In response to new regulations that are about to take effect in the European Union, Nintendo has confirmed that it will launch a version of Switch 2 in the European market that supports user-replaceable batteries. This version is expected to be available before February 2027 to coincide with the implementation time of EU regulations.
According to new EU regulations, starting from February 18, 2027, a variety of electronic devices, including portable game consoles, must allow users to relatively easily remove and replace batteries. This regulation is driving the return of "replaceable battery" designs in electronic products.
Nintendo has now stated on its official website that the company is "taking steps to comply with these requirements" and prepare corresponding versions of its products to meet EU directives and regulations.
Currently, the Switch2 and its accessories (such as Pro controller and Joy-Con) on the market all use "BEE" as the model prefix. Nintendo revealed that future versions that comply with new EU regulations will use independent new models and be marked with an "OSM" additional code on the packaging to distinguish them from existing products and facilitate regulatory identification.
Nintendo did not elaborate on the specific design changes that will be made in the new Switch 2 to enable convenient battery replacement. Currently, according to a demonstration by iFixit, a well-known dismantling organization, the battery replacement process of the existing Switch 2 is relatively complicated and involves multiple steps.
As of now, Nintendo has not clearly responded whether it will launch a similar replaceable battery version in markets outside the EU, nor has it confirmed whether the Pro handle and Joy-Con will also launch a replaceable battery design that complies with the new regulations.