Nintendo redesigns Switch 2 for EU buyers — replaceable battery required by law
Nintendo has confirmed it will release a redesigned Switch 2 for the European Union with a battery that users can replace themselves — not because it wanted to, but because it has to. The EU's Batteries Regulation 2023/1542 requires all portable electronics sold in the bloc to have easily swappable batteries by February 18, 2027. Nintendo's European division has officially stated it will have a compliant model ready before that deadline.
The standard Switch 2, which launched globally this year, scored just 3 out of 10 for repairability in an iFixit teardown. The battery is glued in and the charging port is soldered to the board — both significant obstacles for any repair. The EU version will need to close that gap, though Nintendo has not disclosed what design changes it will actually make.
The compliance details
The EU-compliant models will carry unique model numbers and an "OSM" code printed on the packaging, marking them as a separate regulatory product, reports Engadget. That "OSM" label is how retailers and consumers will distinguish them from the standard global model.
Nintendo has not said whether the redesigned version will cost more, weigh differently, or change in any other way. The Joy-Con 2 controllers may also need to meet the same battery rules — Nikkei has reported this is under consideration — but Nintendo has not confirmed it officially.
What this means for US buyers
If you're shopping in the US or UK, none of this applies directly. Nintendo has made no announcement about releasing the removable-battery version outside the EU. Most US states exempt game consoles from right-to-repair legislation, and Nintendo has not confirmed compliance with New York's repair law for the Switch 2 either.
The gap in repairability is already visible in the handheld gaming market — the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go both score higher on iFixit's scale than the current Switch 2. The EU regulation may eventually push Nintendo toward a more repairable global design, but the company has said it will only expand the compliant version "if required by similar legal frameworks" elsewhere.
For now, EU consumers get the more repairable console by default. Everyone else does not.
Source: Nintendo
