Due to changes in battery regulations, Nintendo has decided to no longer sell original Switch 1 consoles in Europe from next year.
Following the launch of the Switch 2 last year, it was only a matter of time before Nintendo ceased manufacturing original Switch consoles.
However, considering how popular the console is – and the fact they’re still releasing new games like Rhythm Paradise Groove – its lifespan in stores could last longer than the average console.
That might still be the case in the US and Japan, but it won’t be in Europe – thanks to a change in European battery regulations which comes into effect from February 2027.
As announced by Nintendo, the Switch 2 console and accessories like Joy-Cons, Switch 2 Pro Controllers, and the Nintendo GameCube controller, will be released with a new replaceable battery starting from autumn this year, to comply with the upcoming regulations.
Nintendo will also sell battery replacement kits for each product from the Nintendo Store in Europe ‘in the future’, although no specific date is given.
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As a result of these regulations, Nintendo states it will no longer sell any original Switch consoles – the original Switch, the Switch Lite, or the OLED model – in Europe from mid-February 2027.
In a FAQ page about the battery swap, it reads: ‘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 ten years after Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017, Nintendo will no longer sell to retailers hardware in the Nintendo Switch family of systems – specifically Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model. Sales of Nintendo Switch hardware on Nintendo Store will also end in mid-February 2027.’
It’s surprising considering the Switch is still being supported by Nintendo with new games, but it seems like the cost to replace the battery so late into the console’s lifecycle was not worth the expense for the company.
The original Switch won’t be available in Europe from February 2027, but it’s unclear if it will be sold in the rest of the world after this date. The fact that the announcement hasn’t posted in other territories suggests it will.
The Switch is the best-selling console in Nintendo history, having surpassed 155 million sales earlier this year. It did have a good chance of being the best-selling console of all-time, but this unexpected change in Europe may have made that impossible.
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