes a comparatively smooth path. The head strap detaches through quick-release latches, which allows work on the rear battery pack without disturbing the displays. The sweat-absorbing parts are replaceable, including the nose bridge and the face and headrest cushions. The lenses attach magnetically to the headset's IPD rail, making display and eye-tracking repairs relatively straightforward, although removing the lenses still requires some disassembly involving screws and cables. By VR standards the headset is fairly approachable, and there is no need to dig out the motherboard.
Two components remain stubborn. The battery has no release tabs, and iFixit removed it with isopropyl alcohol and gentle prying. The controllers' thumbsticks are soldered to their boards, so replacing a broken stick would be more involved than a buyer might hope.
Replacement parts will eventually be sold through iFixit's store. iFixit is also Valve's repair partner but says the headset maker had no input on the teardown or the editorial process behind it. When the Steam Frame parts store goes live, replacement batteries will not be available, an omission iFixit says it hopes to change, and replacement displays will also be missing at launch. Valve does offer warranty repairs and replacements for covered devices.
The teardown does not settle whether the headset is worth buying. The Steam Frame starts at $1,059, considerably more than the Meta Quest 3, without delivering an equivalently upgraded experience, according to the report. It is a powerful and comfortable headset with standalone support for many Steam games, including Half-Life: Alyx, plus wireless PC streaming and microSD expansion. Even so, the high price combined with its late arrival makes it a tough sell, the report concluded, describing a headset that would have made more sense several years ago, when developers were investing more resources in VR software. Engadget's Devindra Hardawar's review covers the headset in more detail.