When Nintendo unveiled plans for the Switch 2, they revealed that expanding the console’s memory would necessitate using cards based on the microSD Express standard. This revelation sent a shockwave through the market, with both online and brick-and-mortar retailers swiftly selling out. Staff at Hermitage Akihabara in Japan noted the cards were flying off the shelves, with sales reaching an astonishing 337 units per hour. This rush was unexpected given that microSD Express cards carry a much higher price tag than their regular microSD counterparts.
For those considering upgrading, be prepared to pay a hefty premium. The basic Lexar 1TB Play microSD card usually goes for $129.99 on Amazon, although a discount currently brings it down to $69.99. This card offers respectable speeds—reading at up to 160 MB/s and writing at 100 MB/s. However, if you’re looking for something faster, the microSD Express version of this card dramatically outpaces it with a reading speed of 900 MB/s and a writing speed of 600 MB/s. But that speed comes with a cost: the Lexar 1TB Play Pro microSD Express card is priced at $199.99, and even with a current sale price of $172.63, it remains more than twice as expensive as the standard version.
Despite this financial hit, Nintendo fans quickly snapped up the microSD Express cards post-announcement. Fortunately, there hasn’t been much scalping involved. Reports suggest that most buyers picked up only a single card, with the highest purchases capped at three per person, indicating these are likely genuine consumers preparing for the Switch 2.
Although the microSD Express standard has been available since 2019, it hasn’t seen widespread usage, largely due to its cost. People opting for portable storage generally choose cheaper non-Express microSD cards, while those needing larger fixed storage often select SSDs, even though swapping out an SSD can require hardware tinkering. For the Switch 2, Nintendo likely aims to offer an easy and efficient way to expand storage, echoing internal speeds without the hassle of modifying the console. This is especially important considering the console’s 256 GB internal storage, which might not suffice as new, large-scale games are released.
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