How to fix the Proximity Sensor (a little bit permanently) on the Oculus Quest 1

The Oculus Quest 1 had a common issue with the proximity sensor in many first-generation devices. When this problem occurs, the device powers on and displays the boot logo, but the screen quickly goes dark. To address this, you can try enabling USB debugging and developer mode, then use the controller to authorize the PC connection. Afterward, disable the proximity sensor using SideQuest or the Developer Hub, as described in the short tutorial by jrowberg on Reddit. I recommend trying this solution first. If it resolves the issue, great!

However, in my case, the problem became more complicated because the “Allow on this PC” button disappeared so quickly that I couldn’t click it in time. I tried multiple times on different PCs and with different cables, but the pop-up vanished too fast. Frustrated, I discovered a teardown of the Quest 1 online and decided to watch it (though not very thoroughly, since I was already annoyed). The teardown process was complex, and the chances of reassembling the device successfully were slim. At some point, I decided to take a risk and remove the sensor quickly and easily. I figured that if it didn’t work, so be it.

So, I grabbed a knife and decided to remove the sensor manually. Leveraging the glass proved challenging, and in the end, it broke and fell inside the device. But this allowed me to see the sensor, and I was able to retrieve it with tweezers. Problem solved — in my own way. I thought.

 

After removing the sensor, the Quest did power on and display the startup screen. Did it work? Not entirely. After about a minute, the display began to dim and eventually turned off. I had to restart the device to get it to display again, but I did make some progress — the time window to allow the PC connection increased from just 1 second to over 30 seconds, and sometimes even up to a minute. This finally allowed me to authorize the PC and disable the proximity sensor in the Oculus Developer Hub (ODH).

The only downside is that the glass from the sensor fell into the device, and I couldn’t retrieve it. Occasionally, pieces of glass get caught in the fan, which sounds a bit strange, but after a little shaking, the Quest functions as before.

If jrowberg’s method works for you, I wouldn’t recommend trying my approach. However, if it doesn’t, and you’re willing to take the risk, this workaround might help. No one else has shared this solution before, so I created this blog post to offer an alternative and potentially help others find a way to fix the proximity sensor.

If you have any ideas on how to keep the display from turning off even after removing the sensor, please share them in the comments!