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

After the big splash of the Nintendo Switch 2 announcement, some intriguing technical tidbits have surfaced about the console. Perhaps the most significant is the new format it will use for expandable storage: the MicroSD Express. This new standard is set to be a little hard on the wallet. For context, current prices suggest they’re more expensive per gigabyte than the SSDs we’ve grown accustomed to. We’re talking about 20 to 25 cents per GB, while some budget SSDs hover closer to 5 or 6 cents. The price gap is partly thanks to the integrated NVMe and PCIe 3.0 tech you’ll typically find in M.2 SSDs, making these tiny cards pack quite a punch.

If you’re eyeing Sandisk’s offerings, brace for a $49.99 tag on the 128GB MicroSD Express and $64.99 for the 256GB version. They promise read speeds up to 880 MB/s and write speeds peaking at 480 MB/s. But if you’re craving even more space, Lexar is upping the ante with cards reaching up to 1TB. Just make sure your budget is ready, because those price tags aren’t exactly small change.

For example, a Lexar Play Pro 1TB card will set you back a cool $199.99, while their 512GB and 256GB versions sit at $99.99 and $49.99, respectively. Lexar’s cards boast some impressive speeds too, hitting up to 900 MB/s reading and 600 MB/s writing capabilities.

Now, if you’re scrutinizing cost-per-gigabyte, Sandisk’s 128GB version runs about $0.39, with the 256GB option at $0.25. Meanwhile, Lexar has made a case for itself with a more wallet-friendly $0.20 across the board, without skimping on performance.

Understanding why beefy storage is crucial for the Switch 2 is key. It’s shipping with only 256GB out of the box, but don’t be fooled. Inserting a physical game cartridge won’t always cue the title to start; some will need downloading in full before you can dive in. These cartridges will serve more like a “Game-Key Card,” acting as fancy permission slips, a move perhaps driven by publisher cost-cutting as NAND storage costs climb.

Take, for instance, a game like Street Fighter 6 — buy the cartridge, and you’re looking at a hefty 50GB download just to get up and running. That 256GB is suddenly looking awfully tight. Unless you relish in the hassle of constantly managing downloads, being able to expand storage quickly becomes less a luxury and more a necessity if you plan to build a sizable library.

Breaking down the specifics of MicroSD Express can be fascinating, especially for those curious about what’s under the hood and how it differs from the usual MicroSD cards. Based on the SD Association’s tricky classifications, these new cards span four speed categories, from Class 150 through to Class 600, meaning their performance starts at 150 MB/s, climbing up from there. With more pins to boot, they edge ahead of the simpler eight-pin UHS-I cards, ready to leverage interfaces like NVMe and PCIe 3.0, theoretically pushing speeds to a staggering 2GB/s.

Yet, as of now, no existing card or even the Switch 2 itself seems poised to max out those potential speeds. Joey Lopez from Lexar did note in a recent press chat that they’re thrilled to be on the cutting edge, ready to meet gamers’ needs with this next-gen level performance.

In a world where speed and capacity define gaming experiences, the shift from UHS-I to MicroSD Express represents a tantalizing leap. The crown for the fastest card is held by Lexar’s Play Pro MicroSDXC Express card, but the ultimate test will be when we get these cards and the Switch 2 into our hands. For now, grab a closer look at our hands-on impressions of the Nintendo Switch 2.