Nintendo is seemingly making changes to the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware to better align the console with the right to repair policies enshrined in the laws across countries part of the European Union. According to Japanese publication Nikkei, the company is planning to release a version of the Switch 2 that features an easily-replaceable battery.
The report has noted that Nintendo might consider a similar move for other markets, like Japan and the US, if similar right to repair legislation is passed and consumer awareness of the concept continues to rise.
Along with the console itself, Nintendo is also making its Joy-Con 2 controllers easier to repair. Whether the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller will be seeing a similar treatment in the EU is currently unknown.
While not outright stated by Nikkei, the report has also indicated that there is also a possibility of the original Nintendo Switch getting discontinued in the region. This is largely down to the EU’s right to repair legislation requirements, which the original Switch falls well short of. Nintendo is unlikely to release an entirely new model of the 2017 console at this point, especially since it has a newer console to sell.
Nikkei hasn’t confirmed a release date for the new repairable Nintendo Switch 2 console. However, its report has indicated that it will likely happen quite soon to ensure that Nintendo doesn’t fall in trouble with EU courts.
The report comes just a month after Nintendo revealed during its earnings report that it had sold over 17 million units of the Switch 2 as of December 31, 2025. The company also confirmed that the console’s first holiday season accounted for 7.01 million units alone. On the software side of things, the company revealed that 17.31 million units were sold.
Along with this, Nintendo also confirmed that the original Switch had sold over 155 million units, making it the best-selling console in Nintendo’s history. With this milestone, the Switch beat the DS, which had sold 154.02 million sales throughout its life.
When it comes to what’s in store for the Switch 2’s future, research firm Niko Partners has predicted that we might see the console get a price hike in 2026. The prediction came as part of its January report predicting changes in the gaming industry over the course of the coming year. It noted that the Switch 2 has an advantage over PS5 and Xbox Series X/S thanks to its competitive pricing. However, with Sony’s and Microsoft’s consoles also at risk of getting further price hikes, Nintendo might follow suit as well.
In January, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa had spoken about the state of the hardware market, thanks in no small part to the ongoing global memory shortages. He noted that profitability of the Switch 2 depends on a host of factors, from exchange rates to tariffs, and even component procurement conditions. “It’s difficult to generalize. Fundamentally, we aim to address this by advancing component procurement over the medium to long term,” he said.
