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Nintendo announces new product revisions in Europe with replaceable batteries
- delta_p_delta_x 3mo agoBrussels effect, please do your magic; thanks.
- reaperducer 3mo agoBrussels effect, please do your magic; thanks. "Brussels Effect" is the new "California Emissions."
- cromka 3mo agoPlease keep the conversation merit based.
- smashini 3mo agoHonestly, amazing stuff. For all the flak that the EU gets this is absolutely an essential regulation
- xandrius 3mo agoThey will still get all the flak, facts never mattered.
- bryanlarsen 3mo agoAnd just like everything moving to USB-C, they won't get credit for the Switch 3 et al having replaceable batteries world-wide.
- bigfishrunning 3mo agoI don't know about that, i think it's pretty common knowledge that the EU caused the iPhone port change, and it's generally regarded as a good thing
- hbn 3mo agoI'm preparing to release my first app to the App Store and they're currently requiring me to dox myself if I want to sell in the EU. Which facts am I missing that makes this not very inconvenient for me?
- patall 3mo agoOne might argue that this is one of the reason why the EU is getting flak: because it sets up regulations that lower some companies profit.
- Y-bar 3mo agoIt’s equal parts funny and frustrating to see how deep into the ”a few hypothetical percent of profits for corporations matters more than customer rights and less e-waste” some are.
- deleted 3mo ago[deleted]
- drstewart 3mo agoThis. The top problems facing the world are gaming consoles' charging sources. Everything else is thankfully solved.
- patrickmcnamara 3mo agoNothing should be improved unless it solves world hunger.
- bluescrn 3mo agoIt's not about games consoles. It's about reducing the mountains of e-waste. We shouldn't be throwing away laptops, smartphones, or consoles - or soon, entire EVs, just because the battery has degraded.
- wilg 3mo agoIt might be a good regulation but it is definitely not essential!
- benoau 3mo agoAmazes me they don't just sell it like that everywhere because it sounds a lot like a product improvement... > The revised products will be available on a rolling basis in territories where Nintendo of Europe conducts business, either directly or through a distributor, namely: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
- thih9 3mo agoQuite a few of these aren't EU members, some aren't even in Europe; do we know why they were added? e.g.: Switzerland or United Kingdom; but also Oman or United Arab Emirates.
- suddenlybananas 3mo agoIt's everywhere Nintendo of Europe (the subsidiary in the EU) operates.
- thih9 3mo agoThis makes sense - thanks!
- yokoprime 3mo agoNorway is in the ECC together with Iceland, but for some reason Iceland is not on the list where these SKUs will be available.
- rickdeckard 3mo agoThat's probably because Iceland is not an official Sales-territory of Nintendo, it's handled by Bergsala AB, a swedish distributor which serves the market there.
- 3mo ago
- annagio_ 3mo agoSo now the rest of the world will try to put a hand on these models. Lets see how this goes.
- WhyNotHugo 3mo agoIt's kinda crazy that they're releasing an improved version only in places where it's mandatory by law. You'd think it's cheaper (and definitely better PR) to just release the new version everywhere.
- annagio_ 3mo agoI will agree with you! Just release it for all. Also now they have to make 2 devices, which it should probably be more hassle.
- ChocolateGod 3mo agoAre the batteries in the Nintendo switch locked in anyway? Wonder if its viable that third party batteries could have an increased capacity.
- Grombobulous 3mo agoThere are definitely third party batteries, but the replacement process is not trivial for a typical person. Lots of adhesives are involved.
- bigfishrunning 3mo agoAlso, third party batteries vary wildly in quality -- I've replaced the battery in my Nintendo switch twice, both times using brands I've heard of, and neither battery is as good as the original OEM battery was when i first got it.
- kuerbel 3mo ago>Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model will all continue to be manufactured in 2026, and should be widely available in Europe all year. >From mid-February 2027, almost ten years after Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017, Nintendo will no longer sell to retailers hardware in the Nintendo Switch family of systems – specifically Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model. Sales of Nintendo Switch hardware on Nintendo Store will also end in mid-February 2027. Understandable, but maybe that shouldn't be buried in the FAQ...
- rickdeckard 3mo agoMore complete: The below products will not be replaced by versions that contain user-replaceable batteries in Europe: - 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 Control Pad for Nintendo Switch - Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) Controller for Nintendo Switch Nintendo will no longer offer the above-named products on Nintendo Store after mid-February 2027.
- HelloUsername 3mo agoRelated page posted on 04-jun-2026: "Compliance with EU Directives and Regulations" https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Corporate/Consumer-Information/Compliance-with-EU-Directives-and-Regulations/Compliance-with-EU-Directives-and-Regulations-625942.html https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Corporate/Consumer-Informatio... (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48402926 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48402926)
- dfedbeef 3mo ago[flagged]
- rickdeckard 3mo agoInteresting, in the fineprint they actually confirm that they set the "Switch 1" End-Of-Life by Feb.2027 and stop selling it. This means they will lose the revenue of that product-line (currently ~15% of their total hardware unit sales according to their fiscal report [0]), which may help accelerate the need for a "lite" version of the Switch2 to recover this market-segment... ...or not, because console sales is generally dropping and there's actually no competition to Nintendo in the handheld console segment... Bleak times ahead for the gaming industry, and for the gamers... [0] https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2026/260203_2e.pdf https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2026/260203_2e.pdf
- rock_artist 3mo agoNot sure what they'll do (Maybe they'll release Switch2 Lite or Switch 2 OLED in Q2/Q3 2027). but I guess like Apple stopped with Lightning until they finished their transition to USB-C they'll just let the transition work.
- jerjerjer 3mo agoWish they'd do a Switch 2 edition without a screen. I use mine (Switch 1) 100% docked.
- mdrzn 3mo ago"There is no difference in functionality between current products and revised products containing user-replaceable batteries." So there was nothing "limiting" them from making it already with user-replaceable batteries, they just didn't care enough until EU forced them (like all the smartphone brands). Love EU.
- xd1936 3mo agoExcept for an up-to-16% reduction in capacity, and slightly increased weight, depending on the product.
- vrganj 3mo agoThe 16% is for the Pro Controller though, to be fair. The Switch 2 itself loses 1% of battery capacity, most other products none at all. Your framing seems a bit selective to the point of being misleading.
- dcrazy 3mo ago16% less battery life in a controller is pretty significant!
- vrganj 3mo agoAgreed, that one's not great. But it seems to be the only product that has serious trade-offs.
- mdrzn 3mo agoYes but it's limited to only the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. The basic Joy-cons have no change to their battery capacity.
- rtkwe 3mo agoIt's because they're basically already using user replaceable batteries, to the point I'm not sure what the SKU revision will actually do. My best guess is they won't be gluing the battery down any more? Otherwise there's not anything I can see they would need to change. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Joy-Con+Battery+Replacement/113634 https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Joy-Con+Battery+Replacement/113...
- oulipo2 3mo ago[flagged]
- deleted 3mo ago[deleted]
- LelouBil 3mo agoGlad to live in the EU, but then we also have Chat Control trying to pass again.
- przemub 3mo ago[dead]
- Melatonic 3mo agoI almost bought a Switch 2 but then remembered this was going into effect. Decided to push it off and keep using my still quite functional Switch 1 until I can get one. Why would anyone not want a user replaceable battery ? I also specifically ordered an electric toothbrush from UK Amazon awhile back that was (on the surface) identical to the American version. The UK and EU version however had a sort of (not super easy but still not that hard) user replaceable battery. Because they had to redesign with a user replaceable battery it uses a fairly standard sized lithium rechargeable (I forget the exact size - smaller than an 18650 but somewhat common). The side effect of this was the battery inside is also much higher quality and much higher capacity than the US version. The diameter of the device is slightly larger (to accommodate the larger battery) which also fits my hands better. Even if I never replace the battery the device itself lasts insanely long between charges which is a huge plus. The cost was the same (excluding a small extra charge for shipping).
- Animats 3mo agoThe push for replaceable batteries is coming just as battery life is increasing.[1] We're already seeing that with electric cars. When solid-state batteries finally come out in volume, they should outlast the devices they go into. The big players are saying that solid state batteries in phone size should start shipping in 2027. Cars are further off. [1] https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/05/20/breakthroughs-for-batteries-could-soon-make-them-much-better https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/05/20/...
- alkonaut 3mo agoWhat constitutes a replaceable battery in this regulation? I don’t want hatches on things. Especially not phones. It’s fine to have some screws between me and a battery, if that makes it have 1% more capacity, 1% more rigid or be 1% more water proof.
- jackvalentine 3mo agohttps://prodlaw.eu/2025/02/eu-battery-regulation-removability-and-replaceability-requirements-explained/#:~:text=Batteries%20must%20be,or%20the%20product. https://prodlaw.eu/2025/02/eu-battery-regulation-removabilit... Basically changeable with normal tools and safely without risk of destroying the battery or product.
- kalleboo 3mo agoScrews are fine, glue is not https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1542/oj/eng https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1542/oj/eng > A portable battery should be considered to be removable by the end-user when it can be removed with the use of commercially available tools and without requiring the use of specialised tools, unless they are provided free of charge, or proprietary tools, thermal energy or solvents to disassemble it. Commercially available tools are considered to be tools available on the market to all end-users without the need for them to provide evidence of any proprietary rights and that can be used with no restriction, except health and safety-related restrictions.
- SlightlyLeftPad 3mo agoTangentially, How much would maintaining two different skus cost I wonder.
- Stitch4223 3mo agoWorking with multiple SKU’s and hardware revisions is standard practice. Just like the Switch and OLED Switch. PlayStation always had a whole series of SKU’s, from 1 to 5. People sometimes search for a specific one, due to certain chips being used. https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps5/SKU_Models https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps5/SKU_Models Similarly the WII is also known to ship several hardware revisions, with different properties such as video output quality. https://bitbuilt.net/forums/threads/revision-identification-guide.863/ https://bitbuilt.net/forums/threads/revision-identification-... The same goes for many electronic products, from TV’s to iPhones. Sometimes the features are noticeably different per revision or region. Still it is called the same product. Edit: added phone/tv example.
- mvkel 3mo agoI wonder what the average battery life is on these
- shark1 3mo agoUnfortunately, programmed obsolesce is the unspoken motto for most companies. Only fierce competition or regulation can push them to do a better job.
- surcap526 3mo ago[dead]