Are you looking forward to Nintendo Switch 2, or whatever Nintendo’s next console ends up being called? If you’re in the EU, there might be a snag.
There’s an EU regulation coming into effect, stating that all battery-powered appliances, whether they’re laptops, consoles, phones and so on, will require replaceable batteries. And, potentially, the next Nintendo Switch could fall foul of it.
At the risk of showing our age, we remember when phones and and MP3 players had removeable batteries. These days, batteries are typically sealed inside their devices. Sure, you might be able to remove it using a kit you buy off eBay but that’ll almost certainly invalidate the warranty.
However, this regulation (spotted by Eurogamer) states that “..by 2027 portable batteries incorporated into appliances should be removable and replaceable by the end-user.” Is this the right choice for the environment? Absolutely. But it could also put Nintendo, Valve and other companies in an interesting position.
As far as Nintendo goes, its probably nearing the end of Switch 2’s development cycle, and we’d expect an announcement from them some time over the next year. But we doubt the device’s battery, if its portable, is easily user replaceable. The current Nintendo Switch’s battery is not soldered in and you can unclip it. The catch is you need to remove a few other components to get to it.
So will Nintendo manufacture a new Nintendo Switch 2, one with a user-accessible battery? One option is to stop selling the Switch within the EU, forcing people to import it. But with EU Switch sales going up, that’s a decision that could cost Nintendo an awful lot of money.
If you’re a Switch (or Steam Deck) user, there’s probably nothing to worry about right now. But we’d expect Nintendo to make a statement at some point and we’re eager to see how this development unfolds.
