When Nintendo unveiled the new Switch 2, they mentioned that expanding the system’s memory would require microSD Express cards. This announcement sent shockwaves through the online and retail worlds, with stores rapidly running out of stock. In Japan, a popular electronics retailer, Hermitage Akihabara, reported that some staff sold over 337 cards every hour. This kind of frenzy was unexpected, especially considering the hefty price tags that come with these microSD Express cards compared to their standard counterparts.
### The Price of Speed
If you’re thinking of buying the 1TB Play microSD card from Lexar, it’s usually priced at $129.99 on Amazon, although it’s currently on sale for $69.99. It boasts decent speeds, with a read speed of up to 160 MB/s and a write speed of up to 100 MB/s—but it’s still outpaced by internal storage. Now, the Express version of that card can hit jaw-dropping speeds of 900 MB/s for reading and 600 MB/s for writing, significantly outpacing traditional microSD cards. Naturally, such performance doesn’t come cheap. The 1TB Play Pro microSD Express card retails at $199.99 on Amazon but is slightly discounted to $172.63 right now, which still makes it more than twice as expensive as the non-Express model.
### Scalping? Not This Time
Despite the price, Nintendo fans have been eagerly snapping up these cards, reflecting a demand at odds with scalping fears. According to reports, about 80% of those who bought these cards only purchased one each, with the maximum purchase recorded being three cards per person. This pattern suggests that the majority are genuine gamers gearing up for the Switch 2, rather than opportunists looking to resell at a markup.
Though the microSD Express standards have been around since 2019, they’ve not become mainstream, mainly because of their cost compared to regular microSD cards for portable storage and SSDs for larger, static storage solutions. For other game consoles, increasing memory often involves swapping out SSDs, but that requires some technical steps like removing the backplate and adjusting settings.
Nintendo, well-known for discouraging hardware modifications, offers the microSD Express cards as a straightforward solution to boost the Switch 2’s storage to levels matching internal speeds. This is particularly important with the launch of new AAA titles that could easily max out the console’s 256 GB internal memory. Having extra space means your beloved games are always accessible on your Switch 2.
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