The European Union recently passed the European Battery Regulation, which stipulates that, by 2027, batteries are required to be removable and replaceable by consumers.
This is intended to combat battery degradation, the process by which batteries become less effective as they age. A lot of devices aren't designed with removal batteries, meaning replacing them is difficult and costly. This would drive people towards buying new devices, increasing the revenue of manufacturers.
Japanese outlet Nikkei (via CoverGeek) is now reporting that Nintendo plans to release a new version of the Switch 2 in Europe to comply with the upcoming regulations. This new version will allow users to replace the lithium-ion battery, reducing the cost of having a degraded battery replaced.
According to Nikkei, this version is only being rolled out in Europe to comply with regulations, but the report also states Nintendo is prepared to release it in Japan and the United States if consumer awareness increases, and they begin to demand it.
There really is no downside to this new version, as replaceable batteries will only decrease the amount of technological waste being produced by people replacing their old consoles with brand-new ones.
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