The Mario maker doesn’t usually play by anyone else’s rules. But this time, it might have to. A new report suggests that Nintendo Switch 2 could receive a region-specific revision to comply with Europe’s stricter regulations. It’s a huge win for consumers and the environment, but this could impact its predecessor’s sales in the region.
According to the Japanese media Nikkei‘s report, Nintendo is preparing a revised version of the Switch 2 that aligns with ‘Right to Repair‘ policies in the European Union. The change is simple but quite significant, as the console will reportedly be redesigned to allow owners to easily replace its battery.
EU regulators have been steadily tightening rules around repairability since the early 2020s. The governing body aims to reduce electronic waste and force manufacturers to think beyond ‘planned obsolescence.’ Think less toxic waste and fewer trips to the factory — or worse, landfill — just for minor issues.
However, while this is great news for the Switch 2, this regulation could put the Switch 1 in an awkward spot. Because, on the flip side, this could also lead to a gradual phase-out of the previous console in Europe. After all, the original Switch does not feature replaceable batteries and could struggle to comply with EU regulations over time.
Sure, reports say that Europe has contributed to an install base of around 39 million for the original Switch models. But rather than maintaining legacy hardware, Nintendo will likely find it more efficient to discontinue the older console altogether.
With Nintendo Switch 2 already running original Switch games, the company isn’t exactly leaving its old library behind, anyway. In many cases, those titles even perform better on the newer hardware. That makes it increasingly unnecessary to keep the aging system on the shelf.
If the report goes through, Switch 2’s EU-focused revision might not just introduce a better feature. It could also mark the beginning of the end for the original Switch in one of Nintendo’s key markets.
