Valve
EU will require portable devices and consoles to have replaceable batteries by 2027
The successor to the Nintendo Switch, the Steam Deck, and basically every mobile device will have to follow a new European law to have replaceable batteries.
New advances in technology and hardware have allowed us to enjoy, over the years, new and more powerful portable devices, from mobile phones to tablets, and all the way to portable consoles. However, batteries are the one component that has had the fewest updates over time. Now, thanks to a new ruling from the European Union, portable devices of this sort will have to have replaceable batteries from 2027, a new measure that will have a direct impact on future devices such as the successor of the Nintendo Switch and future models of the Steam Deck.
Portable consoles will have replaceable batteries by 2027
Beyond the practicality of batteries in portable consoles, the biggest drawback of this class of components is that they have a limited lifetime, with charging cycles that shorten their useful life. If we add to all this that the most powerful consoles like the Steam Deck and the ASUS ROG Ally consume a lot of power - depending on the game, some with barely 1-hour autonomy - the useful time of these batteries is much shorter.
The problem is that to replace a battery of this type users are forced to go to the seller’s technical service or disassemble the device and risk damaging something. Now, with these new EU regulations, all consoles must be equipped with a replaceable battery by 2027, a measure that is intended to be fairer to the consumer and less harmful to environmental sustainability.
Therefore, future models of portable consoles such as the successor to Nintendo Switch, a new Steam Deck model, or a future revamped version of the ASUS ROG Ally, must incorporate in their design the possibility of replacing the battery by the user himself, as other devices did years ago, such as the PSP did.
Source | IGN