Nintendo and Amazon are putting user-replaceable batteries in the Switch 2 and (possibly) the Kindle. This will not be down to altruism or respect for the buyer, but instead, thanks to EU legislation. And while we don’t yet know Amazon’s intentions, Nintendo’s replaceable-battery versions will only be available in the EU. 

Lawful Good

Bit by bit, Europe’s Right to Repair laws are having their intended effect: to make things better for users. And while this doesn’t necessarily mean that things must become worse for the manufacturers, they seem to be doing that to themselves anyway. 

Last year, Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 came into force. It says that smartphones and tablets must have user-replaceable batteries (we’re waiting on new iPads models to see what happens there). This law has an annoying carve-out that limits availability to professional repairers if certain durability measures are met.

Next year (2027), Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 kicks in. This stipulates that the batteries in many, but unfortunately not all, devices must be user-replaceable (or, in the case of electric cars, replaceable by professionals). It also lays down strict rules about the materials allowed in batteries, for both safety and environmental reasons. 

Right now, a Switch 2 battery takes 1-2 hours to replace

These laws are obviously good for us, the users, as we can keep perfectly-good gadgets ticking along for years, instead of having to toss out and replace the whole thing. This means phones and laptops, but it also means handheld games consoles, e-readers, portable music gear, Bluetooth headphones, portable speakers, and on and on. 

But these laws also help to protect the environment, to an extent, which was actually the original intent of the laws as a part of the European Green Deal. Removable batteries make recycling e-waste easier and safer, and the laws regarding materials will help to make disposal or recycling of the batteries themselves more feasible. 

Grudging compliance

Let’s take a look at the two news stories that prompted this article. First up, Nintendo, which published its plans on its website, an especially welcome development seeing as game-console makers have either skirted or been straight up exempt from right to repair laws in the past. 

In that first post, Nintendo didn’t mention the Switch 2 by name, referring only to the code “BEE,” which designates the Switch 2 hardware ecosystem. However, Nintendo subsequently published its full plans for compliance, with a list of products affected, and a timeline.

Fairphone’s Fairbuds show how it’s done

Starting this summer, Nintendo will begin rolling out EU versions of the Nintendo Switch 2, Joy-Con controllers, the Switch 2 Pro Controller, and the N64 (for Switch) and GameCube (for Switch 2) controllers. Weight and battery capacity are roughly the same for most items, except the Switch 2 Pro Controller, whose battery have a 16% smaller capacity compare to the current version, 897 mAh vs 1,070 mAh.

In addition, Nintendo is pulling non-compliant products from the store. The following will no longer be available to buy in EU stores after mid-February 2027:

• Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Controller for Nintendo Switch*
• Pokémon™ GO Plus +
• Nintendo Switch
• Nintendo Switch Lite
• Nintendo Switch – OLED Model
• Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
• SEGA Mega Drive Control Pad for Nintendo Switch*
• Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) Controller for Nintendo Switch

It certainly looks like Nintendo plans to keep making two separate Switch product lines, one for the EU, and one for everywhere else. But why not just make the new, improved model the standard for the whole world? My guess is that it’s either more expensive to make the replaceable-battery version, or Nintendo is still ramping up production. Another possibility is that with the current hardware price spiral, Nintendo might just be doing the minimum to comply with regulation until it gets cheap enough to roll this out globally. That reading, though, presumes that adding replaceable batteries is more expensive than not, which is not necessarily the case. 

Next up, Amazon. According to some digital spelunking, Amazon published and then pulled a  5.19.4 firmware release for the Kindle which contained the following text:

This battery cannot be recognized and may not perform as expected. Charging has been limited to protect your device. To restore your device to its original performance specifications, we recommend installing a battery that meets Amazon specifications.

Go to Settings > Device Options > Battery for battery troubleshooting guidance and support. Scan the QR code below to purchase a battery replacement kit and view the replacement instructions

This looks like good and bad news wrapped up together. The good news is that Amazon looks to be going all-in on the replaceable-battery game, complete with selling spares, and providing guides. The bad news is that it looks like Amazon will be using parts pairing. Parts pairing is where device manufacturers use software barriers to lock out third-party spares. This is especially ironic given that Amazon is the home of a zillion spare-part sellers. 

Parts pairing also stops the reuse of first-party parts in other devices. In this case, you wouldn’t be able to harvest the battery from an old Kindle with a broken screen and reuse it in another device without a software blessing.

Will Amazon also make its improved Kindles EU-only? We don’t know, but we will only have to wait until next year to find out. 

Kindle battery replacement isn’t too bad, but it’s scary for many people

Even if Amazon, Nintendo, and other electronics manufacturers do take the worst path, and only sell their redesigned gadgets in the EU, they will have set a precedent. Any other country that already has or plans to enforce similar right-to-repair laws will be able to point at those EU-only versions and tell Amazon or Nintendo, “You will also sell those here.” There can be no excuses about it being impossible, or something something don’t want to do it something.

Another possibility is that companies might—like Nintendo is doing with older products—just not sell some products in the EU any more, at least until they can figure out a loophole. That’s exactly what Facebook is considering with its privacy-busting Ray Ban smart glasses, although in this case, not having such things in the EU would be a good thing. 

Next Steps

This isn’t the end of the EU legislation designed to benefit users of electrical and electronics goods and gadgets. Next month on 31 July 2026, the “Directive (EU) 2024/1799” takes effect. This is the EU’s Right to Repair Directive, and it lays out rules that force manufacturers to offer repairs, spare parts, and repair manuals for their wares, as well as preventing them from using many common excuses to refuse repairs. 

This last part is my favorite. The law says that a manufacturer cannot refuse to repair a device just because it has been repaired already by somebody else. Also, they cannot prevent the use of third-party spares, old, reused spares, or even 3D-printed parts for repairs. They also cannot use software to prevent repair. 

This law doesn’t cover everything, but it does cover most consumer goods, from refrigerators and washing machines to vacuum cleaners to electronic displays. 

Unfortunately, the law is vague on important points. Repairs must be carried out within a “reasonable” period of time, and spares must be made available at a reasonable price. What constitutes “reasonable” will probably end up being decided in the courts. 

Also, repairs can be refused if they are “impossible.” Who gets to decide which repairs are impossible? I foresee that manufacturers will be making this claim quite often, and you and I, the buyers/owners, won’t be able to do much about it. 

Still, the slow and relentless rise of these laws is starting to have some real effects, and we are of course totally here for it. Bring it on.