GameCube, N64, and Switch 2 Replaceable-Battery Revisions: 8 (-01) Models Certified in Canada, the US, and Japan
Originally engineered to satisfy the European Union's Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 right-to-repair mandate taking effect on February 18, 2027, Nintendo's user-replaceable battery hardware revisions are now stacking up official regulatory approvals outside Europe. Following our breakdown of the revised Nintendo Switch 2 console featuring a nine-screw removable battery, the appearance on November 12, 2026 of the BEE-001(-01) console in ISED Canada's Radio Equipment List (REL) brings the total to eight revised hardware and controller models certified across North America and Japan.
Eight (-01) Hardware Revisions Certified Across ISED Canada, the US FCC, and Japan's MIC
Within Nintendo's internal part numbering system, the (-01) suffix designates updated hardware revisions redesigned with glue-free, user-serviceable battery compartments. According to official regulatory filings tracked by Nintendo Patents Watch across Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC / Giteki), Nintendo has now secured non-European wireless clearance for its entire current and retro controller lineup:
- Nintendo 64 Controller for Nintendo Switch (HAC-043(-01)): approved by ISED Canada on July 22, 2026 under certification number 4360A-HAC043 (tested by UL Japan Shohnan EMC Laboratory with a measured Specific Absorption Rate of 0.02 W/kg). Battery capacity remains unchanged, while total weight edges up by 1 gram to 234 grams (compared to 233 g on the original unit).
- Nintendo GameCube Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 (BEE-021(-01)): added to Japan's wireless registry on September 10, 2026 (Giteki certificate 007-AN0132 via UL Japan), cleared by the US FCC (ID BKEBEE02101) on October 9, and approved by ISED Canada on October 15, 2026 under certificate 4360A-BEE02101.
- Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller (BEE-008(-01)): certified by the US FCC (BKEBEE00801) on October 8 and approved by ISED Canada on October 14, 2026 under certificate 4360A-BEE00801.
- Nintendo Switch 2 Console (BEE-001(-01)): filed with the US FCC (BKEBEE00101) on October 9 and certified in Canada's REL database under 4360A-BEE00101 on October 15, 2026.
- Joy-Con 2 Left and Right Controllers (BEE-012(-01) and BEE-014(-01)): cleared by the FCC (BKEBEE01201 and BKEBEE01401) in early October and approved by ISED Canada on October 19, 2026 under certificates 4360A-BEE01201 and 4360A-BEE01401 (unchanged battery capacity, weight up 2 g each to 68 g left and 69 g right).
- First-Generation Joy-Con Left and Right Controllers (HAC-015(-01) and HAC-016(-01)): approved by ISED Canada on October 28 and October 29, 2026 under certificates 4360A-HAC015 and 4360A-HAC016 (no change in weight or battery capacity).
GameCube Controller BEE-021(-01): Four Standard Phillips Screws and a 5% Larger 525 mAh Battery
Among the regulatory exhibits, the US FCC filing for the wireless Nintendo GameCube (Nintendo Classics) controller for Switch 2 provides the first external photograph of the revised BEE-021(-01) shell. Where the launch BEE-021 unit secures its rear housing with four proprietary tri-wing screws requiring a specialized bit, the updated revision switches to four standard Phillips screws positioned beneath the L and R shoulder triggers and adjacent to the left analog stick and C-stick domes.
Unlike the Switch 2 Pro Controller, which trades 16% of its battery capacity to fit an external service door, the BEE-021(-01) GameCube controller actually gains battery capacity in the redesign. According to Nintendo of Europe's official hardware revision specifications, its user-replaceable cell increases by 5% from 500 mAh to 525 mAh, while total weight rises slightly from 210 g to 215 g (+5 g). The FCC Antenna Under Test (AUT) report also confirms a peak antenna gain of +1.55 dBi across the 2,402 to 2,480 MHz band, virtually unchanged from the original model's +1.52 dBi.
Check Availability of Switch 2 Precision Screwdriver Kits on Amazon→
Recalibrated Antennas and Supply Chain Efficiency: Toward a Unified Global Standard?
Cross-referencing the FCC wireless test reports also highlights the internal engineering adjustments required to free up battery access across the ecosystem. Inside the revised Switch 2 console (BEE-001(-01)) (which pairs a 5,172 mAh BEE-003(-01) plug-and-play battery with a 411 g chassis), removing the metal shield plate over the battery required changing the thermal tape that channels heat away from the microSD Express card slot from an I-shaped strip to an L-shaped layout. Two of the console's three wireless antennas were also updated, boosting linear Bluetooth peak gain by 13% to 17% (+6% to +8% theoretical free-space range) while reducing 5 GHz Wi-Fi peak antenna gain by 25% to 43% in linear terms.
A similar layout adjustment appears on the revised Switch 2 Pro Controller BEE-008(-01) with its two-screw rear battery hatch (897 mAh BEE-017(-01) cell, 228 g), where integrated PCB peak antenna gain shifts from +3.24 dBi to +1.55 dBi (-32% linear), while the revised left Joy-Con 2 (BEE-012(-01)) climbs 18% to +1.41 dBi (up from +0.69 dBi) and the right Joy-Con 2 (BEE-014(-01)) measures +1.15 dBi (compared to +1.93 dBi).
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller (BEE-008-01 Revision)
- Updated BEE-008(-01) revision certified by the EU, US FCC (BKEBEE00801), and ISED Canada (4360A-BEE00801)
- Two-screw Phillips rear battery door with a user-replaceable 897 mAh BEE-017(-01) battery pack
- Lighter 228g chassis (-7g), remappable GL/GR grip buttons, 3.5mm audio jack, and C button
While securing FCC, ISED Canada, and Japanese MIC certifications does not legally obligate Nintendo of America or Nintendo Co., Ltd. to immediately replace every North American or Japanese retail SKU, the manufacturing economics point strongly toward global standardization. Particularly for niche My Nintendo Store hardware like the wireless GameCube (BEE-021(-01)) and Nintendo 64 (HAC-043(-01)) controllers scheduled for early 2027, running two separate assembly lines (one using tri-wing screws and glued cells, the other using Phillips screws and modular battery bays) adds unnecessary production overhead.
My Take: The Brussels Effect Is Quietly Fixing Retro Controller Longevity
From a hardware repair standpoint, seeing Nintendo ditch proprietary tri-wing fasteners in favor of four standard Phillips screws on the back of the BEE-021(-01) GameCube controller, while simultaneously bumping battery capacity by 5% to 525 mAh, is a massive win. Collector-focused Nintendo Classics gamepads often sit uncharged in a drawer for months between playthroughs of F-Zero GX or The Wind Waker, making deep-discharge battery degradation inevitable over a five- to ten-year span.
Certifying all eight (-01) hardware revisions across the US, Canada, and Japan shows how the EU's February 2027 regulation is acting as a global hardware catalyst. Rather than maintaining fragmented regional tooling, Nintendo now has every regulatory clearance in place to ship the same repair-friendly chassis worldwide.
PC hardware enthusiast and competitive gamer, Arthur 'Heimdall' splits his time between France and the UK working in enterprise B2B software solutions. A business school graduate passionate about component benchmarking, he has been building, modding, and tuning PCs since childhood, optimizing every thermal degree and millisecond of display latency. An avid gamer across Assassin's Creed and sandbox titles, he forged his alliance with Grimtag and Chaya during late-night World of Warcraft raids before joining Pro-Gamer.
