Posted Wed May 8, 2013 at 09:00 AM PDT by Brian Hoss
System teardown shows that most of the usual suspects are easy to replace.
As the OUYA floats around ahead of its scheduled June 4th launch, the little $99 open-source, Android-based home console is under quite a bit of scrutiny. Fortunately, one area where the little system has scored weal is in repairability.
iFixit has posted a teardown of the system, and the results reveal a system that is easy to disassemble. A few Hex screws allow access the main system, and the motherboard then slides out easily. The system is so simple that 2 ounces of weights are mounted to the inside bottom of the OUYA cube to help seat the system. A SUNON MagLev HA40101V4 DC brushless fan is the system's only fan and is ready to be replaced with a few moment's effort if need be.
Taking out the heat sink is a tougher prospect requiring desoldering, but likely will only be necessary for the more curious user. Likewise, the controller is much simpler to dissemble than the standard console controllers. One issue though is the analog sticks, which are soldered to the circuit board. Unfortunately, replacing a analog stick would be very difficult without replacing the controller's main board.
Ultimately, the system scored a 9 out of 10 for ease of repairability. Of course the system's low price point and simple construction should minimize the need to ever crack open the OUYA case.
Source: ifixit via Gamasutra
Author: Brian Hoss
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