With the highly anticipated unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2, we’ve started piecing together the technical specifications of this new console. One standout change is the upgrade in MicroSD technology. Moving away from the older standard, the Switch 2 will adopt the new MicroSD Express format. And if you’re looking to expand your storage, be prepared for a bit of sticker shock. Current pricing suggests these cards are considerably pricier on a per-gigabyte basis than many SSDs on the market. Traditional SSDs can cost as little as 5 to 6 cents per GB, whereas these new MicroSD Express cards range from 20 to 25 cents per GB. This jump is largely attributed to the inclusion of NVMe and PCIe 3.0, features typically reserved for high-performance SSDs.
Take Sandisk’s latest offering, for instance. Their MicroSD Express cards start at $49.99 for 128GB, while the 256GB option is priced at $64.99. These cards boast impressive speeds of up to 880 MB/s for reading, 480 MB/s for writing, and sustain 100 MB/s during longer write tasks.
But that’s not the end of the story. Lexar is upping the ante with cards offering up to 1TB of storage. Brace yourself, though, because these are priced accordingly—with a 1TB card costing $199.99, 512GB at $99.99, and a 256GB card at $49.99. Lexar claims these can deliver read speeds up to 900 MB/s and write speeds up to 600 MB/s, which positions them favorably in the performance stakes. Interestingly, when broken down, Lexar’s cards offer consistent pricing at about $0.20 per gigabyte, which might just offer you the best bang for your buck.
### Why Storage is More Important Than Ever for the Switch 2
It’s a fact that the Switch 2 will come equipped with 256GB of internal storage, but don’t let that fool you. Even if you go for a physical game purchase, you might find yourself having to download the entire game onto the console. This is because the game cartridge might act more like a license key, a tactic Nintendo is using with their “Game-Key Card” system. This approach helps publishers cut cartridge costs, a savvy move given the rising costs of NAND storage.
Consider a game like Street Fighter 6. Buying the game cartridge means you’ll still have to download an additional 50GB onto your system. That standard 256GB storage is going to fill up quicker than you think, demanding investment in those new MicroSD cards—or face the tedium of juggling with installs every time you switch games.
### The Switch 2’s MicroSD Express Standard Explained
At a glance, it’s easy to underestimate the differences between a standard MicroSD and a MicroSD Express card. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll discover just how advanced this new technology is compared to the old UHS-I standard used in the original Switch.
The SD Association’s classifications for SD Express speeds divide MicroSD Express cards into four classes: 150, 300, 450, and 600. The numbers correspond to their respective minimum read/write speeds in MB/s. These cards are equipped with double the pin count (16 or 17 compared to just 8 for their UHS-I predecessors), enabling such incredible performance.
The real magic lies in the NVMe and PCIe 3.0 interfaces, facilitating potential speeds up to 2GB/s (if using PCIe 4.0). However, as exciting as these possibilities are, the exact capabilities of the Switch 2 remain under wraps, and no MicroSD Express card on the market achieves these rumored peak speeds—yet.
According to Joey Lopez, Director of Brand Marketing at Lexar, “The new microSD Express standard offers us a way to deliver a memory card with incomparable performance in that form factor. We’re thrilled to create a card that leverages this new standard and primes gamers for the next era of handheld gaming.”
In the meantime, while there’s a significant jump from the fastest UHS-I MicroSD Card to what MicroSD Express is theorized to achieve, concrete testing awaits. Until then, be sure to keep an eye out for our hands-on analysis of the Nintendo Switch 2.
