Nintendo, Valve, and anyone else really has no excuse not to make the battery user accessible. The devices aren’t water resistant and never will be since they need active cooling. A back cover with sliding locks like a laptop that gives access to the battery as well as the fan would be a great addition to future devices. Easy to replace the battery, easy to clean or replace the fan. It would ease a lot of my own anxiety about the longevity of these devices.
You’re making me miss my PSP. Battery compartment easily accessible, I believe it took SD cards too. I modded mine too play other handheld systems like gameboy.
Can you not access the battery in the Steam Deck? I haven't opened mine up before.
I also haven't opened the Switch before either though. Is it not possible to just swap out batteries like you could on the DS and 3DS? I had to swap out my 3DS's battery a couple years ago when it ballooned and always just assumed it was an option on the Switch too if it ever happens there.
Edit: Just took a look at the iFixit video, that's a much more involved process than I was expecting. Hate that they used adhesive on the battery, and didn't even add a pull tab to get it out.
So basically they can release Switch 2 as they have already designed, and then release the “OLED” version of Switch 2 by 2027 with replaceable batteries.
Good. Not only for longevity reasons but also because for video game consoles specifically it's an enormous PITA to have a cable strapped to it for an external charger or battery pack.
This got me to look up iFixit's guide to Switch battery replacement. It's better than some of my devices, but as soon as a replacement involves spludgers and adhesive it crosses a "yuck" line for me, going from something that looks kinda fun to sort of dreading that I'll break it.
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