Meta Quest 2 Controller Joystick Replacement

Written By: Arthur Shi

Comments: 15

Meta Quest 2 Controller Joystick Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

40 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

This guide shows how to remove and replace a drifting or broken joystick (aka thumbstick) for your Meta Quest 2 controller.

If you're experiencing controller drift, or your joystick isn't responsive, you'll likely need to replace the joystick.

The joystick is nested behind the controller board, requiring you to disassemble the entire controller to access it.

This guide is written with the right controller. If you're repairing the left controller, you can still use this guide, as the procedure is identical.

Tools

Parts

Meta Quest 2 Joystick

Step 1

Use your fingers to slide the battery cover down towards the strap end of the controller.
Remove the battery cover.
If you're taking the controller apart for repairs, remove the batteries in the controller.

Step 2

Use your fingers to grasp the wrist strap near the anchor peg.
Lift the wrist strap anchor peg straight out of its recess.
Remove the wrist strap.

Step 3

Heat an iOpener and apply it to the bottom edge of the controller faceplate for a minute.

Why is this step needed? Yes there is adhesive on it, but it isn't that bad.

DAB ARMY -

you dont need it, prob better to have it but not required to get the cover off

jek -

For anyone stumbling across this like me, I can agree with the others: it is almost definitely a nice to have I'm sure, but I was able to get in just fine using an opening pick and opening tool.

Aranohr -

Step 4

The controller faceplate is secured with adhesive and three friction pegs.
Press the edge of an opening tool into the seam between the controller faceplate and shell, near the Oculus button.
If you can’t get the opening tool into the seam, heat the area with an iOpener for a minute and try again.
Slide the opening tool to the base of the ring shell to loosen the adhesive.

Step 5

Use an opening tool to pry up on the seam to loosen the first friction peg.

Step 6

Continue prying around the entire faceplate to separate the remaining friction pegs and adhesive.
If you're having trouble, apply a heated iOpener to the faceplate for a minute and try again.

Step 7

Remove the controller faceplate.
The three friction pegs should hold the faceplate securely, so you don’t need to replace the adhesive during reassembly. Be sure to firmly press the faceplate onto the controller so that all friction pegs fully engage.

Step 8

Use a Torx T5 driver to remove the four screws securing the controller ring shell to the controller:
Two 4.7 mm‑long screws
Two 5.9 mm‑long screws

those top screws in red are in very tight, and at an angle that prevents using a long screwdriver. I've found the only way I could get them out is using a bit, held down by my finger at the appropriate angle, while turning it with pliers.

Ben Klopfenstein -

I wasn't able to remove the screws in red with a T5 bit, but switching to a T4 bit did the trick for me

Aranohr -

Step 9

Press the point of a spudger firmly against the white alignment square to release the ring shell.

Step 10

Use your fingers to grab the end of the ring shell that doesn’t have the white alignment square.
Gently lift the ring shell up and away from the controller to unclip it from the controller.
Remove the controller ring shell.

Step 11

Use a Torx T5 driver to remove the five screws:
One 11.5 mm‑long screw
Three 5.9 mm‑long screws
One 18.2 mm‑long screw

Step 12

Use tweezers and your fingers to peel the battery information label out from the battery compartment.
If you want to reuse this sticker, be careful not to tear it. If it’s difficult to peel, apply a heated iOpener to it for a minute to soften the label adhesive.

Step 13

Use a Torx T5 driver to remove the four 5.9 mm‑long screws securing the side shell to the controller:
Three screws inside the battery compartment
One screw near the corner of the battery compartment

Step 14

Pull the bottom of the side shell slightly away from the controller to loosen the shell.
You may hear a few clicks as the clips release. This is normal.

Step 15

Part of the side shell is looped around a screw post. In this step, you’ll spread the screw post apart enough to slip the shell out.
Insert the flat end of a spudger into the gap between the controller ring and the front shell.
The front shell is the plastic frame part below the front trigger.
Twist the spudger to widen the gap between the front shell and the controller.
Position the spudger so that it can stay in place without you holding the tool.

Step 16

Guide the looped part of the side shell through the screw post gap.
Remove the side shell.

Step 17

During reassembly:
Spread the screw post wide enough to loop the side shell back around it.
Be careful not to pinch the antenna cable or the tracking flex cable as you reposition the side shell.

Step 18

Use a spudger or an opening pick to gently pry the shell from the battery compartment side first.
Once it pops open, turn the controller over to remove the front shell.
If you have trouble, move to the next step.

Step 19

If you successfully removed the front shell, skip this step.
Grasp the front shell near the bottom of the controller.
Lift and pull the bottom edge of the front shell outwards slightly to clear the plastic alignment peg.
The alignment peg breaks easily. Make sure you lift the shell enough to clear it.

Note: Clearing the alignment peg should not be difficult if you open the cover from the other side first as shown in my edit.

Seby -

Thanks Seby for your contribution! I've formatted the steps a little to include your step.

Arthur Shi -

Step 20

Pull the front shell away from the controller and remove it.

Step 21

Use a driver bit (such as the Torx T5) or the point of a spudger to push the front trigger pin out from the side shown. Pushing from the opposite side can cause the pin to rip the sensor cable.
For better reach, you can also use a straightened paper clip or the point of your tweezers.

I found this step very difficult. It required a lot of pressure to push the peg through. Make sure you push the peg from the side shown or it can tear the LED cable shown under the tip of the torx driver.

Seby -

This required a LOT of force on the pin to jar it loose. Just be mindful that you push in the way that nothing breaks when the pin abruptly loosens.

eliasp02 -

Step 22

Hold the front trigger with your finger to prevent the trigger from flying out.
Use tweezers or your fingers to pull the trigger pin out.

Step 23

Remove the front trigger.
During reassembly, make sure both springs sit properly in their grooves.

Step 24

Use a clean fingernail or tweezers to flip up the ZIF socket's lock bar securing the outer tracking flex cable.

Step 25

Use tweezers to grasp the outer tracking flex cable by its pull tab and pull it out of its ZIF socket.

Step 26

Use the same procedure to unlock and disconnect the inner tracking flex cable from its ZIF socket.

Step 27

Use a clean fingernail or tweezers to unlock and disconnect the joystick flex cable from its ZIF socket.

Step 28

Insert one arm of a pair of tweezers under the metal neck of the antenna cable.
Pry straight up to disconnect the antenna from the controller board.
Gently pull the antenna to unclip it from its grounding clip.

Step 29

Use a clean fingernail or tweezers to unlock and disconnect the interconnect flex cable from its ZIF socket.

Step 30

The battery shell is the plastic frame part that holds the batteries.
Use your fingers to twist the battery shell slightly so that its edge near the thumbstick clicks out of place.

Step 31

There’s a friction assembly near the vibration motor that needs to separate in order to remove the battery shell.
Gently wiggle the battery shell as you pull it away from the controller.
Remove the battery shell.

Step 32

Use a Torx T5 driver to remove the four 7.5 mm‑long screws securing the controller board.
During reassembly, be careful not to overtighten these screws, or you may break them.

Step 33

Use your fingers to lift the controller board out of the shell and remove it.

If the joystick spring came out during disassembly - make sure to put it back under the board before screwing it in!

Murray Groves -

Step 34

Use your fingers or tweezers to remove the joystick.

Make sure that you transfer the spring from the old joystick to the new one if the ones you buy don't come with a spring

Spectarium -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers community for help.

Author

Arthur Shi

Member since: 03/01/18

272294 Reputation

4 comments

When replacing the joystick, make sure you place the metal cover on the right side, the joystick goes under the circuit board, and make sure the little metal flap is bent enough, also make sure the screws are tight.
id recommend this video so you get more what i mean, although it doesn't show exactly that i mean.
https://youtu.be/kQ2-XYEbOKY?t=98

otherwise you wont have the touch pad on the joystick, it'll still work good, just no sensing if you have your finger on it

Matthew Blakeney -

You dont need to remove the pin/take of the tigger, if youre carful and paitent
id say its safer to leave it in

Matthew Blakeney -

thank you for the guide, i am yet to do it, why is the anolog the first last thing to come out when they are notorious to breaking

Harry Chamberlain -

Nooooo! I did everything perfectly but once I reached step 11 going backward for re-assembly I read the first two bullet points and for some stupid reason assumed it was going in Longest --> shortest screw length, Ughhh was rushing through it thinking this was the easy part!

I stupidly tried the 18mm in the 11mm and it broke off, no chance of ever removing that...

Put everything back together anyway and it works quite well even with those both missing, only issue is the buttons sit a little lower then normal and the touch sensitivity is not perfect for light touching. This is not used in any games I play so I'll likely leave it as is for now. Still infinitely better than with drift but that is annoying.

Anyway, the guide is extremely good, just don't be like me and read the instructions carefully and you will be fine. I Actually started off with a video teardown and then switched to this as this was more clear.

Roshank231 -