Nintendo Reportedly Building Switch 2 with Replaceable Battery

Nikkei reports that Nintendo is preparing a revised Switch 2 design that will include a user-replaceable battery, apparently to align with the European Union’s 2023 right-to-repair regulations for portable electronics. The move would let owners swap out a tired lithium-ion pack rather than having to send the device in or discard it.

Sources say the redesign may also touch the Joy-Con 2 controllers, which would be updated so each controller’s battery can be replaced by users. The EU rule gives companies until 2027 to make such hardware changes, and manufacturers like Apple have already adjusted phone designs to ease battery replacement.

For now, reports suggest this particular Switch 2 revision is aimed at the European market only. There’s no confirmation Nintendo plans to roll the user-replaceable battery design out globally, though outlets like IGN note that similar laws in other territories could push the company to expand the change.

The potential regional limitation is a reminder of how regulation can steer product design differently across markets. If the original Switch must be redesigned to meet the EU standard, Nintendo might stop selling the older model in Europe by the end of 2027 unless it adapts the legacy hardware.

Nintendo hasn’t officially commented yet; Engadget says it has reached out and will update when the company responds. Meanwhile, the handheld has been in the headlines for other reasons too: a recent software update improved handheld performance for some older titles, and Pokémon Pokopia continues to dominate player attention.

If the replaceable-battery Switch 2 lands in Europe, it will be welcomed by sustainable tech advocates and gamers who prefer longer-lived devices. Whether that design philosophy spreads worldwide depends on how regulators and markets evolve in the next few years.