Remember when people used to laugh at Xbox for using AA batteries? For years, the internet mocked Microsoft's decision to stick with removable batteries while Sony and Nintendo moved to built-in rechargeable packs. It was called outdated, archaic, and cheap.

Well... fast forward to today, and that joke isn't looking so funny anymore.

Here's why everyone suddenly started talking about it again.

The EU Battery Regulation That Changed Everything

In 2023, the European Union passed a new regulation called the EU Batteries Legislation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1542) . Starting from February 18, 2027, all portable batteries in electronic devices sold in the EU must be easily removable and replaceable by the user without requiring special tools or professional skills .

This affects everything from smartphones and laptops to gaming consoles, controllers, and handheld devices .

Nintendo's Response: A Major Shift

Nintendo is one of the first major gaming companies to respond to this regulation. The company confirmed that the original Switch family including the Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED will stop being sold in Europe from mid-February 2027 .

Instead of redesigning the original Switch models, Nintendo is moving forward with newer hardware revisions that meet the EU requirements, including the Switch 2 .

What Nintendo is changing:

• Switch 2 console (available Autumn 2026): User-replaceable battery, 1% smaller capacity, 10g heavier

• Joy-Con 2 (available Winter 2026): User-replaceable batteries with slight weight increases

• Switch 2 Pro Controller (available Winter 2026): 16% smaller battery capacity, 7g lighter

• N64 & GameCube controllers (early 2027): Revised with replaceable batteries

Nintendo emphasizes that "there is no difference in functionality between current products and revised products containing user-replaceable batteries" .

Why This Validates Xbox's Approach

Suddenly, designing hardware that's easier to service isn't just a "nice feature" it's becoming a legal requirement for the EU market.

And Nintendo isn't the only company this affects. Future gaming hardware sold in Europe, including controllers and handhelds will have to comply with the same regulations.

This is where Xbox's approach suddenly looks prescient.

For years, Xbox gave players a choice :

• Stick with AA batteries

• Swap in a rechargeable battery pack whenever you wanted

According to Xbox's Jason Ronald, this was an intentional decision based on player feedback: "When actually talking to gamers, it's kind of polarizing and there is a strong camp that really wants AAs. So just giving flexibility is the way to please both people" .

And here's the key argument Ronald made: removable AA batteries mean the lifespan of the controller isn't limited to the lifespan of the internal battery cells . When a built-in battery dies, you either replace the entire controller or pay for an expensive repair. With AAs, you just swap in fresh batteries.

The Cost of Built-In Batteries

Ask any PlayStation or Nintendo player who's had to retire a controller because the battery no longer holds a charge. Those internal cells eventually degrade and when they do, the controller becomes a paperweight.

Xbox players? They can keep using the same controller for years, simply by swapping in new AAs or using a rechargeable pack.

One Xbox player put it perfectly: "Xbox controllers using batteries is BETTER than charging every time. My PS3/4 controllers can't hold a charge and haven't been able to for years. This will eventually happen with any battery, they just lose their charge" .

The Flexibility Argument

Xbox's approach isn't about forcing everyone to use AAs. It's about giving you a choice.

• Want rechargeable? Buy the Play & Charge Kit and treat it like a DualSense.

• Want convenience? Use AAs and swap them instantly.

• Want to combine both? Some players use rechargeable AA batteries (like Eneloops) for the best of both worlds .

The Xbox controller design allows all of these options. The competitors' built-in batteries don't.

The Bottom Line

Maybe the problem was never the batteries. Maybe we just didn't like the idea because it looked "old-school."

Today, being able to replace a battery instead of replacing an entire controller sounds a lot more practical than it did 20 years ago. Funny how opinions change when the industry catches up.

Were Xbox controllers ahead of their time... or would you still choose a built-in rechargeable controller every single day?

Let us know in the comments.