Last week, Nintendo unveiled the Nintendo Switch 2, revealing that it exclusively supports expansion through MicroSD Express cards. While this might be frustrating for those with existing MicroSD collections, it's a strategic move due to the superior speed of MicroSD Express. These cards utilize an interface that can achieve read/write speeds comparable to the UFS (Universal Flash Storage) used in the Switch 2's internal storage. This compatibility is vital as it theoretically allows games on expansion cards to load as quickly as those stored internally, though at the expense of not being able to use more affordable non-Express MicroSD cards.
MicroSD vs. MicroSD Express
Over the years, MicroSD cards have evolved through six different speed ratings, starting from a modest 12.5MB/s with the original SD cards, up to 312MB/s with the SD UHS III standard. However, the introduction of the SD Express standard five years ago marked a significant leap in performance. Unlike the UHS-I interface of older cards, SD Express uses a PCIe 3.1 interface, similar to that found in fast NVMe SSDs, enabling full-sized SD Express cards to reach data transfer speeds up to 3,940MB/s. Although MicroSD Express cards don't achieve these top speeds, they can still hit up to 985MB/s, which is three times faster than the fastest non-Express MicroSD cards available.
Why Does the Switch 2 Require MicroSD Express?
While Nintendo hasn't disclosed the specific reasons behind requiring MicroSD Express cards, the primary advantage is undoubtedly speed. A game installed on a MicroSD Express card will load significantly faster than on a traditional UHS-I MicroSD card, thanks to the PCIe 3.1 interface. This requirement aligns with the Switch 2's upgrade to UFS from eMMC for internal storage, ensuring that external storage matches the internal performance. Early demos have shown substantial improvements in load times, with fast travel in games like Breath of the Wild reducing by 35% and initial load times improving by a factor of three, according to reports from Polygon and Digital Foundry. These enhancements could be attributed to the faster internal storage, CPU, and GPU, but the need for equally fast external storage is clear to prevent bottlenecks in future games.
Additionally, this move future-proofs the console, allowing for even faster storage solutions as technology advances. The current fastest standard, SD 8.0 Specification, supports speeds up to 3,942MB/s for full-size SD Express cards, and while MicroSD Express cards can't yet reach these speeds, future developments could make this possible, especially if the Switch 2 is designed to handle such speeds.
MicroSD Express Capacity Options
MicroSD Express cards are still emerging, but their adoption is expected to accelerate with the Switch 2's launch. Currently, options are limited. Lexar offers a MicroSD Express card in capacities of 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, with the 1TB variant priced at $199. Meanwhile, SanDisk provides a 256GB MicroSD Express card, matching the internal storage capacity of the Switch 2. As the Switch 2 hits the market, we can anticipate a broader range of MicroSD Express cards, particularly from leading manufacturers like Samsung, ensuring more options and capacities become available over time.
Lexar Play Pro MicroSD Express
0See it at Amazon
SanDisk MicroSD Express 256GB
0See it at Amazon
