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Nintendo has just announced that it plans to modify the Nintendo Switch 2 console and make it significantly easier to replace the battery. This is being done to comply with EU regulations about user-replaceable batteries, which will come into force in February 2027. Sadly, this doesn't necessarily mean that everyone will automatically be able to buy one of these modified Switch 2 consoles.
Nintendo's announcement isn't particularly forthcoming with details about how these new Switch 2 consoles will be distributed. Instead, it has only specified that future EU Switch 2 consoles will be sold with unique model numbers and an additional "OSM" code on the packaging, which marks them as distinct from existing models on sale. Those units have model numbers starting with "BEE."
What does this mean for future Switch 2s?
Nintendo specifically says that this is being done to differentiate "separate products for regulatory purposes." This suggests that the old design won't vanish overnight. I've emailed Nintendo to clarify this point, and will update when I hear back.
So the big question is whether Nintendo will restrict the sale of these new units to the EU, or if they will eventually start selling them in other regions as well. The company is certainly under no obligation to sell these modified units elsewhere, but it also doesn't make a whole lot of sense to manufacture entirely different hardware for a single region.
Typically, regional variations are limited to specific components, rather than whole new designs. Samsung Galaxy S26 phones utilize the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset in North America, while units sold elsewhere have the Exynos 2600.
Similarly, all iPhones made the switch from Lightning to USB-C, rather than just the models within a specific part of Europe. It doesn't make sense to regionalize the manufacturing process to such an extent and go to the trouble and expense of producing such wildly different versions of the same product.
These rules weren't kept secret
The other big question is why Nintendo didn't plan for this eventuality. The subject of user-replaceable batteries in electronics has been going on for at least six years, well ahead of the Switch 2's release, and one would think that they would have seen this coming and adjusted designs accordingly. The whole point of this legislation is to allow users to replace batteries without any specialist skills or tools. This is not the case with the current Switch 2 design.
Instead, the task of replacing the Switch 2's battery is a long and fairly convoluted process. According to iFixit's repair guide, the Switch 2 battery isn't easily accessible, even after you remove the console's back plate. A bunch of disassembly is required to even access the battery, and you then have to repeat the process in reverse to put the unit back together again.
Replacing the battery in a Joy-Con 2 isn't nearly as complicated, but it's still not the simplest process in the world. Joy-Cons are going to be affected by the incoming rules, too, though Nintendo hasn't confirmed any plans at the time of writing.
So what's going to happen?
It's not entirely clear what Nintendo's plans are right now, only that it will have those modified replacement-friendly Switch 2 consoles on store shelves ahead of the EU's February 18, 2027 deadline. I expect that Nintendo will start distributing the new consoles ahead of that date and minimize the chances of any BEE consoles being sold when they're not supposed to be.
The intricacies of global trade, especially within the EMEA, also likely mean that the new OSM consoles will end up being sold elsewhere, too. Whether that will be restricted to EU neighbors like Norway or the U.K., or whether they will end up being shipped to the likes of North America and Asia, isn't something we can predict.
I hope that Nintendo will eventually wind down production of the original Switch 2 console in favor of making the OSM models more widely available. Having one console in production makes a lot more sense than two, after all. But since there's no hard deadline like there is in the EU, it would make sense for Nintendo to make this a more gradual process.
But no matter what ends up happening, it's worth noting that the new consoles probably won't be arriving before the Switch 2's price goes up in September. There's a $50 price hike in the U.S., bringing the console to $599, and a €30 price increase to €500 in the EU.
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