It's The Beginning Of The End For The Original Nintendo Switch

More big changes are coming to Nintendo in the near future: from mid-February 2027, Nintendo will stop selling the Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED to retailers across Europe. Similarly, the Nintendo Store will also stop selling any Switch hardware at the same time. Other impacted devices include the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, Nintendo Entertainment System Controller, SEGA Mega Drive Control Pad, Super Nintendo Entertainment System Controller, and the Pokémon GO Plus Bluetooth accessory. Thankfully, revised Joy-Cons and the Nintendo 64 Controller for Nintendo Switch will still be available, and services like the Nintendo eShop and Nintendo Switch Online will continue to work as normal.

According to the official announcement on Nintendo's website, the update comes to meet new European battery regulations. The regional policy aims to limit the environmental impacts of the battery industry in the face of projected growth, making sure that batteries are as sustainable as possible throughout their life cycle. In this case, the policy means that new electronics must use batteries that users can replace themselves. You can't do so with the batteries of Nintendo Switch products on your own today, so once the policy is in place, these products won't be able to be sold in Europe anymore.

Instead of manufacturing a new range of original Nintendo Switch products with removable batteries, Nintendo is taking this moment to sunset the first Nintendo Switch lineup across Europe. There's no indication this local decision will directly impact Switch production or sales in other countries and regions. However, considering the company's focus on the major upgrade that the Nintendo Switch 2 is, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if the end were in sight for the original Switch more broadly.

Although the Nintendo Switch is pulling the short straw, it isn't the only generation of Nintendo consoles affected by European policy changes. The Nintendo Switch 2 and a selection of its official hardware are being revised to include user-replaceable batteries, which is good news. The Nintendo Switch 2 console itself, Joy-Con 2s, the Switch 2 Pro-Controller, and the Nintendo GameCube Controller for the Nintendo Switch 2 will receive this update.

These revisions will become available on a rolling basis starting Fall 2026 for the Switch 2 console and in early 2027 for the revised GameCube and N64 controllers. The current schedule is an estimate and subject to change if anything goes awry with manufacturing or distribution. Nintendo will share more information before each revision is released, and new editions will eventually replace the older versions once the latter are sold out.

Ultimately, this shouldn't make much of a difference in terms of functionality whether you bought a Switch 2 now or decide to wait until the battery update rolls out. But being able to replace your own batteries instead of tracking down a professional or sending your console back to Nintendo could be a real benefit. The only other changes disclosed in the announcement include battery capacity adjustments, with the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller being the biggest loser with a battery capacity 16% smaller than before. The GameCube controller was the only winner, gaining 5% battery life. Some slight updates to device weights are also listed, though no changes are greater than the Switch 2 console's extra 14 grams.