Nintendo Switch 2 might include a replaceable battery after EU ruling
Could Nintendo's next handheld come with a replaceable battery?
Nintendo Switch 2 may have to include a replaceable battery after a new EU regulation has been passed – and it’ll also affect other handheld and mobile devices in the future.
As highlighted by Eurogamer, the Council of the European Union’s new regulation dictates that handheld game consoles, like the inevitable Nintendo Switch 2, will need to have a replaceable battery by 2027 to cut down on waste.
It’s a similar move to how it imposed that all portable electronic devices sold in the EU will need to use USB Type-C for charging by autumn 2024. And it’s why the iPhone 15 design is tipped to ditch the Lightning port for USB-C.
With a likely release date of holiday 2024, Nintendo doesn’t necessarily need to include a replaceable battery in the Nintendo Switch 2, but it would make the device more future-proof and consumer-friendly if it did. It would also make the move to a revised Nintendo Switch 2, like a Switch Lite or OLED model, easier down the line.
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Nintendo Switch 2 battery
🤔 Nintendo’s next handheld could include a replaceable battery
🔋 An EU ruling dictates that portable devices need to have replaceable batteries by 2027
👨⚖️ The ruling will affect other future handheld devices like the next Steam Deck
📱 The EU also ruled that portable electronic devices sold in the EU need to use USB Type-C by autumn 2024, which will affect the next iPhone
The EU said the timeframe of 2027 should give "sufficient time for operators to adapt the design of their products to this requirement" and outlined what manufacturers need to do to meet the new ruling.
"A portable battery shall be considered readily removable by the end-user where it can be removed from a product with the use of commercially available tools, without requiring the use of specialized tools, unless provided free of charge with the product,” the EU’s statement reads.
The ruling is a pro-consumer move that tackles one of the biggest issues with mobile devices and portable handhelds: battery degradation. You’ve probably seen your iPhone battery capacity slowly decrease over time, and your only recourse is to either have the battery replaced by Apple or a certified repairer, which is an expensive process or upgrade your phone.
A portable battery would at least allow users to hot-swap batteries and protect devices from being at the mercy of gradual battery degradation. The move is a throwback to mobile phones of the past, but is undoubtedly welcome.
Will the Nintendo Switch 2 include a replaceable battery to comply with the EU ruling ahead of time, then? Don’t rule it out.