Okay, so picture this: Nintendo pops up with this big reveal — Switch 2 — and folks practically stampede for these microSD Express cards to beef up their new device’s memory. Like, seriously, Japanese retailer Hermitage Akihabara got wiped out faster than a kid who spills cola all over their jeans. Their staff mentioned (okay, more like translated) that they were flying off the shelves at 337 cards an hour. Kinda nuts when you consider how much pricier these cards are compared to regular ones.
So let’s dive into this for a second — You think you’re being clever buying a basic 1TB Lexar microSD card. Normally, you’d shelve out like $129.99 on Amazon, but hey, it’s $69.99 right now. Pretty sweet deal, right? These cards hit 160 MB/s read and 100 MB/s write. Respectable, yet nowhere near the Switch’s internal storage. Now, let’s look at the Express version: This monster hits a whopping 900 MB/s read and 600 MB/s write! Rocket-speed, essentially, in the world of microSDs. But hold on, because your wallet’s about to cry: it normally costs $199.99 — on Amazon again — but it’s currently marked down to $172.63. Still way higher than the normie cards.
Now, shift gears for a sec — we’re not seeing any of those shady scalper dudes screwing everyone over. Believe it or not, even with wallets barking in pain from buying these cards, they still sold like hotcakes after Nintendo dropped the news bomb. According to reports, around 80% of card grabbers bagged just one card. Literally only a tiny slice went for three cards max. Sounds like most buyers were just prepping for their Switch 2, rather than stockpiling to resell.
Here’s a little pebble in the stream of tech adoption: this microSD Express jazz has been around since 2019. But guess what? Not too many folks climbed on board, probably ‘cause prices were sky-high compared to your run-of-the-mill microSD cards, and SSDs for those gunning for loads of storage space. Some consoles even allow a memory upgrade by swapping out the SSD. But honestly, who wants to torch an afternoon tinkering with backplates and settings? Not me.
Ultimately, Nintendo’s kinda fussy about people messing with their consoles. Tweaking hardware is not their jam. So, in plain human speak, for those of us not looking for a midday hobby, the best bet to jack up Switch 2 storage speedily — a wise move especially with several new AAA titles coming in to crash the 256 GB internal storage party — is using these nifty microSD Express cards. That way, gaming classics and newbies are always just a click away on your Switch 2.
And hey, if you’re all about staying in the loop and soaking up the latest hardware news, why not tag along with Tom’s Hardware on Google News? It’s like having a techy sidekick keeping you updated.
