Nintendo Switch 2 revised with a user-replaceable battery as the original Switch lineup gets axed in Europe
In what can be considered a relief from the bombshell news coming out of PlayStation and Xbox, Nintendo has announced some interesting new changes for its European hardware lineup. The company aims to comply with upcoming EU regulations that ask for user-replaceable batteries in certain consumer electronic goods. Thus, revised versions of the Nintendo Switch 2 and several accessories will begin rolling out later this year. The above products will gradually replace current models throughout 2026 and early 2027, with no changes to functionality.
The first updated products will be select Joy-Con colour variants, which are expected to arrive this summer. A revised Nintendo Switch 2 console will follow in autumn 2026, featuring a user-replaceable battery with minor changes. Its capacity drops from 5,220 mAh to 5,172 mAh. Not a performance-impacting number, but a reduction nonetheless. On top of that, the console itself gains around 10 grams of weight. With the updated Joy-Con 2 controllers attached, the complete system weighs approximately 548 grams instead of 534 grams.
Nintendo will also revise the Joy-Con 2 controllers, the Switch 2 Pro Controller, and the Nintendo 64 and GameCube controllers available through Nintendo Switch Online. While most changes are relatively minor, the updated Pro Controller will receive a noticeably smaller 897 mAh battery in exchange for a lighter design and easier battery replacement. Replacement batteries for all revised devices will be sold through the Nintendo Store in Europe alongside repair kits.
Nintendo also has plans for the original Switch lineup. Unlike the current-gen variant, the Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED will not get replaceable batteries. The handhelds will continue to be manufactured throughout 2026 before disappearing from European retailers in mid-February 2027. Sales through Nintendo Store Europe will also end at the same time, nearly ten years after the console first surfaced. Existing owners will continue to have access to Nintendo eShop, Nintendo Switch Online, software updates, and accessories for the foreseeable future.
For now, it looks like the Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite and Switch OLED will continue to be sold globally. That is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future because Nintendo will undoubtedly want to break the PlayStation 2’s sales record at some point. Plus, the Switch is still a solid console if you want to experience Nintendo exclusives, and it is one of the few handhelds that don’t cost an arm and a leg.
There’s no word about the revised Switch 2 variant landing in other markets. It would be a massive quality-of-life upgrade, but Nintendo will likely wait until existing Switch 2 stocks dry out before retrofitting global variants with a user-replaceable battery. Then again, degrading batteries are way down on the list of concerns for Nintendo users, but it does increase the console’s overall longevity.
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