Nintendo is redesigning the Switch 2 and Joy-Con 2 controllers for European markets, adding user-accessible batteries ahead of the EU Batteries Regulation compliance deadline of 18 February 2027. The change was first reported by Japanese newspaper Nikkei, which cited Nintendo’s stated aim of aligning its right to repair policy to reduce environmental impact. Eurogamer confirmed the story on 22 March 2026.
What Nintendo Is Changing for EU Switch 2 Units
The Nintendo Switch 2 will ship in Europe with a user-replaceable battery and redesigned Joy-Con 2 controllers — both updated to comply with the EU Batteries Regulation, which requires portable device batteries to be readily removable and replaceable by end-users without specialist tools or risk of damage to the device. The compliance deadline is 18 February 2027.
According to the Nikkei report, the Joy-Con 2 controllers will also be redesigned to allow users to remove and replace each lithium-ion battery independently. This makes the EU revision more comprehensive than a console-only change: players who wear down controller batteries through heavy use will be able to replace them at home rather than sending hardware to Nintendo’s service network.
The EU Batteries Regulation
The EU Batteries Regulation (Regulation 2023/1542) requires that batteries in portable devices — including smartphones and handheld gaming consoles — are readily removable and replaceable by the end-user at any time during the product’s lifetime. The requirement takes effect on 18 February 2027.
The practical scale of the change becomes clear from iFixit’s Switch 2 teardown: the current console’s battery is described as “aggressively glued in”, with removal requiring a full suite of pry tools and isopropyl alcohol. A version that meets the EU standard will need to be accessible without specialist equipment or risk of damage to the cell. Even minor design adjustments — reduced adhesive, battery brackets, or modular casing — could bring the Switch 2 into compliance.
Nintendo’s Position
Nintendo has not issued a broad public statement on the design change beyond what Nikkei and Eurogamer reported. The company has historically kept Switch hardware tightly sealed — the original Nintendo Switch and Switch OLED both required professional-level disassembly to reach the battery. The EU-specific revision marks a departure from that approach, at least for one market.
What This Means for Switch 2 Players in Europe
European Switch 2 buyers will be able to replace their own batteries without specialist tools — a change that Sony already made to its DualSense PS5 controllers under the same regulation, and that Apple applied to newer iPhone models to facilitate battery swaps. Nintendo is following an industry pattern rather than acting in isolation.
The practical benefit is hardware longevity. The Switch 2 EU revision directly addresses battery degradation: rather than sending the console to Nintendo or a licensed repairer when capacity drops, European players will be able to buy a replacement cell and swap it at home. This also reduces e-waste, which the EU Batteries Regulation explicitly targets.
| EU Switch 2 (Revised) | Global Switch 2 (Current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Console battery | User-replaceable | Professionally serviced only |
| Joy-Con 2 battery | User-replaceable | Fixed — not field-replaceable |
| Regulation driver | EU Batteries Regulation 2023/1542 | No equivalent mandate |
| Compliance deadline | 18 February 2027 | N/A |
Will SEA and Non-EU Players Get This?
Nintendo has not announced a global rollout of the battery-replaceable design. SEA players, North American buyers, and other markets will receive the standard Switch 2 configuration unless Nintendo unifies its hardware globally. Nikkei’s report notes that Nintendo may also implement similar policies in Japan and the United States if consumer awareness of right to repair increases — but this is conditional, not confirmed.
Several US states are already exploring right-to-repair legislation modelled on the EU framework. A single global hardware design meeting EU standards would be Nintendo’s simplest manufacturing path, avoiding the complexity of maintaining two hardware variants. Until Nintendo commits to that path, assume the battery-accessible design is EU-only.
What Comes Next
The Nintendo Switch 2 launched globally on 5 June 2025. Whether EU units ship with the updated battery-accessible design from day one or via a later silent revision — similar to the Switch 1’s 2019 battery-life improvement — has not been confirmed by Nintendo.
Players outside Europe who want battery replaceability should monitor Nintendo hardware revision announcements in the months ahead. The EU Batteries Regulation sets a precedent that is already influencing hardware design across the consumer electronics industry. If enough markets follow, Nintendo is likely to extend the accessible battery design globally rather than maintain two separate production lines.
Sources: Nikkei (original report) | Eurogamer (22 March 2026)
