Nintendo says it will launch EU Switch 2 versions with batteries designed to be more easily user-replaceable, starting in line with an EU regulation due to take effect on February 18, 2027. The change is aimed at meeting new legal requirements, though Nintendo
Nintendo has moved to meet a hard deadline coming from Brussels: starting February 18, 2027, the company says it will offer Switch 2 versions in the EU with batteries users can remove and replace more easily.
The promise sits on Nintendo’s website under plans tied to a new EU regulation set to take effect on February 18. 2027. Nintendo’s wording is careful, but the direction is clear. It says it is “implementing measures to comply with these requirements by preparing versions of products to meet the Regulation.” In other words. this isn’t a vague nod—it’s a compliance plan built into product versions Nintendo intends to sell in Europe.
EU battery rules are part of a broader push to extend the life of devices instead of discarding them. From that February 2027 date, EU regulation mandates that many categories of gadgets, including portable game consoles, must allow users to relatively easily remove and replace batteries.
Nintendo, however, hasn’t spelled out what will actually change inside the Switch 2. Right now, removing the Switch 2 battery is described as a multi-step process, with iFixit showing the effort involved. The company’s announcement doesn’t say whether it will simplify the battery swap by changing the casing. fastening system. or internal layout—only that “future compliant versions” will be prepared to meet the new requirements.
There’s also uncertainty beyond Europe. Nintendo does not say whether a replaceable-battery Switch 2 model will be sold in other regions, and the company did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
What Nintendo does clarify is how it will separate these EU-compliant products from older models in its paperwork and packaging. On its website. Nintendo says that “for current products with model numbers starting with ‘BEE’” — a designation used with the Switch 2 in Nintendo filings with the FCC — “future compliant versions will have unique model numbers and the additional code ‘OSM’ visible on the packaging. designating them as separate products for regulatory purposes.”.
The “BEE” label isn’t limited to the console. Switch 2 controllers, including the Pro Controller and the Joy-Cons, also carry the BEE moniker. Nintendo has been asked whether those controllers will get user-replaceable batteries as well. but no answer is provided in the information currently available.
Behind the technical details. the stakes are simple: for owners. a battery that can’t be swapped easily can turn a repair into a replacement. For Nintendo. the deadline forces a design decision that affects everything from device longevity to how easily consumers can keep their hardware running years down the line. Europe is now setting the expectation, and Nintendo is already moving to match it.
At the moment. the most concrete takeaway is the timeline and the separation strategy: a new EU Switch 2 version that meets February 18. 2027 requirements. marked by unique model numbers and an “OSM” code on packaging for products tied to the “BEE” model family. What’s still missing is the detail people will care about most when they open the device—the exact hardware changes that make battery replacement simpler. and whether similar revisions will land anywhere else.
Nintendo Switch 2 EU regulation replaceable battery portable game consoles FCC filings iFixit Pro Controller Joy-Cons