Nintendo has announced a new model. Nintendo Switch 2 Hardware is coming soon and the latest revision includes a replaceable battery. However, Nintendo Switch 2 owners shouldn't prepare to replace their current hardware, with a few possible exceptions.
It's worth noting that traces of this new Nintendo Switch 2 hardware actually leaked back in January, but the intentions of this new model were unknown at the time. Of course, the best guess was that Nintendo was already developing a Nintendo Switch 2 Lite or Nintendo Switch 2 OLED, but it's worth noting that the replaceable battery is the only change to this new model.
A trusted insider has leaked the Nintendo Direct date.
The date of the next Nintendo Direct may have been revealed by a trusted insider, and fans may not have to wait any longer.
New Nintendo Switch 2 model with replaceable battery
A recent update on Nintendo's official website, specifically Nintendo of Europe, states that the product is or will be compliant with all European Union directives and regulations. This language includes Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, which covers domestic batteries and end-of-life batteries, and that regulation, which came into force in February, mandates that “batteries sold in the EU that are incorporated into certain devices must be readily replaceable by the end user at any time during the life of the product.” Therefore, a new Nintendo Switch 2 model with replaceable batteries will be released in EU countries in the near future.
Place the consoles in the correct order.
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Place the consoles in the correct order.
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“For current products with model numbers starting with ‘BEE,’ future compatible versions will carry a unique model number and an additional code ‘OSM’ that appears on the packaging, designating them as separate products for regulatory purposes,” Nintendo says. And even though this new model is official, it's not clear what effect it will have on the Nintendo Switch 2's battery life, or whether it's simply the same battery and can be replaced more easily if something goes wrong near the end of the Switch 2's life. There's also no mention of whether this new model will expand beyond Europe, and it's probably not even likely.
The release date for the new OSM-Nintendo Switch 2 device is yet to be confirmed, but it is likely to launch before September. As you may know, Nintendo recently announced a worldwide price increase for Nintendo Switch 2 devices, which will go into effect in September. For US device owners, this means $449.99 to $499.99. For EU users, this will increase from €469.99 to €499.99. It's not news anyone wants to hear, but as long as AI data centers continue to deplete their available supplies of RAM and memory, this could happen anywhere. All gaming devices were affected by this, including the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and the latest Steam Deck resupply.
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Identify the cover art by scraping off as little of the foil as possible.
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Identify the cover art by scraping off as little of the foil as possible.
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This probably throws a wrench into any plans for a Nintendo Switch 2 Lite or Nintendo Switch 2 OLED. While it can be difficult to announce and release new hardware, especially with rising prices, there's also the uncertainty that memory supply won't improve when RAMageddon eventually ends. And even if they do, there are bigger concerns about whether the company will actually cut prices again. So the final Switch 2 Lite model will almost certainly be cheaper than the base model, but the OLED will be significantly more expensive.
