EU Law Will Require Handhelds To Feature Replaceable Batteries From 2027

New EU regulation will make another big step for the right to repair with a requirement of all handheld games consoles such as future Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck consoles to feature fully replaceable batteries by 2027.

Future Handhelds To Feature Replaceable Batteries

As shared by Eurogamer, new regulations laid out by the Council of the European Union have the aim of regulating the life cycle of batteries to ensure they are safe, sustainable and competitive will make portable devices with batteries fully removable by the end-user from 2027 onwards. This law was first shared a few months ago with a primary focus on mobile phones returning to removable batteries however today a new confirmation has been made surrounding handheld games consoles such as the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck. In a statement to Overkill an EU Representative confirmed: “the batteries of gaming handhelds are covered by the batteries and waste batteries regulation”.

More Good News For Right To Repair

This is of course great news for us consumers as being able to replace the battery in our devices is a very important part of increasing the lifespan of the product. Now of course it is worth noting that this obviously only applies to future consoles such as a second Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck though these changes could come into place before 2027 if Valve or Nintendo decide to jump ahead of the deadline. In my previous article on the topic, I discussed phones and how I’d be interested to see how manufacturers will implement removable batteries with the current sleek and locked-down phone designs. This question I don’t think would apply to the handhelds as more notably the Steam Deck and Rog Ally both feature upgradable storage so getting inside is already no issue although replacing the battery, at least on the Steam Deck, is still a challenge.

The future is currently looking bright for the end user although companies will without a doubt find a way to profit heavily from selling individual parts for repair.