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 let users replace their own batteries, Nikkei reports. The current version of the Switch 2 has a glued-in battery. But Nintendo apparently plans to make the change in order to comply with EU rules going into effect in February 2027 that will require devices to let users easily swap out portable batteries.

The new version of the Switch 2 will be released “soon,” and both the console and the Joy-Cons will have replaceable batteries, according to Nikkei. In Japan, the console’s specifications will remain the same, Nikkei says. Nintendo didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge.

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

But I’m really hoping Nintendo launches this revision more widely. Phone makers in particular have been better about offering more repairable devices in recent years — perhaps in response to right-to-repair legislation — and now that console generations are lasting for nearly a decade, any way that Nintendo (or other game hardware makers) can make its devices easier to use for longer without costly repairs or replacements would be much welcomed.