643
Nintendo Confirms EU‑Only Switch 2 Revision With User‑Replaceable Batteries
(www.extremetech.com)
EU be like: Feels good to be a gangsta.
this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2026
643 points (99.2% liked)
Technology
85212 readers
4050 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related news or articles.
- Be excellent to each other!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
- Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.
Approved Bots
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
Turns out companies would rather reverse planned obsolescence than lose access to an entire geographic market. I wonder what else we could get these capitalist fascists to do if we united and forced them into a corner?
But what if it goes wrong, and the parasites vacate our area, leaving room for vibrant innovative new companies to thrive?!
😱 oh no!
It’s not user replaceable but it’s not actually that hard to replace it, so this basically just takes work away from all those little repair shops. Still good for customers but probably not much of a difference for Nintendo.
this is how stupid, self centered, petty, controlling, and anti-consumer, anti-fan Nintendo is.
They'd rather incur the costs of running two assemblies side by side, than simply give everyone access to a means of easily repair their switch.
They'd rather spend tons of extra money, than do anything beneficial for someone they arent forced by law to give it to.
Thos is far from a Nintendo exclusive problem.
It is the way entire industries are going (and have neen going for decades).
It's only strong consumer protection laws that stand in their way.
They’d rather incur the costs of running two assemblies side by side, than simply give everyone access to a means of easily repair their switch.
I guarantee you they've made the calculation and found that the cost is well offset by the profits gained from the inability of other markets to repair their owned switches.
load more comments
(1 replies)
I love that the overwhelming response to this is getting mad at Nintendo for complying with EU law instead of getting mad at the US Government for lagging severely behind on consumer rights. Small wonder things aren't getting better.
I can be mad at both. B
Maybe, but skimming through the comments I didn't see anything directly making this point and only a few, not particularly upvoted, posts that touched on consumer rights issues. Can and do missed each other again :(
Id assume bots are being used to show outrage about them changing it in the EU unlike here. Theres no downside to an upgrade like this.
i wonder if it was always like this or this is a recent thing
Thats crazy to make it EU only.
In the EU bottle caps have to be attached to the bottle so they stay together when thrown away. Everyone working in recycling and especially people working in stuff like river cleanups praise how this is a gigantic improvement. It is universally a good thing.
Even Coca Cola used it in advertising to sell how environmentally friendly they are (by not breaking the law). However they are only doing it in countries where it is legally required and nowhere else.
I had no idea this was a thing; just read up on it and what a cool mandate.
load more comments
(4 replies)
Even apple went world wide when Europe forced them into C
Complain to your fascist government. lol good luck.
Such a dick move keeping it EU only, and also not surprising... Nintendo is hostile towards its fanbase and always has been.
I went PC-only several years ago and haven't looked back.
I'm done with consoles. That does mean missing out on some games, but interesting games are already coming out faster than I can play them.
How long do you think it'll take before Nintendo adds a software check so you can't have the European version outside of Europe beyond short term travel?
Apple did this exact thing on iPhone and 3rd party stores so I would be surprised if this wasn't already baked into the firmware on the Switch.
I was on holiday on Greece when they dropped the iOS update that opened up third party app stores, so installed it over shitty wifi to see what I could install.
Nope, my account is British, so no go.
Fuckers.
Nintendo can just eat a dick, seriously. I’m gonna pirate their games to my heart’s content, they can throw as many little hissy fits as they want about it.
I was considering buying a switch 2 for a couple of the exclusives, despite my prior beliefs, but this confirms that I shouldn't have even considered it
fuck you Nintendo, stop disrespecting me as a customer
We'll be able to torrent all those "exclusives" in one or two years. No need to give Nintendo any money for being scumbags.
Maintaining two product lines simply out of spite really is just such a Nintendo thing to do.
Being anti consumer is more profitable than making 2 product lines. Remember if you live in other countries not in EU you are inferior because Nintendo just told you so.
I have never and will never pay for a Nintendo product because of shit like this. Doesn't mean you can't play Nintendo games though 🏴☠️
Fuck Nintendo.
yep.
I've not given Nintendo money for a long ass time, because of their idiotic insistence on choosing the most selfish, customer hating path at every fork in the road they come to.
load more comments
(6 replies)
load more comments
(2 replies)
load more comments
(13 replies)
You can't fucking replace the batteries on switches?!
Why do you assholes buy these consoles? Seriously.
I - way back when - bought a Switch 1 because it played a bunch of the games that I could easily involve my kids/family in, and can come the times I've used it on battery with one hand.
However, that was also before the Steam Deck became a thing and haven't really given Nintendo my patronage since.
The Deck also has an internal-only battery but replacing that at least is fairly straightforward (I have not needed to do so but was in the area when upgrading the storage card).
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you can’t replace batteries on most modern portable computing devices these days.
"because my friends did, but is so expensive, and I had to buy it." What people said to me.
load more comments
(6 replies)
For everyone who thought eu legislation would force corporations make better stuff globally, that's how much they care about you.
And people still buying from nintendo is really disappointing
I thought EU legislation would make better stuff in the EU and it has.
It does it's just Nintendo going out of their way to be awkward even to their own detriment.
Look at Apple, everyone gets USB-C iPhones now they could have made a USB-C version for the European market and a mag-safe port for other markets but that would have meant two different power boards and different body designs but each market which wasn't worth it. Nintendo however have decided to actually put the cost into making two different body moulds and two different circuit boards one for non-replaceable batteries and one for replaceable batteries.
Nintendo have been anti-consumer for a long time but I'm surprised that they're willing to waste money on it.
I think this is giving Apple too much credit, they played the largest role in the development of USB-C’s design. Started putting it on their MacBooks and IPads pretty early. They were more likely just trying to avoid another bad press cycle like when they switched to lightning. As we can see with the App Store and browsers they absolutely will be anti-consumer when they don’t think their is any real risk to them.
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(8 replies)
Why only EU though?
Because only the EU is legally requiring it
They're not willing to give a pinky to other countries. They'd rather have two assembly lines. I hope the law spreads, followed by the same happeningto Nintendo's butthole.
Because they only are doing the minimum needed changes to align with the law. Other countries don't have the law, so they don't do it there. Same game as with Apple.
On the one hand, yes, this is the minimum. On the other hand, they’re making their supply chain more complicated by carrying 2 different versions with different parts etc.
So in that sense they’re going out of their way to be assholes.
Thats been Nintendo's modus operandi for at least the past 15 years.
That's a considerable assumption, that Nintendo is stirring a cauldron cackling about what assholes they're being. Meanwhile, back in reality, they probably don't just phone up suppliers to see what they have around when it's time to move another million units. Ink is likely try on contracts for millions of the old style batteries and components, so even if Nintendo Super-Duper wanted to switch over completely to the new design there's going to be a supply chain lag.
view more: next ›