Nintendo is launching an updated version of its Switch 2 handheld in Europe this fall. The revamped console, referenced in a Nintendo of Europe Support update, will reportedly feature user-replaceable batteries as the company works to align with regional battery regulations.
A digitally translated report from Japanese outlet Nikkei (via IGN) cites the European Union directive, called “Right to Repair,” as the motive behind hardware changes. These regional regulations, first introduced in 2023, make product repairs more affordable and accessible to consumers, “reduce waste and bolster the repair sector by making it easier and more cost-effective to repair goods.” Nikkei’s report adds that “Nintendo may also implement similar policies in Japan and the United States if consumer awareness of the right to repair increases.”
Nintendo shared details in its Support post: “Starting summer 2026, in preparation for upcoming changes in European battery regulations coming into effect in mid-February 2027, selected Nintendo products in Europe will begin to be replaced on a rolling basis by revisions that contain a user-replaceable battery.” The memo continues, clarifying that players will note “no difference in functionality between current products and revised products containing user-replaceable batteries.”
Nintendo’s updated hardware and peripherals will launch this summer, with staggered seasonal product releases slated through early 2027. The brand warns, however, that “revised products may not become available in all European countries simultaneously” due to “a variety of factors.” Nintendo confirms that players in Europe will be able to pick up replacement kits for each product in the future.
New ‘right to repair’-compliant Nintendo Switch 2 specs
New batteries in the Nintendo Switch 2 handheld and attachable Joy-Con 2 controllers will be 1 percent smaller but increase the system’s overall weight from 534 grams to 548 grams. Without Joy-Con 2 controllers attached, the system will weigh about 411 grams.
Nintendo’s Joy-Con 2 controllers and the brand’s Pro Controllers will get new batteries, too, reducing their battery size by 7 percent and making the peripherals about 7 grams lighter than older models. The retro Nintendo Switch 2-compatible N64 and GameCube controllers, expected to launch early next year, will also undergo changes. Beginning in early 2027, new compatible N64 controllers will see no battery capacity dips but will weigh 1 gram more than older versions. Meanwhile, batteries in Nintendo’s Switch 1-compatible GameCube controllers will weigh 5 grams more than earlier versions. This battery will be 5 percent larger than those in currently available controllers.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to Outrun Gaming for more information as it becomes available.
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