When Nintendo dropped the news about the Switch 2, they introduced a twist: the need for microSD Express cards to boost the device’s memory. This revelation caught everyone off guard, propelling both online and physical stores into a frenzy. Take Hermitage Akihabara in Japan, for instance; they were reporting sales of over 337 cards every hour. Such a surge in demand was especially surprising given how much pricier these cards are compared to their regular counterparts.
Now, let’s talk about the cost. You might be used to picking up a standard Lexar 1TB Play microSD card for $129.99 on Amazon, with discounts potentially bringing it down to $69.99. Its read and write speeds are pretty decent at 160 MB/s and 100 MB/s, respectively. However, when you look at the microSD Express variant, you’re seeing read speeds rocketing to a whopping 900 MB/s and write speeds at 600 MB/s. That’s a massive boost, more than five times the speed of the standard card. But hold onto your wallets—the microSD Express version, originally priced at $199.99, still costs $172.63 even after a discount, which is quite a leap from the non-Express price tag.
Interestingly, despite burning holes in wallets, these cards flew off the shelves post-announcement, reminiscent of a popular item selling out instantly. This wasn’t thanks to scalpers hoarding them either. We’re hearing that around 80% of customers purchased just one card, with the highest being three per person. It’s pretty clear that most folks snapping these up are thinking ahead to their Switch 2 needs.
Although microSD Express technology has been around since 2019, it’s not exactly mainstream yet, largely due to its price. People needing portable storage have often leaned towards cheaper non-Express cards, while those who needed lots of space stuck with SSDs. Swapping out an SSD might boost your console’s memory, but it requires popping open the device and a bit of tinkering—which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Since Nintendo frowns on users messing with their consoles’ insides, the user-friendly and speedy solution for expanding the Switch 2’s storage is these microSD Express cards. The new console’s 256 GB internal memory might feel tight, especially with a slew of new AAA titles on the horizon. Using microSD Express means you’ll have your games at the ready without missing a beat.
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