A new Nintendo Switch could launch next year – and I want it more than anything else

When Nintendo worked on the Nintendo Switch 2’s design, it likely expected to settle on one version that it could sell around the world for a few years. At the same time, though, it almost certainly had its eye on the EU, which has been slowly but surely pushing through pro-consumer measures in its market.

We’re all using USB-C iPhones now because of its laws, and the next big step-change is likely to be around batteries, which are going to have to be user-replaceable in the next few years. As a result, Japanese outlet Nikkei is reporting that Nintendo is working on a new battery-replaceable variant of the Switch 2 that it’ll sell in the EU from February 2027, when the legislation requires the change to have been put in place.

This is a big change, of course; while plenty of us (this writer included) grew up with phones that had backs you could pop off, or Game Boys that used AA batteries, there are now probably a couple of generations out there who don’t own any electronic devices that have easily replaceable batteries.

The big question for many of us has been whether this legislation will bring in changes worldwide, or just in the EU, and from the sounds of it, Nintendo is possibly going with the latter option at first. Whereas Apple decided to bring in USB-C for its iPhones worldwide rather than just in the EU, this demonstrates that there are two roads open to big companies.

That said, Nikkei includes in its report the possibility that Nintendo would bring the same battery-replaceable version to Japan, America and other markets (like the UK) if consumer awareness of the possibility starts to rise and makes it worthwhile.

Following that logic through, it basically acknowledges that Nintendo, like Apple, might find itself in a situation where it has to sell a battery-replaceable Switch 2 everywhere, because only selling it in the EU would leave consumers elsewhere fuming that they're being short-changed.

Speaking only for myself, this seems like one of those changes with basically no downside from a user's point of view, and I'd love to get my hands on a more future-proofed Switch 2 with the feature. If the Switch 2's price is unaffected, we're likely just talking about the addition of a few small screws on the back of the console to let you access the battery to replace it.

The big question would be how much a replacement battery pack would cost, but there's every chance that the third-party market on this front could drive prices down nicely, unless Nintendo tries to ensure you need to use only its own replacements.

That's a reminder that there are plenty of unknowns in this story, including when the new variant of the Switch 2 might launch. While the cutoff point is indeed in early 2027, for all we know, Nintendo might want to get in position earlier – meaning the next year should be very interesting for Switch 2 hardware news.