In a move that’s been brewing for a while now after Europe announced the Right to Repair directive and new battery regulations, Nintendo committed in early June to Switch revisions. Now, the hardware giant has detailed its rollout plans for Switch 2 products.
As shared today, 6th June, via Nintendo’s official website, selected Nintendo products in the European territories “will begin to be replaced on a rolling basis by revisions that contain a user-replaceable battery”. There are no differences in functionalities, as expected, and the rollout will start this summer.
While the first ‘batch’ will hit summer 2026, additional products won’t be available until autumn, winter, and early 2027. “Due to a variety of factors, revised products may not become available in all European countries simultaneously,” the company added. While the page doesn’t outright say the current component crisis is to blame for problems in manufacturing and distribution, it acknowledges timings may change and “availability at retailers may also vary”.
A comprehensive table details the battery capacity and weight changes affecting each product in the Switch 2 family. For example, the Joy-Cons aren’t seeing any beyond getting replaceable batteries. The Switch 2 console, however, is getting a 1 percent smaller battery and gain around 10g in weight. The latest Pro Controller is facing the biggest battery reduction, with a 16 percent smaller replacement.
Joy-Con revisions will start hitting stores this summer, with the Switch 2 console arriving around autumn, the Pro Controller getting its refresh in winter, and the N64 and GameCube controllers planned to roll out in early 2027.
Hidden in the FAQ at the bottom of the same page, there’s also the massive announcement that Nintendo will stop producing older Switch hardware and selling to retailers the Switch, Switch Lite, and even Switch OLED “from mid-February 2027, almost ten years after Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017”. Additionally, “sales of Nintendo Switch hardware on Nintendo Store will also end in mid-February 2027”.
