Why Nintendo Switch 2’s MicroSD Express Compatibility Could Be Costly for You

After the highly anticipated announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2, some intriguing technical details have come to light, especially regarding storage. A key change is the console’s requirement for the new MicroSD Express standard, differing from its predecessor. Unfortunately, this shift isn’t particularly friendly on the budget. The costs of these newer cards are significantly higher per GB compared to many modern SSDs. While MicroSD Express cards are priced between 20 to 25 cents per GB, some affordable SSDs might only cost about 5 to 6 cents per GB. This steep price tag can be attributed to the incorporation of NVMe and PCIe 3.0 technologies, which are familiar features of M.2 SSDs.

For example, the SanDisk MicroSD Express cards are priced at $49.99 for 128GB, while the 256GB version costs $64.99. These cards boast speeds reaching up to 880 MB/s for reading, with writing speeds of 480 MB/s, and sustained write speeds of 100 MB/s.

Lexar also enters the fray with offerings that go as high as 1TB. However, brace yourself for the sticker shock that comes with these new capacities.

Lexar’s Play Pro 1TB MicroSD Express card is priced at a hefty $199.99, the 512GB model costs $99.99, and the 256GB variant comes in at $49.99. Lexar claims these cards can reach reading speeds up to 900 MB/s and writing speeds up to 600 MB/s.

When comparing costs per gigabyte, SanDisk’s 128GB model racks up to $0.39 per gigabyte, while the 256GB model lowers that to $0.25. In contrast, Lexar’s models offer a uniform price of $0.20 per GB, all the while promising higher performance.

Now, let’s dive into why hefty storage options are more critical than ever for the Switch 2. Although the console will come with 256GB of internal storage, there’s a caveat. Even for physical games, you might not be able to just pop in the cartridge and play. Often, you’ll need to download and install the entire game, with cartridges merely acting as a license key, which Nintendo refers to as a “Game-Key Card.” This shift is likely driven by publishers looking to slash cartridge production costs, amidst expected hikes in NAND storage prices.

Take Street Fighter 6, for instance. Buying the physical copy will still entail a 50GB download onto your system. This quickly chews through the standard 256GB storage. This hidden cost to enjoy Nintendo’s latest offering necessitates investing in the spendy new MicroSD cards, unless you’re prepared to juggle game downloads and pull double duty as a data manager each time you swap cartridges.

As we explore the nuts and bolts of the Switch 2’s MicroSD Express standard, it’s clear there’s a chasm between these new cards and the previous UHS-I standard used in the original Nintendo Switch. The SD Association classifies MicroSD Express cards into four speed categories, ranging from Class 150 to Class 600, with each tier representing minimum read/write performance in MB/s. Moreover, these Express cards have significantly more connection pins than their UHS-I predecessors, making a jump from 8 to as many as 17 pins.

This leap is powered by NVMe and PCIe 3.0 interfaces, which theoretically allow speeds up to 2GB/s with a PCIe 4.0 interface. For a deeper dive into these technical details, you might want to check out our colleagues at AnandTech.

Despite these details, full specifications of the Switch 2 remain under wraps, leaving us questioning whether it can truly harness these theoretical speeds. As of now, no announced MicroSD Express card achieves peak performance claims.

In a statement, Joey Lopez, Lexar’s Director of Brand Marketing, expressed excitement about delivering an “unparalleled performance” card in this compact format. This new standard is poised to prepare gamers for a new era of handheld gaming.

It’s a sizable leap from the top UHS-I MicroSD Cards to what MicroSD Express cards claim they can do. Currently, the fastest on the market is the Lexar Play Pro MicroSDXC Express card, but performance evaluations await until we can test these alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 itself. Meanwhile, for an initial impression, check out our hands-on experience with the Switch 2.