Nintendo has announced that it will stop selling the original Switch console in Europe. This will start in mid-February 2027. This date is almost ten years after the first Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017.
The change will affect all models of the original Switch. This includes the standard Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch Lite, and the Nintendo Switch – OLED Model. Nintendo will stop selling these consoles to European stores. They will also stop selling them on the official online Nintendo Store in Europe.
Why is this happening? The European Union (EU) has new rules about batteries. The rules say that devices must have batteries that users can easily replace. These new rules will start on February 18, 2027.
Because of these rules, Nintendo is updating its gaming hardware. The company is making a new version of the upcoming Switch 2 console. This version will have a battery that users can replace. Nintendo says the new version will work exactly the same as the current version. The new Switch 2 model is expected to arrive in the fall of 2026.
Other Nintendo products will also get new versions with replaceable batteries. These include Joy-Con controllers, Joy-Con 2, the Switch 2 Pro Controller, and N64 and GameCube Switch controllers. Nintendo will start releasing these revised products on a rolling basis starting this summer.
Currently, we do not know if Nintendo will stop selling the original Switch in other parts of the world. Even though the original Switch is old, Nintendo is still releasing new games for it. Some of these games include Rhythm Heaven Grove and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream.