After the big launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, we’ve got some fresh details on its technical specs that are turning heads. One of the standout features is its reliance on a different kind of storage compared to the original—introducing the new MicroSD Express standard. Hold onto your wallets because these aren’t your average memory cards; they come with a heftier price tag. For a little perspective, these cards are priced at about 20 to 25 cents per gigabyte, making them more expensive than many of today’s solid-state drives, which can go for as cheap as 5 to 6 cents per gigabyte. What’s driving this cost is the advanced NVMe and PCIe 3.0 technologies, typical in M.2 SSDs, now integrated into these MicroSD Express cards.
Take SanDisk’s latest offerings, for instance. Their MicroSD Express cards are priced at $49.99 for 128GB, while the 256GB version will set you back $64.99. These cards boast impressive speeds: up to 880 MB/s for reading, 480 MB/s for writing, and a steady write speed of 100 MB/s.
Lexar has stepped into the ring with even bigger storage options, capping at a whopping 1TB. Prepare yourself, though, because the price is as massive as the storage. Lexar’s Play Pro 1TB MicroSD Express card is priced at $199.99. The smaller 512GB card goes for $99.99 and the 256GB version is $49.99. Lexar claims these cards can reach speeds of up to 900 MB/s for reading and 600 MB/s for writing.
Looking at cost efficiency, SanDisk’s 128GB card comes in at $0.39 per gigabyte, and the 256GB version drops to $0.25 per gigabyte. Lexar edges out in affordability, with all capacities priced at a consistent $0.20 per gigabyte, along with better performance specs.
### Why Storage Matters More Than Ever for the Switch 2
Even though the Switch 2 comes with a generous 256GB of storage, there’s a twist. Just having the physical game cartridge doesn’t mean you’re set to play instantly. Many titles require you to download and install the entire game on your console, with the cartridge mostly acting as a license key—dubbed a “Game-Key Card” by Nintendo. This shift likely aims to cut down cartridge production costs as NAND storage prices rise.
Take the example of wanting to get Street Fighter 6—you’ll need to install an extra 50GB of data right from the start. So, those initial 256GB will get used up pretty fast, revealing an unseen cost: the necessity to buy these expensive new MicroSD cards, or else you’ll be stuck in a constant cycle of deleting and redownloading games every time you switch out your Game-Key Card.
### Understanding the Switch 2’s MicroSD Express Standard
At first glance, you may not see much of a difference between standard MicroSD cards and the new MicroSD Express ones, which could confuse potential buyers. But from a technical standpoint, these cards are a major upgrade from the UHS-I standard used by the original Switch.
The SD Association classifies MicroSD Express cards into four speed classes: Class 150, Class 300, Class 450, and Class 600. These numbers indicate minimum read and write speeds of the cards in MB/s. Additionally, MicroSD Express cards are physically different, sporting significantly more pins—either 16 or 17, compared to the mere eight on the older UHS-I cards.
Built on NVMe and PCIe 3.0 frameworks, these cards can deliver speeds reaching up to 2GB/s with a PCIe 4.0 interface. Our sister site, AnandTech, offers an in-depth exploration of the tech behind this.
However, as detailed as the technical side is, we’re still in the dark about whether the Switch 2 will fully utilize these potential speeds. Plus, no currently available MicroSD Express cards have reached these theoretical peak speeds yet.
Joey Lopez, Lexar’s Director of Brand Marketing, shared his excitement about the new standard: “The new microSD Express standard offers us a way to deliver a memory card with incomparable performance in that form factor. We’re excited to create a card for our customers that leverages the benefits of this new standard and prepares gamers for the next generation of handheld gaming.”
For now, there’s a noticeable gap between the fastest UHS-I MicroSD Card and the fastest potential MicroSD Express card. Lexar’s Play Pro MicroSDXC Express card leads the way for announced speeds, but we’ll have to wait for the Switch 2’s release, and these cards’ availability, to truly put them to the test. Meanwhile, check out our hands-on experience with the Nintendo Switch 2.
