PlayStation Move navigation controller teardown

Bill Detwiler cracks open the PlayStation Move navigation controller and looks at the hardware inside Sony's alternative to Nintendo's Wii Nunchuk.

By Bill Detwiler, Contributor on Sept. 26, 2010

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In September 2010, Sony released the PlayStation Move motion and navigation controllers--hoping to duplicate Nintendo's success with the Wii's motion control Remote and Nunchuk.

After cracking open the PlayStation Move motion controller, we moved on to the Move navigation controller. Like the larger Move controller, the small navigation controller is very easy to disassemble. All you need it a Phillips #0 screwdriver.

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The PlayStation Move navigation controller is available separately for about $30 (US). The Move navigation controller can be used in conjunction with the Move motion controller on games such as SOCOM 4.

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Opening the PlayStation Move navigation controller requires breaking out the scissors or a knife to cut through the blister pack.

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On the Front of the PlayStation Move navigation controller are the left stick and the Cross, Circle, directional and PS buttons. Like the Move motion controller, the navigation controller also has an indicator light.

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On the back of the PlayStation Move navigation controller are the L1 and L2 (trigger) buttons.

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On the bottom of the PlayStation Move navigation controller are the charging contacts and the USB connector.

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The PlayStation Move navigation controller has four Phillips #0 screws that hold the bottom half of the case in place.

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The button assembly in the bottom half of the PlayStation Move navigation controller is connected to the main PCB with a thin ribbon cable.

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A single Phillips #0 screws holds the L1 and L2 button assembly to the bottom half of the case.

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The inside of the PlayStation Move navigation controller is very similar to the Move motion controller. The Li-ion battery covers a significant portion of the main PCB and reset in a black plastic housing.

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Five Phillips #0 screws hold the internal components in place. One screw is hidden under the battery.

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With the five screws removed, the PlayStation Move navigation controller's internal components can be easily removed from the top half of the case.

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The top of the main PCB contains the battery connector, button contacts, left stick, and several chips.

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The PlayStation Move navigation controller's Li-ion battery and charging contacts PCB are attached to the main PCB with connectors.

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The four contacts for the directional buttons are located on a thin plastic strip.

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Like the PlayStation Move motion controller, the Move navigation controller's battery rests in a black plastic housing. You can remove this housing by gently prying its tabs loose from the main PCB.

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The PlayStation Move navigation controller has a 3.7V Li-ion battery.

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The PlayStation Move motion controller has a significantly larger battery than the navigation controller.

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On the top of the main PCB is the Toshiba T6UN6EFG-003 chip. This chip is similar to the Toshiba chip found in the DualShock 3 controller. Above that chip is a Texas Instruments chips with the markings B029A 06T G4 AGH0.

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On the bottom of the main PCB is the Bluetooth chip--covered by the large metal shield. To the left of that is a small chip with the markings VHC 20 E0 23.

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Thanks to the screws, cracking open the PlayStation Move navigation controller was extremely easy. If you take your time during the process and don't lose any of the pieces, you should be able to disassemble and reassemble the controller with out much trouble.

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