In a week where the games industry seems to have changed forever, now news is seeping out that the original Nintendo Switch is to be consigned to the annals of history, in Europe at least.
Still an amazingly popular machine, Nintendo have been up against the European Union of late over the issues of replaceable batteries. As you probably know once your Switch battery is end of life, it’s e-waste effectively unless you are prepared to get it swapped professional which is a pain.
Bye bye baby
Now, with sweeping changes to introduce replaceable cells in the more modern machines, Nintendo snuck this on to a page about what the changes mean for Europeans going forward.
What does that mean for Nintendo Switch consoles in Europe?
Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model will all continue to be manufactured in 2026, and should be widely available in Europe all year.
From mid-February 2027, almost ten years after Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017, Nintendo will no longer sell to retailers hardware in the Nintendo Switch family of systems – specifically Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model. Sales of Nintendo Switch hardware on Nintendo Store will also end in mid-February 2027.
Regarding availability at retail, please check with your local retailers in the future for more information. Nintendo Switch owners can continue to enjoy all their existing Nintendo games and accessories, and Nintendo eShop, Nintendo Switch Online, and other services will all continue for the foreseeable future.
So that is that then, one of the most successful consoles of all time, defeated by its battery., or rather the inability to make a model that allows it to be replaced.
The new statute in Europe covers all batteries, so it would affect Joy-Cons and so on too, so Nintendo have decided that the effort is not worth it with so many other Switch models out there, and with a keenness to push the Switch 2, it is hardly a surprise.
Farewell old friend. You served us well
The post Say farewell to the original Switch – in Europe at least, as Nintendo slips out it will no longer be shipped to retailers from Feb 2027 appeared first on The Escapist.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
