Nintendo support articles show inside new Switch Joy-Cons with removable battery
The new Joy-Cons are being sold in Europe to meet EU regulations
Nintendo has released a pair of support articles which give a better look inside the new Switch Joy-Con controllers with removable batteries.
In 2023, the European Union passed a new regulation called the EU Batteries Legislation, which requires consumer products with built-in batteries to make these batteries easily removable and replaceable starting from 2027.
Earlier this month Nintendo announced that it would be replacing multiple products in Europe with new ones which meet the standards of the new legislation.
These include a redesigned Switch 2 console with a removable battery (coming this autumn), Joy-Con 2 controllers (coming this winter), the Switch 2 Pro Controller (coming in winter) and the N64 and GameCube controllers for Switch (coming in 2027).
Before those, the first hardware getting EU-approved revamps are Joy-Cons for the original Switch, and Nintendo has now released support articles for the left Joy-Con and right Joy-Con showing how to replace the battery.
Users will usually not be able to access the new removable battery in the Joy-Con controllers. Instead, to replace it, they must get a Battery Replacement Kit from Nintendo.
This kit includes the replacement battery, a PH00 Phillips (cross-head) screwdriver, a set of plastic tweezers, a plastic spudger and double-sided tape.
Users must use the included screwdriver to remove four small screws on the back of the Joy-Con, use the plastic spudger to pry the Joy-Con open and pry out the battery, use the tweezers to disconnect the battery cables, apply the double-sided tape, insert the new battery and connect it to the circuit board.
Nintendo has noted that the new Joy-Cons have the same battery as the previous ones, meaning there should be no change in performance. This will also be the case when the revised Joy-Con 2 controllers arrive this winter.
The revised Switch 2, however, will have a battery with a slightly lower capacity (around 1%), whereas the revised Switch 2 Pro Controller will have a battery with a capacity around 16% smaller than the current version.
