When Nintendo unveiled the Switch 2, they revealed that users would need to use microSD Express cards to boost the console’s memory. This news sent a wave of shock through the gaming community, leading to a rush on these cards at both online and brick-and-mortar stores. At Hermitage Akihabara in Japan, employees reported selling more than 337 cards every hour. Given the hefty price tag of microSD Express cards compared to regular cards, this buying frenzy caught many by surprise.
### Get Ready to Shell Out More for microSD Express
Take the Lexar 1TB Play microSD card, for example. It typically costs $129.99 on Amazon, but at the moment, it’s discounted to $69.99. From a performance standpoint, it offers a decent 160 MB/s read speed and a 100 MB/s write speed. Yet, it lags when compared to the internal storage speeds of modern devices. In contrast, the microSD Express version of this card is a speed demon, boasting a 900 MB/s read speed and 600 MB/s write speed. But this performance comes at a price. The Lexar 1TB Play Pro microSD Express card is listed at $199.99, and even with a sale price of $172.63, it more than doubles the cost of the non-Express variant.
### Surprisingly, No Hint of Scalping
Despite the significant financial burden on Nintendo fans due to the microSD Express requirement for the Switch 2, these cards flew off the shelves post-announcement. Interestingly, this wasn’t due to scalpers. Reports indicate that about 80% of buyers purchased just one card, with the highest being three per customer. It’s evident that most folks grabbing these pricey expansion cards are likely gearing up for their own Switch 2 use.
Though the microSD Express standard has been available since 2019, it hasn’t caught on widely, likely due to its high price compared to standard microSD cards and SSDs, which people use for larger, stationary storage needs. Other gaming consoles let users expand internal storage by swapping out the SSD, but this process isn’t exactly user-friendly. You’d need to mess around with the backplate and adjust some settings to make a new SSD work.
Since Nintendo prefers its consoles untampered, the most straightforward way to expand the Switch 2’s storage to internal speeds is with microSD Express cards. This upgrade could prove essential, given the lineup of new AAA games hitting the shelves, ready to fill up the 256 GB internal storage in no time. This way, your favorite games are always at your fingertips on the Switch 2.
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