You’ll no doubt be aware by now that Nintendo was recently forced to update the Switch 2 hardware in Europe to comply with new rules around replacement batteries.
Well, that new model is now available for purchase in multiple regions, and YouTube channel Nintendúo recently got its hands on one to showcase the differences. In short, there really aren’t many to speak of, and at first glance you might not even be aware that anything has changed. But the devil, as they say, is in the details.
Essentially, Nintendo has made it easier to get into the innards of the console to replace the battery. So for example, the coloured magnetic slots for the Joy-Con 2 now have visible screws at the top and bottom. Similarly, the battery itself is now no longer covered in heat shield adhesive.
To compensate for this, it seems the battery has a much thicker insulating material, but otherwise, you can pop it right out if you need to replace it.
A Reddit post also notes that the console is now 14g heavier than the original variant, though this is unlikely to cause much of a difference to general day-to-day use. Chances are you won’t even notice it unless you’re holding both at the same time and comparing.
So there you go! It’s the same console… but it’s not, y’know? Hopefully this gets rolled out everywhere, as it’s just common sense to be able to easily replace faulty components, but we’ll have to wait and see.
