It’s only in Europe where Nintendo is discontinuing Switch 1, and likely to do with the Right to Repair laws we have here
Nintendo has announced that it will discontinue sales of the original Nintendo Switch console in Europe starting mid-February 2027, a decision driven by new European Union battery regulations. The discontinuation affects all Switch variants sold in the region, including the Switch Lite and Switch OLED models.
The move is directly tied to the EU’s Right to Repair regulations, which require manufacturers of consumer electronics to provide user-replaceable batteries. In response to the “upcoming changes in European battery regulations coming into effect in mid-February 2027,” Nintendo confirmed it will replace affected products with revised versions featuring user-replaceable batteries.
However, the company emphasized that this European withdrawal will not affect Switch sales outside the region. Nintendo stated it “plans to continue selling Nintendo Switch outside of regions where Nintendo of Europe conducts business,” meaning the original Switch will remain available in markets outside Nintendo of Europe’s jurisdiction.
This represents a significant example of how EU consumer protection and environmental regulations are reshaping hardware design and availability. Rather than redesigning the Switch globally to comply with battery requirements, Nintendo has opted to maintain the current design in markets outside Europe while introducing compliant versions in the EU.