Last week, Nintendo unveiled the much-anticipated Nintendo Switch 2, revealing a significant change in its storage expansion options. The console now exclusively supports MicroSD Express cards, a move that might frustrate owners of traditional MicroSD collections but is rooted in performance enhancement. MicroSD Express cards boast significantly higher speeds, aligning closely with the Universal Flash Storage (UFS) of the Switch 2's internal memory. This compatibility ensures that games stored on expansion cards can load as quickly as those installed internally, albeit at the expense of compatibility with older, slower MicroSD cards.

MicroSD vs. MicroSD Express

The evolution of MicroSD cards has seen six distinct speed ratings, beginning with the initial 12.5MB/s and progressing to the SD UHS III standard at 312MB/s. However, the introduction of the SD Express standard five years ago marked a significant leap in performance. The key difference with SD Express lies in its use of a PCIe 3.1 interface, a technology also used in high-speed NVMe SSDs, enabling full-sized SD Express cards to achieve data transfer rates up to 3,940MB/s. While MicroSD Express cards reach up to 985MB/s, this is still three times faster than the top speeds of non-Express MicroSD cards.

Why Does the Switch 2 Require MicroSD Express?

Though Nintendo rarely discloses detailed reasons for its hardware specifications, the rationale for mandating MicroSD Express cards is clear: speed. The adoption of MicroSD Express ensures that games load quickly, regardless of whether they're stored internally or on an expansion card. This decision aligns with the upgrade from eMMC to UFS in the Switch 2's internal storage, promising significant load time improvements, as evidenced by early demos. Publications like Polygon and Digital Foundry have reported faster load times, with improvements ranging from 35% for fast travel in games like Breath of the Wild to a threefold increase in initial load times. These enhancements suggest that Nintendo aimed to prevent potential bottlenecks in future games requiring faster storage, ensuring seamless gameplay experiences.

Moreover, the move to MicroSD Express positions the Switch 2 for future storage advancements. The current fastest standard, SD 8.0 Specification, allows full-size SD Express cards to reach speeds up to 3,942MB/s. Although MicroSD Express cards are not yet at this level, future iterations could potentially match these speeds if the Switch 2's hardware supports them.

MicroSD Express Capacity Options

Despite their potential, MicroSD Express cards have been slow to gain traction. Currently, options are limited, but this is expected to change with the Switch 2's launch. For example, Lexar offers a single MicroSD Express card in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB capacities, with the 1TB model priced at $199. Meanwhile, SanDisk provides a 256GB MicroSD Express card, matching the Switch 2's internal storage capacity. As the demand grows, more options and larger capacities are anticipated, especially as industry leaders like Samsung enter the market.

Lexar Play Pro MicroSD Express

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SanDisk MicroSD Express 256GB

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