Nintendo quietly dropped one of the more practical hardware changes in recent Switch history, and if you’re in Europe, this one actually matters for your wallet. The Switch Joy-Con is getting an updated design that finally lets you swap out the battery yourself — no sending it to a repair shop, no buying a new controller just because the cell has degraded.
It’s not a flashy announcement, but it’s a meaningful one for anyone who’s watched their Joy-Con battery life slowly spiral over years of use. Here’s the full picture on what changed, how the battery replacement works, and what’s coming next across Nintendo’s full lineup.
What Exactly Changed on the New Joy-Con?
Nintendo’s update to the original Switch Joy-Con is actually fairly simple on the outside: the proprietary Y-head (tri-wing) screws that held the controller shut have been replaced with standard Phillips (cross-head) screws. That single change is what makes the battery accessible to regular users rather than requiring specialized tools that most people don’t own.
The updated controllers carry revised model numbers — HAC-015(-01) for the left Joy-Con and HAC-016(-01) for the right. If your Joy-Con doesn’t have the (-01) suffix, it’s the original design with the old screws and a battery that isn’t officially user-replaceable. Nintendo has published guidance on how to check which version you have, either through the model number printed on the back of the controller or via System Settings on the console itself.
Functionally, nothing else has changed. The new Joy-Con uses the same battery type and capacity as the original, meaning battery life and overall performance are identical. This is purely a repairability update, not a hardware improvement.
How Does the Battery Replacement Actually Work?
It’s not as simple as pulling off a battery door — this is more of a guided teardown than a casual swap. Nintendo has published an official 13-step battery replacement guide and will sell a dedicated Nintendo Battery Replacement Kit (model HAC-006(-01)) as a separate purchase from the Nintendo Store at a later date.
The kit includes everything you need:
- Replacement battery (HAC-006(-01))
- PH00 Phillips screwdriver
- Plastic tweezers
- Plastic spudger (for prying the shell open)
- Double-sided adhesive tape
The procedure itself walks you through removing four screws from the back of the Joy-Con, carefully prying the housing open with the spudger, disconnecting the battery cables with the tweezers, applying the new adhesive tape, inserting the replacement battery, and reconnecting everything before closing it back up. It takes care and a steady hand, but it’s entirely doable for someone comfortable with basic tech repairs. Think of it as being closer to opening a phone than swapping AAs in a remote.
Why Did Nintendo Make This Change?
This isn’t Nintendo doing players a favor out of the goodness of their hearts — it’s regulatory compliance. Two separate pieces of EU legislation are driving these changes across Nintendo’s entire European product lineup.
The first is the EU Right to Repair Directive, which came into effect on July 31, 2026, requiring manufacturers to make devices more repair-friendly. The second is the EU Batteries Regulation, which mandates that consumer electronics sold in Europe must have batteries that are removable and replaceable by the end user with commercially available tools. That regulation kicks in from February 2027.
Nintendo is getting ahead of the deadline rather than scrambling at the wire. The Joy-Con update is the first in a rolling wave of revised hardware across the company’s European product line — and it’s only the beginning of what’s coming.
Which Colors Are Available and When?
Nintendo confirmed the updated Joy-Con launched first in Neon Blue (left) and Neon Red (right) from the Nintendo Store starting July 16, 2026. Additional color variants will follow throughout the year, though Nintendo hasn’t given specific dates for when those will arrive. The battery replacement kit itself will be available from the Nintendo Store separately at a later date — timing not yet confirmed.
It’s worth noting that these updated Joy-Con are still the original Switch Joy-Con, not Joy-Con 2. They remain fully compatible with both the Switch 1 and Switch 2, just like the previous versions.
What About the Switch 2 and Joy-Con 2 in Europe?
The same EU regulations are forcing Nintendo to revise its entire European hardware lineup on a rolling schedule through late 2026 and into 2027. Here’s the full rollout as Nintendo has confirmed it:
- Summer 2026: Revised Joy-Con for original Switch (already underway)
- Autumn 2026: Revised Switch 2 console with user-replaceable battery
- Winter 2026: Revised Joy-Con 2 and Switch 2 Pro Controller
- 2027: Revised N64 and GameCube controllers for Switch
The revised Switch 2 console will carry a battery with roughly 1% less capacity than the current model — so negligible in practice. The Switch 2 Pro Controller, however, takes a more noticeable hit: its battery drops from 1,070 mAh to 897 mAh, a reduction of around 16%, which could shave estimated battery life from roughly 40 hours down to the mid-30s. The Joy-Con 2, like the original Joy-Con update, should see no meaningful change in battery performance.
These revised models also extend beyond EU member states. Nintendo confirmed the rollout covers the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, and South Africa, among others — anywhere the EU-adjacent regulations apply.
The Switch 1 Is Being Discontinued in Europe
Tied to all of this is a bigger piece of news for original Switch owners in Europe. Nintendo confirmed that the entire Switch 1 family — the standard Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED — will stop being sold to European retailers from mid-February 2027. Nearly ten years after it launched in March 2017, the original Switch is being phased out in this region rather than being revised to meet the new battery regulations.
Nintendo’s own European Store will also end Switch 1 sales at the same time. Existing retail stock will remain available while it lasts, and the company confirmed the console will be manufactured throughout 2026 and widely available in Europe through the rest of the year. This discontinuation is currently Europe-specific — Nintendo confirmed to VGC that Switch 1 sales are continuing normally in other regions.
On the software and services side, nothing changes. The Nintendo eShop, Switch Online, and existing game libraries will continue for the foreseeable future, and the Switch 2 maintains backward compatibility with most Switch 1 games and accessories.
The Switch 2 Price Is Going Up on September 1
Separately from the battery news, the Switch 2 is getting a price increase across the board. From September 1, 2026, the Switch 2 jumps from $449.99 to $499.99 before taxes and fees. Nintendo has tied this to a broader DRAM shortage that’s been pushing hardware prices up across the industry.
Ahead of that date, Nintendo released a Switch 2 Choose Your Game bundle at $499.99 that lets buyers pick a digital copy of either Pokémon Pokopia, Mario Kart World, or Donkey Kong Bananza as a pack-in. It’s unclear if that bundle survives the September 1 price hike, so if you’re considering it, the window to act is narrowing.
TL;DR — Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Battery Update
- Updated Joy-Con for original Switch now sold in Europe with Phillips screws instead of Y-head screws
- New model numbers: HAC-015(-01) (left) and HAC-016(-01) (right)
- Battery can now be officially replaced by users using Nintendo’s Battery Replacement Kit
- Kit includes screwdriver, spudger, tweezers, tape, and replacement battery — sold separately
- No change to battery capacity or performance — purely a repairability update
- Available first in Neon Blue and Neon Red from the Nintendo Store starting July 16
- Driven by EU Right to Repair Directive (July 2026) and EU Batteries Regulation (February 2027)
- Switch 2, Joy-Con 2, and Pro Controller revisions coming in autumn/winter 2026
- Original Switch family discontinued in Europe from mid-February 2027
- Switch 2 price rising from $449.99 to $499.99 on September 1, 2026
If you want more gaming hardware and accessory news, check out our coverage of the Ratchet and Clank: Ranger Rumble mobile game announcement and the Grounded 2 PS5 launch and Into the Abyss update dropping on August 11.
