Nintendo will cease production and sales of the original Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED in Europe starting mid-February 2027. The end of sales comes nearly 10 years after the Switch's original launch in March 2017 and is driven by new EU battery regulations requiring user-replaceable batteries in portable electronics by that date [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].

To comply with Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, Nintendo plans to release a revised Switch 2 line in Europe beginning summer 2026. The rollout starts with Joy-Con controllers featuring user-replaceable batteries in summer 2026, followed by the Switch 2 console in autumn 2026, the Pro Controller and new Joy-Con versions in winter 2026, and Nintendo 64 and GameCube controllers revised for replaceable batteries in early 2027 [1, 2, 6, 7, 5].

Battery capacity on the Switch 2 console will see a minor reduction of about 1%, adding approximately 10 grams in weight. Joy-Cons maintain their battery capacity but also gain some weight when attached. The Switch 2 Pro Controller’s battery capacity will drop 16%, but the controller itself will be 7 grams lighter [1, 2, 6, 5].

Older controllers such as NES, SNES, Pokémon GO Plus+, and SEGA Mega Drive controllers will be discontinued without updated versions featuring replaceable batteries [3, 4, 5]. Nintendo also said it will offer replacement battery kits for the new Switch 2 and compatible controllers through the Nintendo Store in Europe [6].

Nintendo stated, "Starting summer 2026, in preparation for upcoming changes in European battery regulations coming into effect in mid-February 2027, selected Nintendo products in Europe will begin to be replaced on a rolling basis by revisions that contain a user-replaceable battery. There is no difference in functionality between current products and revised products containing user-replaceable batteries" [2].

Nintendo confirmed, "Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model will all continue to be manufactured in 2026, and should be widely available in Europe all year. From mid-February 2027, almost 10 years after Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017, Nintendo will no longer sell to retailers hardware in the Nintendo Switch family of systems" [3].

It remains unclear if the original Switch discontinuation or user-replaceable battery rollout will affect markets outside Europe [2, 3, 4, 5].