When Nintendo dropped the news about the Switch 2, gamers were buzzing, particularly about one requirement: beefing up your storage with microSD Express cards. These aren’t your standard memory cards, either. Right after the announcement, merchants, both online and in stores, saw a frenzy, flying off the shelves at incredible speeds. At Hermitage Akihabara in Japan, staff reported sales of over 337 of these cards every hour. Quite the uproar, especially since these speedy little cards come with a hefty price tag compared to their regular counterparts.
Now, if you’re considering these microSD Express cards, brace yourself for some sticker shock. Let’s take the Lexar 1TB Play microSD as an example. Typically priced at $129.99 on Amazon, it’s currently slashed to $69.99. Respectable speeds at 160 MB/s read and 100 MB/s write, but these can’t compete with the internal storage speeds. Enter the express version: the Lexar 1TB Play Pro. This powerhouse offers reading speeds up to 900 MB/s and writing speeds around 600 MB/s, trumping the older model by a landslide. However, the price reflects that leap in speed. Originally at $199.99, even at a discounted price of $172.63, it’s still a hefty increase over the non-Express version.
Interestingly, despite the financial burden these new requirements impose on Nintendo fans, they’re flying off the shelves. No sweeping acts of scalping here—it looks like about 80% of buyers kept their purchases to just one card, with a cap at three for the more enthusiastic consumers. This likely suggests that most of these sales are genuine enthusiasts preparing for the new Switch 2.
The microSD Express standard may not be new—it’s been around since 2019—but its high cost has kept it from becoming mainstream. Its practicality lies more in portable storage needs, whereas SSDs serve well when permanent installations are required. For gamers, many consoles offer the option to swap out internal memory by replacing the SSD, though this isn’t the most user-friendly method. It demands a bit of handiwork and some technical tweaking.
Since Nintendo isn’t keen on users fiddling with the internal workings of its consoles, they’ve opted for an easier route. For Switch 2 owners, microSD Express cards offer an upgrade path with performance closely matching the console’s internal storage. This becomes increasingly important as the Switch 2 is set to roll out several new AAA titles, which would eat away at its 256 GB internal capacity. With these cards, gamers can ensure their favorite titles are just a quick launch away.
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