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Nintendo announces plans to discontinue Nintendo Switch line in Europe next year, outlines upcoming hardware changes for other devices

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Last month we got confirmation of a new model of Switch 2 to better comply with upcoming EU regulations. With the legislation set to come into effect in February of 2027, we've now had further news, revealing the company's plans to discontinue the original Switch line in Europe. You can read their full statement below.

Nintendo said:
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 has an extensive library of games that continues to grow, and 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.
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The same support page that contains the above statement also sheds some light on the previously announced hardware revisions, revealing estimated release dates alongside any updates to the specification of each device. Most notable among these is the Switch 2 console itself, which has a tentative release window of Autumn, with the Joy Con 2 and Switch 2 Pro Controller following in Winter, and the Nintendo 64 and GameCube NSO controllers finally marked for early 2027. The majority of affected hardware does see some reduction in battery capacity, with the Switch 2 Pro Controller being hit the worst with a 16% hit. The Switch 2 console itself is only around 1% smaller though, so it's hard to complain there.

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lightwo said:
Makes sense for a last gen. There's an enormous used market and many existing Switch owners. So long, little Tegra-powered tablet.
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Yes, but the OLED models will probably retain its value and a few special Lite ones. I stopped using the NS1 as playing NS1 games on a NS2 is far better, if it's on TV Mode although for Handheld Mode, the NS1 OLED still looks way better.
 
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Greninji88 said:
Another era coming to an end. Pretty quick to discontinue though
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It makes sense, since this comes in response to new EU regulations that mandate hardware manufacturers to make battery replacement easier. The Nintendo Switch battery is glued on, so in order to follow these new regulations Nintendo would have to come up with a redesign, which they did for the Switch 2.

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This will not stop local vendors from importing devices from overseas further squeezing supply and might cause surge in prices for new devices in other regions. They only redesigned Joy-cons with removable batteries. They should have for the very least redesigned the Lite model because battery deteriorate faster since its exclusively portable.
 
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I think its a good time to leave the original systems to rest now for the Switch 2 to shine even more. My question is, why are some of the batteries for the user replaceable variants a little weaker than the main non replaceable ones?
 
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DragonMals said:
I think its a good time to leave the original systems to rest now for the Switch 2 to shine even more. My question is, why are some of the batteries for the user replaceable variants a little weaker than the main non replaceable ones?
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If you only need to pack the components in, never to be seen again, they can be arranged in a way that maximises space for the battery. If the user needs to be able to change the battery, it needs to be next to the case, and you need extra hinges, screw posts &c., and probably extra casing to keep the user out of the rest of the console. All those take up space that's not available for the battery itself.
 
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subcon959 said:
It will be the end of an era for sure. Probably the last one for old school physical collectors. I hope we continue to see third party releases for a while longer.
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I recently pre ordered the Toy Story Collection and Digimon Story Time Stranger, both for the NS1, but I'll play it on NS2.

As good of a console as NS2 is, NS1 is king for physical copies.
 

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