Thanks to EU regulations, gadgets with user-replaceable batteries are making a comeback, as my colleague Dominic Preston wrote recently. Starting on that February 2027 date, EU rules mandate that many types of gadgets, including portable game consoles, must allow users to relatively easily remove and replace their batteries.
Nintendo doesn’t specify exactly what it will change with this new version of the Switch 2 to make battery replacements easier — currently, taking out the battery in the Switch 2 is an involved, multi-step process, as shown by iFixit. It’s also unclear if a revised model with a replaceable battery will be available in other regions. Nintendo didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
On its website, Nintendo says that, “For current products with model numbers starting with ‘BEE’” — which is used with the Switch 2, as shown in Nintendo’s filings with the FCC — “future compliant versions will have unique model numbers and the additional code ‘OSM’ visible on the packaging, designating them as separate products for regulatory purposes.” Switch 2 controllers like the Pro Controller and the Joy-Cons also carry the BEE moniker, and we’ve asked Nintendo if those will have user-replaceable batteries as well.
Thanks to EU regulations, gadgets with user-replaceable batteries are making a comeback, as my colleague Dominic Preston wrote recently. Starting on that February 2027 date, EU rules mandate that many types of gadgets, including portable game consoles, must allow users to relatively easily remove and replace their batteries.
Nintendo doesn’t specify exactly what it will change with this new version of the Switch 2 to make battery replacements easier — currently, taking out the battery in the Switch 2 is an involved, multi-step process, as shown by iFixit. It’s also unclear if a revised model with a replaceable battery will be available in other regions. Nintendo didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
On its website, Nintendo says that, “For current products with model numbers starting with ‘BEE’” — which is used with the Switch 2, as shown in Nintendo’s filings with the FCC — “future compliant versions will have unique model numbers and the additional code ‘OSM’ visible on the packaging, designating them as separate products for regulatory purposes.” Switch 2 controllers like the Pro Controller and the Joy-Cons also carry the BEE moniker, and we’ve asked Nintendo if those will have user-replaceable batteries as well.
#Nintendo #confirms #sell #Switch #replaceable #batteryEntertainment,Gaming,News,Nintendo,Policy">Nintendo confirms it will sell a new Switch 2 with replaceable battery in the EU
Nintendo is planning to launch versions of Switch 2 hardware in the EU that will let users easily replace the battery. To meet its obligations from a new EU regulation that’s set to go into effect on February 18th, 2027, Nintendo says on its website that it is “implementing measures to comply with these requirements by preparing versions of products to meet the Regulation.”
Thanks to EU regulations, gadgets with user-replaceable batteries are making a comeback, as my colleague Dominic Preston wrote recently. Starting on that February 2027 date, EU rules mandate that many types of gadgets, including portable game consoles, must allow users to relatively easily remove and replace their batteries.
Nintendo doesn’t specify exactly what it will change with this new version of the Switch 2 to make battery replacements easier — currently, taking out the battery in the Switch 2 is an involved, multi-step process, as shown by iFixit. It’s also unclear if a revised model with a replaceable battery will be available in other regions. Nintendo didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
On its website, Nintendo says that, “For current products with model numbers starting with ‘BEE’” — which is used with the Switch 2, as shown in Nintendo’s filings with the FCC — “future compliant versions will have unique model numbers and the additional code ‘OSM’ visible on the packaging, designating them as separate products for regulatory purposes.” Switch 2 controllers like the Pro Controller and the Joy-Cons also carry the BEE moniker, and we’ve asked Nintendo if those will have user-replaceable batteries as well.
The twist in Pictonico is that the games all use photos on your camera roll to customize the experience. The game pulls faces from photos and slips them into the microgames, so I found myself making my wife chomp down on kebab with a disturbingly large mouth, or rubbing a lamp to see a buff genie version of my 10-year-old pop out. As an example, here is me as a ballerina waiting to get their photo taken:
The game lets you choose which photos you want to appear in the game so things don’t get uncomfortably weird, and it does occasionally pull things that aren’t human faces. At one point I had to match up an image that had been broken up into three parts, and it was a photo I had taken during my time reporting on the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto. Pictonico is a free download on both iOS and Android, but that only gets you access to a demo version; to play the full thing, which includes 80 different minigames, you have to buy two content packs priced at $7.69 and $5.99 each.
The twist in Pictonico is that the games all use photos on your camera roll to customize the experience. The game pulls faces from photos and slips them into the microgames, so I found myself making my wife chomp down on kebab with a disturbingly large mouth, or rubbing a lamp to see a buff genie version of my 10-year-old pop out. As an example, here is me as a ballerina waiting to get their photo taken:
The game lets you choose which photos you want to appear in the game so things don’t get uncomfortably weird, and it does occasionally pull things that aren’t human faces. At one point I had to match up an image that had been broken up into three parts, and it was a photo I had taken during my time reporting on the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto. Pictonico is a free download on both iOS and Android, but that only gets you access to a demo version; to play the full thing, which includes 80 different minigames, you have to buy two content packs priced at $7.69 and $5.99 each.
#Nintendos #newest #WarioWare #weirdo #smartphone #appAnalysis,Entertainment,Gaming,Nintendo,Report">Nintendo’s newest WarioWare is a weirdo smartphone app
Much like WarioWare, Pictonico (which, I admit, I’m not entirely sure how to pronounce) is a collection of microgames that last just a few seconds each. In each round, you play 10 of these in quick succession, and usually you have just enough time to figure out what you actually need to do before moving on to the next thing. You’re given a simple command like, say, “chomp,” and then you have to do something like grab hold of a mouth and make it chew some food. The games are all very silly in often hilarious ways, so you’ll be plucking hair, licking lollipops, and peeling bananas as quickly as you can.
The twist in Pictonico is that the games all use photos on your camera roll to customize the experience. The game pulls faces from photos and slips them into the microgames, so I found myself making my wife chomp down on kebab with a disturbingly large mouth, or rubbing a lamp to see a buff genie version of my 10-year-old pop out. As an example, here is me as a ballerina waiting to get their photo taken:
The game lets you choose which photos you want to appear in the game so things don’t get uncomfortably weird, and it does occasionally pull things that aren’t human faces. At one point I had to match up an image that had been broken up into three parts, and it was a photo I had taken during my time reporting on the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto. Pictonico is a free download on both iOS and Android, but that only gets you access to a demo version; to play the full thing, which includes 80 different minigames, you have to buy two content packs priced at $7.69 and $5.99 each.
Nintendo says that it’s “based” on the classic space shooter Star Fox 64, but with redesigned characters and upgraded visuals. Essentially, it sounds like a modern remake of the game with the same level design. Based on the first look at the game, it looks thoroughly modern, with incredibly detailed characters, including a surprisingly realistic Slippy Toad. And yes, the in-ship banter remains. In addition to flying ships, there will be a handful of other vehicles to pilot, including a submarine.
The Star Fox reboot also includes some new features, like online play for its new four-on-four dogfighting multiplayer battle mode, and the option to play with mouse controls. Perhaps the most surprising addition is the realistic character avatars that players can use during online play. Nintendo describes the features as an “interactive avatar that mirrors your expressions and movements in GameChat.” But if you’re looking for an old-school feel, the game does support the N64 controller.
The game will cost $49.99 digitally, according to Nintendo’s eShop listing. The physical price is expected to be different; Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, for example, has a $10 price difference between digital and physical.
You can watch the full Star Fox presentation, which lasts about 15 minutes, here:
The announcement comes as Nintendo has a relatively sparse lineup for the Switch 2 for the rest of 2026. Outside of Star Fox, the only first-party titles on the schedule are Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Rhythm Heaven Groove, Splatoon Raiders, and Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave.
Nintendo says that it’s “based” on the classic space shooter Star Fox 64, but with redesigned characters and upgraded visuals. Essentially, it sounds like a modern remake of the game with the same level design. Based on the first look at the game, it looks thoroughly modern, with incredibly detailed characters, including a surprisingly realistic Slippy Toad. And yes, the in-ship banter remains. In addition to flying ships, there will be a handful of other vehicles to pilot, including a submarine.
The Star Fox reboot also includes some new features, like online play for its new four-on-four dogfighting multiplayer battle mode, and the option to play with mouse controls. Perhaps the most surprising addition is the realistic character avatars that players can use during online play. Nintendo describes the features as an “interactive avatar that mirrors your expressions and movements in GameChat.” But if you’re looking for an old-school feel, the game does support the N64 controller.
The game will cost $49.99 digitally, according to Nintendo’s eShop listing. The physical price is expected to be different; Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, for example, has a $10 price difference between digital and physical.
You can watch the full Star Fox presentation, which lasts about 15 minutes, here:
The announcement comes as Nintendo has a relatively sparse lineup for the Switch 2 for the rest of 2026. Outside of Star Fox, the only first-party titles on the schedule are Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Rhythm Heaven Groove, Splatoon Raiders, and Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave.
Update May 6th: Added the digital price.
#Nintendo #announces #Star #Fox #SwitchEntertainment,Gaming,Nintendo">Nintendo announces a new Star Fox for the Switch 2
It turns out Fox McCloud’s appearance in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie was a tease of things to come: Nintendo just surprise announced the first new Star Fox game in a decade. The game is called, simply, Star Fox, and it’s out very soon, launching on June 25th.
Nintendo says that it’s “based” on the classic space shooter Star Fox 64, but with redesigned characters and upgraded visuals. Essentially, it sounds like a modern remake of the game with the same level design. Based on the first look at the game, it looks thoroughly modern, with incredibly detailed characters, including a surprisingly realistic Slippy Toad. And yes, the in-ship banter remains. In addition to flying ships, there will be a handful of other vehicles to pilot, including a submarine.
The Star Fox reboot also includes some new features, like online play for its new four-on-four dogfighting multiplayer battle mode, and the option to play with mouse controls. Perhaps the most surprising addition is the realistic character avatars that players can use during online play. Nintendo describes the features as an “interactive avatar that mirrors your expressions and movements in GameChat.” But if you’re looking for an old-school feel, the game does support the N64 controller.
The game will cost $49.99 digitally, according to Nintendo’s eShop listing. The physical price is expected to be different; Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, for example, has a $10 price difference between digital and physical.
You can watch the full Star Fox presentation, which lasts about 15 minutes, here:
The announcement comes as Nintendo has a relatively sparse lineup for the Switch 2 for the rest of 2026. Outside of Star Fox, the only first-party titles on the schedule are Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Rhythm Heaven Groove, Splatoon Raiders, and Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave.
#Reggie #FilsAimé #Amazon #asked #Nintendo #break #lawAmazon,Gaming,News,Nintendo,Tech">Reggie Fils-Aimé says Amazon once asked Nintendo to break the law
“Literally, we stopped selling to Amazon, and it’s because I wasn’t going to do something illegal. I wasn’t going to do something that would put at risk the relationship we have with other retailers. But it also set the stage to say, look, you’re not going to push me around. This is the way we do business. And so that’s how, over time, you build respect.”
