Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Nintendo announces new product revisions in Europe with replaceable batteries

nintendo.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 229 posts

Re: Nintendo announces new product revisions in Europe with replaceable batteries

#121

Post by bluescrn »

xd1936 wrote: post #30
mdrzn wrote: post #22

"There is no difference in functionality between current products and revised products containing user-replaceable batteries." So there was nothing "limiting" them from making it already with user-replaceable batteries, they just didn't care enough until EU forced them (like all the smartphone brands). Love EU.

Except for an up-to-16% reduction in capacity, and slightly increased weight, depending on the product.

How do those stats look 5 years later, when one is stuck with a degraded battery, and the other has had an easy battery swap?

Re: Nintendo announces new product revisions in Europe with replaceable batteries

#122

Post by ssl-3 »

toyg wrote: post #38
mcphage wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Amazes me they don't just sell it like that everywhere because it sounds a lot like a product improvement... I'm not so sure. The first laptop I bought, a Titanium Powerbook, had replaceable batteries. And even better than that: you could hot-swap them while the laptop was running on battery power, and the laptop wouldn't even shut off. It felt leagues ahead of even modern replaceable battery functionality, and hon…

Compulsory Apple-defending post is compulsory. Non-replaceable batteries are worse for consumers and worse for the environment. The fact that you "do not miss" a better world, does not mean it is not better.

I have an old ThinkPad as my only laptop. It came to me used, with an aftermarket battery.

That battery was great for a couple of years before it started to get wonky, so I replaced it with a different aftermarket battery.

This process took zero tools. It took less time to swap in a new battery than it did for me to write this comment. Anyone can do it; it is not an arduous procedure.

What was the added environmental cost here? Some "single-use" plastics that lasted for years?

Re: Nintendo announces new product revisions in Europe with replaceable batteries

#124

Post by zamadatix »

everdrive wrote: post #101
sva_ wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> like all the smartphone brands But there is at least some argument that smartphones nowadays have some pretty crazy waterproofness that I'm not sure is physically possible with a replaceable battery?

This is not true. There are old replaceable-battery dumbphones that were rated in feet of submersion.

In more concrete terms, there are modern (2025) smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy XCover7 Pro w/ replaceable batteries which have IP67 (1 meter of water for 30 minutes) or higher certification. The back panel popping off too easily (and dumping the battery with it) is one of the common cons with the device though, so while you can get everything it is an extra layer of difficulty to try to design around correctly.

Re: Nintendo announces new product revisions in Europe with replaceable batteries

#125

Post by kwanbix »

Waterluvian wrote: post #67
Zambyte wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not that they didn't care, it's that they did care in the wrong way. A non-replacable battery means people will be more likely to buy a whole new device if (when) the battery fails.

I think the more likely explanation is that there was not sufficient market motiviation to include the additional requirement of a user-swappable battery. ie. people care, but they don't care enough or in enough volume for Nintendo to decide it's required. I celebrate user-swappable batteries and I think I like the battery regulations. I just don't think the Ghost of Iwata is under your bed twirling a Wario moustache…

I mean, XBOX has been doing replaceable batteries in joysticks since forever.

I have both a PS5 and an XBOX Series X. Whenever I am playing if I get out of battery on the XBOX, I just change them. In the PS5 is not possible.

I don't get what the advantage is.

Re: Nintendo announces new product revisions in Europe with replaceable batteries

#126

Post by junga »

deaton wrote: post #109
arghwhat wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be clear, all the mentioned Nintendo products are already designed for battery replacement, with well-contained battery units and easy connectors, and the batteries are available and problem-free to replace unlike for a certain fruit company. The redesign is because the ease of accessing the batteries did not comply with the new rules. The pro controller in particular requires almost complete disassembly to get to…

Torx is also common and also way way better than philips. Really we as a society need to phase out philips screws yesterday.

> Really we as a society need to phase out philips screws yesterday.

Pozidriv to the rescue! (just kidding)

Re: Nintendo announces new product revisions in Europe with replaceable batteries

#127

Post by jackb4040 »

Waterluvian wrote: post #82
nolok wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disagree. The market will not decide on that, at least for the nintendo product. Your or your kid want the switch and the pokemon and mario and others game, you're buying the switch, you don't switch to something else because the something else allows battery switch. That's Nintendo's entire business model and the reason why they've been thriving since for ever in gaming and even the bad times where actually positive…

I don't think customers need to be protected from themselves. If they don't like the hardware but buy it anyways because they really like the game, that's a choice. And I feel that when we're dealing with luxury goods, we should give consumers very broad discretion to vote with their money.

"Vote with money" is such a funny talking point in this discussion. It's a metaphor for actual voting, with votes, which the people already did, for politicians who are now protecting their interests. You just don't like corporations being told what to do.

Re: Nintendo announces new product revisions in Europe with replaceable batteries

#128

Post by nicoburns »

Waterluvian wrote: post #67
Zambyte wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not that they didn't care, it's that they did care in the wrong way. A non-replacable battery means people will be more likely to buy a whole new device if (when) the battery fails.

I think the more likely explanation is that there was not sufficient market motiviation to include the additional requirement of a user-swappable battery. ie. people care, but they don't care enough or in enough volume for Nintendo to decide it's required. I celebrate user-swappable batteries and I think I like the battery regulations. I just don't think the Ghost of Iwata is under your bed twirling a Wario moustache…

How would you ever measure market motivation in such a small market that has max 2-4 viable alternatives?

The market mechanism breaks down in such circumstances.

Re: Nintendo announces new product revisions in Europe with replaceable batteries

#129

Post by jorvi »

arghwhat wrote: post #92
Zambyte wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not that they didn't care, it's that they did care in the wrong way. A non-replacable battery means people will be more likely to buy a whole new device if (when) the battery fails.

To be clear, all the mentioned Nintendo products are already designed for battery replacement, with well-contained battery units and easy connectors, and the batteries are available and problem-free to replace unlike for a certain fruit company. The redesign is because the ease of accessing the batteries did not comply with the new rules. The pro controller in particular requires almost complete disassembly to get to…

iPhone batteries are actually relatively easy to access and replace. The only annoying thing that Apple (and most other gadgets) insist on is adhesive strip mounting of the battery. Just use screws please.

Re: Nintendo announces new product revisions in Europe with replaceable batteries

#130

Post by Kankuro »

arghwhat wrote: post #92
Zambyte wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not that they didn't care, it's that they did care in the wrong way. A non-replacable battery means people will be more likely to buy a whole new device if (when) the battery fails.

To be clear, all the mentioned Nintendo products are already designed for battery replacement, with well-contained battery units and easy connectors, and the batteries are available and problem-free to replace unlike for a certain fruit company. The redesign is because the ease of accessing the batteries did not comply with the new rules. The pro controller in particular requires almost complete disassembly to get to…

I recently changed the battery of my Switch 1, if for most of the process it was easy, and I really struggled on two points. 1) the plastic part into which the screws are screwed broke, and it is tough to remove them. 2) ungluing the battery with isopropyl alcohol without breaking anything was very long for me. I recently changed the USB port of my Fairphone 4 and it was just unscrewing and screwing. So for me it is a great change from Nintendo.
Post reply on HN