Overview
- A first-look teardown video by YouTuber Nintendúo, reported by Nintendo Everything, shows a Europe-only Switch 2 revision that lets owners replace the console battery without extensive disassembly.
- The hardware change removes the heat shield over the battery and eliminates thermal paste, so the cell is accessible with visible screws and fewer steps than the original model.
- The updated unit carries new identifiers on packaging and serial numbers — an “OSM” code and serials beginning with “HLE” — and adds visible screws at the Joy-Con rail to distinguish it from earlier units.
- Tradeoffs are small: the battery has a marginally lower capacity with only a few minutes less runtime and the console weighs about 12 grams more overall than the original Switch 2.
- The evidence comes from a single teardown and reporting notes Nintendo will retire the original Switch in Europe; the change is presented as a response to upcoming EU battery and repairability rules and broader rollout or official Nintendo comment is not yet reported.