Nintendo’s June-released hardware is likely to receive a similar redesign in North America as well.

According to the Japanese publication Nikkei, a new Nintendo Switch 2 hardware variant with a removable battery will soon be released in Europe. This variant complies with European Union environmental regulations while providing users with better repairability. In accordance with the right-to-repair principle, Nintendo is developing guidelines for the Nintendo Switch 2 to reduce the device’s environmental impact. To comply with EU regulations, the company is modifying the console’s specifications so consumers can easily replace the battery. Although this new Nintendo Switch 2 hardware version has not yet been confirmed for the United States and Japan, Nikkei notes that Nintendo may introduce similar policies in both countries if consumer awareness of the right to repair continues to grow.

Unfortunately, it is not yet known whether this new Nintendo Switch 2 hardware version will include any changes besides the removable battery. Last July, a prototype of the midframe for an alleged OLED model surfaced online, suggesting that work has already begun on a new version that would address one of the system’s biggest problems: its mediocre display.

Earlier this week, Nintendo released a new Switch 2 system update, v22.0.0, which introduced a major new feature called Handheld Mode Boost. It allows Switch 2 users to run Switch 1 games in handheld mode as if they were in docked mode, significantly improving image quality thanks to the higher resolution. However, according to estimates shared by users on Reddit, enabling Handheld Mode Boost reduces battery life by approximately 25%. While running Doom, specifically the 2019 port of the 2016 game, the battery lasted 3 hours and 43 minutes instead of the previous 5 hours and 5 minutes.

This is how the handheld boost affects the battery playing Doom 2019: you go from 5 hours and 5 minutes to 3 hours and 43 minutes
byu/JampyL inNintendoSwitch2

“If this option is enabled, the performance of Nintendo Switch software in handheld or tabletop mode will be similar to the performance of the same software in TV mode. This may result in improved visuals but may also increase the console’s power consumption during gameplay. The precise results will vary based on the software being played. Please note that performance will not be boosted for Nintendo Switch 2 software. This option makes the console behave as if it’s in TV mode when images are output to the screen. This may affect instructions and other functionality in some software. While this option boosts software performance, it disables the console’s touch screen functionality. Additionally, if the Joy-Con controllers are attached to the console, they will be treated as a Pro Controller. You’ll need to detach the Joy-Con controllers from the console before connecting any other controllers.”

Ultimately, it is up to each user to decide whether to enable Handheld Mode Boost on a case-by-case basis, and often on a session-by-session basis as well. Nevertheless, it is always good to have more options, and Nintendo has undoubtedly added value to the Switch 2 with this new feature.

Source: WCCFTech, WCCFTech, Nikkei