A new Nintendo Switch 2 could be the poster child for replaceable batteries

Nintendo plans to release a Switch 2 revision in the European Union that will allow users to replace their own batteries, Nikkei reports. The current version of the Switch 2 has a glued battery. But Nintendo is apparently planning to make the change in order to comply with EU rules that take effect in February 2027 and will require devices to allow users to easily replace portable batteries.

The new version of the Switch 2 will be released “soon”, and the console and Joy-Cons will have replaceable batteries, according to Nikkei. In Japan, the console specifications will remain the same, Nikkei said. Nintendo did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The edge.

If this revision of the Switch 2 were to be released in the EU and remain exclusive to the region, it wouldn’t be the first time a device manufacturer decided to do something like this; FujiFilm’s Instax Mini Link 3 has a user-replaceable NP-70S battery, but only if you’re in Europe.

But I really hope Nintendo launches this revision more widely. Phone makers, in particular, have been more effective in offering more repairable devices in recent years — perhaps in response to right-to-repair legislation — and now that console generations last nearly a decade, any way Nintendo (or other gaming hardware makers) could make its devices easier to use for longer without costly repairs or replacements would be welcome.