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The following era of handheld gaming consoles may all have batteries you’ll be able to exchange your self, due to a new regulation in 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 an announcement. “Finish-of-life batteries include many beneficial assets, and we should have the ability to reuse these vital 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 principally for automobiles and equipment) and batteries for gentle 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 Change and the Steam Deck.
It means you’ll have the ability to take away and exchange your personal gaming console battery by 2027. Transportable batteries must be “readily detachable and replaceable by the end-user at any time throughout the lifetime of the product,” in accordance with the brand new rule.
Firms can even be required to supply info on the carbon footprint of their batteries, together with the battery’s parts 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 may lead to console makers making certain replaceable batteries worldwide somewhat than making a separate machine 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 customary throughout all units from 2024. Apple must change the iPhone from its proprietary Lightning cable to USB-C to conform.
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