474
New handheld game consoles will need replaceable batteries from 2027, EU says
(www.eurogamer.net)
this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2023
474 points (99.4% liked)
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Honestly it is so dystopian that we even have to have laws to require this kind of thing. It only makes sense to be able to replace failed parts instead of throwing out entire units or being required to have the manufacturer handle it.
In reality what happens is that devices with difficult or impossible to replace batteries end up getting thrown in the trash more often than anyone does anything else with them.
Add a counterpoint though, hasn’t the market pretty clearly indicated that this isn’t actually prioritized in a meaningful way, at least over other features, such as form factor or weight (likely the two features most impacted by more easily replaceable batteries). Other than the screen, the battery tends to be the largest and heaviest component of a handheld, so designing it to be swappable isn’t negligible.
Repairable doesn’t necessarily mean swapping though. Manufacturers make it artificially complex to repair batteries to boost sales, just because the market moved this way doesn’t mean thats what people want. I agree swapping might require tradeoffs a lot of people wouldn’t want, but there’s small changes that could help it be a reasonable fix with common tools.
Yeah I guess swap and replace are kinda getting conflated in this discussion.
With that in mind, isn’t this kinda how things are currently? Not sure what services are offered by Samsung and other Android manufacturers, but you can get an iPhone battery renewed with OEM parts by the manufacturer for about $80, which really isn’t that bad if it’s the only thing wrong with your phone.
I think people get really hung up on batteries but IMO the real issue is screens. I’ll bet way more phones wind up in “they trash” due to cracked screens than exhausted batteries.
Well you still have to go through the manufacturer and/or you need special tools, you’ll also get “genuine battery” warnings even with an original battery if you go third party or DIY. Ideally it should be thought through to be accessible for users to do themselves. And as you say, batteries aren’t the only or biggest offender.