To meet the European Union’s upcoming battery requirements, Nintendo is set to introduce new hardware featuring a battery that users can replace themselves. A revised European Union version of the Switch 2 is scheduled for release this autumn. However, Nintendo will not update every older product, meaning some items will be withdrawn from the Nintendo Store.
EU battery regulations and Nintendo’s response
From 2027, new European Union rules covering batteries will come into force, and Nintendo’s portable consoles are included. Nintendo had previously said it would adjust the products it sells in Europe to comply with the new regulations, and it has now shared further detail.
According to the company, certain items will be replaced by European Union versions fitted with “a user-replaceable battery”. Nintendo has also published a list of the affected products on its website.
Nintendo Switch 2 and Joy-Con: rollout of user-replaceable battery models
Nintendo says the Joy-Con pair with a user-replaceable battery will launch this summer, while the Nintendo Switch 2 with a user-replaceable battery is expected to arrive in autumn.
The company also plans to release the Joy-Con 2 and the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller with a removable battery this winter. Later, at the start of 2027, new versions of the Nintendo 64 (N64) Controller for Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo GameCube (GCN) Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 will become available.
Nintendo emphasises that swapping the current models for European Union versions with a user-replaceable battery will not alter functionality. That said, some specifications will change. For instance, the European Union Nintendo Switch 2 will have its battery capacity reduced by 1% and its weight increased by 10 g.
Nintendo also confirms the end of some products
Nintendo has decided it is not worthwhile to produce European Union replacements with user-replaceable batteries for certain older products. In its announcement, the company confirms there will be no replacement models for the following items, and they will no longer be sold on the Nintendo Store:
- Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Controller for Nintendo Switch
- Pokémon GO Plus +
- Nintendo Switch
- Nintendo Switch Lite
- Nintendo Switch – OLED Model
- Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
- SEGA Mega Drive Controller for Nintendo Switch
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) Controllers for Nintendo Switch
With this, Nintendo is formally drawing a line under the previous generation in the European Union. “From mid-February 2027, nearly ten years after the launch of Nintendo Switch in March 2017, Nintendo will stop supplying retailers with consoles in the Nintendo Switch family, namely Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model. Sales of Nintendo Switch consoles on the Nintendo Store will also end in mid-February 2027”, the company writes.
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