Introduction
This guide shows how to remove and replace a vibration motor (aka rumble motor or haptic motor) for your PlayStation Portal.
This repair requires basic soldering skills and tools. You'll need to desolder and resolder two wires to the motor in order to replace it.
The Portal has two vibration motors—this guide shows the repair with the left motor. If you're replacing the right motor, the procedure is similar.
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Rest a finger over the L1 bumper to prevent it from flying off when you pry.
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Insert the flat end of a spudger between the top edge of the bumper and the white shell.
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Pry up to unclip the bumper.
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Slide the spudger along the seam to release any remaining clips.
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Align the bumper into its slot.
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Use a finger to press the bumper down firmly until it clicks into place.
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Insert the tip of an opening pick underneath the left joystick trim strip, where it wraps below the grip.
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Twist the opening pick to release the bottom clip.
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Insert the tip of an opening pick underneath the outer edge of the trim strip.
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Slide the opening pick along the edge to release the clips.
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Insert the tip of an opening pick under the inner edge of the strip.
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Slide the opening pick along the edge to release the clips.
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Use your fingers to align and clip the top edge in place.
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Firmly press along the remaining edges to clip the strip in place.
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Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two 6.5 mm‑long screws at the bottom tips of each grip.
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Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two 6.5 mm‑long screws securing the top corners of the shell.
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Push the flat edge of a spudger into the back shell's left, inner seam.
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Keep the spudger inserted in the seam.
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Insert the tip of an opening pick into the shell's left, outer seam.
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Slide the pick along the seam to release the clips securing the edge.
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Keep a pick in the seam to prevent the shell from clipping back together.
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Repeat the previous three steps on the right side of the Portal to release the clips along the right edge.
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Carefully flip your Portal over.
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Grasp the top edge of the back shell, near a corner.
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Gently pull the top edge away until you feel the clips release in that corner.
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Grasp the bottom edge of the back shell, near the center.
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Pull away with firm force to release the clips securing the bottom edge.
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Align the corners near the trigger buttons first.
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Firmly press around the entire perimeter to clip the shell back in place.
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Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two 6.5 mm‑long screws securing the left grip shell to the Portal.
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Grasp the top edge of the grip shell and twist it slightly outwards (away from the screen) to release the inner clips.
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Insert the flat edge of a spudger underneath the inner edge of the grip shell, near the vibration motor.
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Twist the spudger along the edge to unclip the bottom portion of the grip shell.
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Remove the left grip shell.
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Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two 6.5 mm‑long screws securing the left joystick cover.
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Use the point of a spudger to flip up the black lock tab on the left joystick's ZIF connector.
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Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two 2.9 mm‑long screws securing the joystick module to the Portal.
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Shift the joystick module so that the flex cable slides out of its socket.
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Remove the left joystick.
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Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two 6.5 mm‑long screws securing the right grip shell to the Portal.
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Grasp the top edge of the grip shell and twist it slightly outwards (away from the screen) to release the inner clips.
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Insert the flat edge of a spudger underneath the inner edge of the grip shell, near the vibration motor.
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Twist the spudger along the edge to unclip the bottom portion of the grip shell.
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Remove the right grip shell.
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Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two 6.5 mm‑long screws securing the right joystick cover.
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Use the point of a spudger to flip up the black lock tab on the right joystick's ZIF connector.
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Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two 2.9 mm‑long screws securing the joystick module to the Portal.
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Shift the joystick module so that the flex cable slides out of its socket.
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Remove the right joystick.
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Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the four 6.5 mm‑long screws (two on each side) securing the two joystick brackets to the Portal.
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Carefully flip the right bracket over so that it no longer blocks the edge of the screen.
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Repeat the process for the left bracket.
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Heat an iOpener and apply it to the bottom edge of the screen for two minutes to soften the adhesive.
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Place your fingers underneath the bottom edge of the Portal to keep it steady.
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Apply a suction handle to the center of the bottom edge, as close to the edge as possible.
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Pull up on the suction handle with strong, steady force.
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Press the edge of an opening tool downwards into the seam to create an initial gap.
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Insert the tip of an opening pick into the gap.
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Pull up on the suction handle with strong, steady force to create a gap between the screen and frame.
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Insert the tip of an opening pick into the gap.
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Angle the opening pick downwards to a 45° angle.
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Insert the opening pick deeper into the seam until the pick can stay in place by itself.
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Slide the opening pick along the bottom edge to slice through the adhesive.
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Leave the opening pick in the bottom left corner to prevent the adhesive from resealing.
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Repeat the heating and slicing procedure around the left and top edges of the screen. Leave an opening pick in each corner to prevent the adhesive from resealing.
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Use an iOpener to heat the right edge of the screen for one minute.
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Use an opening pick to slice along the right edge.
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Grasp the left edge of the screen near the corners and lift it slightly to separate any remaining adhesive.
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Swing the left edge of the screen over the right and rest the flipped screen on top of the Portal.
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Rest a finger on top of the display cable bracket to prevent it from flying off when you pry.
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Insert the point of a spudger underneath a corner of the bracket and pry it up.
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Remove the bracket.
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Remove large chunks of adhesives with the flat edge of a spudger or tweezers.
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Use high concentration isopropyl alcohol (>90%) to remove any remaining residue. Wipe in one direction with a lint-free cloth or coffee filter until all the adhesive residue is gone.
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Apply strips of double-sided tape such as Tesa tape to the screen perimeter to reattach the screen.
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Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the eight 6.5 mm‑long screws securing the motherboard cover to the Portal.
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Insert the flat edge of a spudger under the top-right corner of the motherboard cover.
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Pry up to release the clips securing the corner.
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Use the point of a spudger to gently lift the two vibration motor wires out of their groove.
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Flip the Portal over such that its back side faces you.
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The black wire should be soldered to the upper contact on the vibration motor.
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The red wire should be soldered to the lower contact on the vibration motor.
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Use your fingers to press against the back of the motor with strong, steady force until it loosens from the frame.
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Remove any remaining adhesive residue from the frame and apply double-sided tape such as Tesa tape.
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Transfer any foam padding from your old motor to your replacement part.
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Press the motor back into its recess and apply firm pressure for a minute to allow the adhesive to bond.
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Solder the two wires to the new vibration motor.
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Use the point of a spudger to carefully tuck the motor wires back into the groove.
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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.
