The following technology of handheld gaming consoles might all have batteries you’ll be able to exchange your self, due to a brand new regulation within the European Union.
The European Council adopted the rule on July 10, as reported earlier Monday by Eurogamer. The rule is designed to make sure sustainability and cut back battery waste.
“Batteries are key to the decarbonisation course of,” Teresa Ribera, Spanish minister for the Ecological Transition, mentioned in a press release. “Finish-of-life batteries include many useful assets, and we should have the ability to reuse these essential uncooked supplies.”
The regulation “will apply to all batteries together with all waste moveable batteries, electrical automobile batteries, industrial batteries, beginning, lightning and ignition (SLI) batteries (used largely for autos and equipment) and batteries for mild technique of transport (e.g. electrical bikes, e-mopeds, e-scooters),” the European Council mentioned final week.
This may additionally embrace moveable handheld gaming consoles, just like the Nintendo Swap and the Steam Deck.
It means you’d have the ability to take away and exchange your personal gaming console battery by 2027. Moveable batteries should be “readily detachable and replaceable by the end-user at any time through the lifetime of the product,” in response to the brand new rule.
Firms can even be required to offer data on the carbon footprint of their batteries, together with the battery’s elements and recycled content material, a QR code with extra information and a “battery passport.” Labelling necessities will kick in throughout 2026, and QR code necessities by 2027.
Whereas this new regulation will solely apply within the EU, it might lead to console makers making certain replaceable batteries worldwide moderately than making a separate system for the European market. Nintendo and Valve did not instantly reply to a request for remark.
The EU’s crackdown on e-waste has additionally seen it make the USB-C charging cable normal throughout all gadgets from 2024. Apple should change the iPhone from its proprietary Lightning cable to USB-C to conform.
