An easier to repair Nintendo Switch 2 is coming — but not for us

A Switch 2 console on top of an EU flag. — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo has plans for a special version of the Switch 2 for EU countries, and it might make some of you a bit jealous.

A Nintendo Switch 2 with a user-replaceable battery is coming, according to Nikkei, but it’s only likely to arrive in EU countries.

It’s all because this is down to a couple of European bits of law, which demand electronics become easier to repair — namely the Battery Regulation and Right to Repair directives.

These demand, among other standards, consumer electronics like the Nintendo Switch 2 employ user-replaceable batteries. In this case that means the console itself and the Joy-Con controllers.

Nintendo made the 3DS handheld series’s batteries easy to replace, using a simple screwdriver. But as the iFixit guide shows, the process for replacing the Switch 2 battery — while not absolutely terrifying — requires the removal of a couple of internal components and outer stickers that cover some of the screws that keep the console together.

It looks like some internal re-jigging will be required for this one, making you wonder if Nintendo may have to slightly increase the thickness of the console to allow for this new easy-repair design.

Let’s hope it doesn’t result in Nintendo chipping away at the Switch 2’s battery capacity too, because it can be as low as two hours and change with a more demanding title.

The rules that demand this redesign don’t impact the UK. Europe’s Right to Repair directive is a work of the European Commission, which covers EU member states only.

There’s no clue as to exactly when this tweaked Switch 2 console may arrive, but the ruling puts a whole load of obligations into action from July 31st 2026. Of course, what Nintendo needs to do is put enough measures in place to avoid a fine from the European Commission.

If Nintendo releases a different Switch 2 in 2027, it won't be too far off what happened with the Switch 1.

The first Switch was released in early 2017, and the quietly upgraded version with significantly better battery life came out in July 2019, a few months ahead of the Switch Lite.

The 14 best Nintendo Switch 2 games

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Andrew Williams has written about all sorts of stuff for more than a decade — from tech and fitness to entertainment and fashion. He has written for a stack of magazines and websites including Wired, TrustedReviews, TechRadar and Stuff, enjoys going to gigs and painting in his spare time. He's also suspiciously good at poker.

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