Last week, Nintendo unveiled the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2, sparking excitement among gaming enthusiasts. However, a notable detail caught the attention of many: the console will exclusively support expansion through MicroSD Express cards. While this might be inconvenient for those with existing MicroSD card collections, it's a strategic move that promises significant performance benefits. MicroSD Express cards offer speeds that are comparable to the Universal Flash Storage (UFS) used in the Switch 2’s internal storage, ensuring that games stored on expansion cards load just as quickly as those stored internally.

MicroSD vs. MicroSD Express

Over the years, MicroSD cards have evolved through various speed ratings, starting from the initial SD cards with a modest 12.5MB/s transfer rate. Subsequent advancements brought us to SD High Speed at 25 MB/s, and eventually to SD UHS III, which boasts speeds up to 312MB/s. The game-changer came five years ago with the introduction of the SD Express standard, which leverages a PCIe 3.1 interface, a significant leap from the slower UHS-I interface used in traditional MicroSD cards. This upgrade allows full-sized SD Express cards to achieve data transfer speeds up to 3,940MB/s. MicroSD Express cards, while not reaching these peak speeds, still offer impressive performance, with speeds up to 985MB/s, tripling the speed of the fastest non-Express MicroSD cards.

Why Does the Switch 2 Require MicroSD Express?

While Nintendo rarely discloses detailed reasoning behind its hardware choices, the requirement for MicroSD Express cards in the Switch 2 is likely driven by the need for speed. With the console's internal storage upgraded to UFS from the previous eMMC, it's crucial that the expansion storage matches this performance. Early demonstrations suggest that the Switch 2 significantly reduces load times; for instance, fast travel in games like Breath of the Wild is now 35% faster, according to Polygon, while Digital Foundry reported a three-fold improvement in initial load times. These enhancements may be attributed to both the faster internal storage and the improved CPU and GPU capabilities. By mandating MicroSD Express, Nintendo ensures that external storage won't bottleneck future games that demand higher performance.

Moreover, this decision paves the way for even faster storage solutions in the future. The current SD 8.0 Specification allows full-sized SD Express cards to reach up to 3,942MB/s, and although MicroSD Express cards aren't there yet, they could achieve these speeds as technology advances. This forward-thinking approach by Nintendo could set a new standard for handheld gaming PCs as well.

MicroSD Express Capacity Options

Currently, the adoption of MicroSD Express cards is slow, but this is expected to change with the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. At present, options are limited. Lexar, for instance, offers a single MicroSD Express card in capacities of 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, with the 1TB variant priced at $199. On the other hand, SanDisk provides a 256GB MicroSD Express card, matching the internal storage size of the Switch 2. As the demand grows, more options with higher storage capacities are likely to become available from manufacturers like Samsung.

Lexar Play Pro MicroSD Express
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SanDisk MicroSD Express 256GB
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