How the MicroSD Express Standard in the Nintendo Switch 2 Could Impact Your Budget

After the big debut of the Nintendo Switch 2, several exciting technical tidbits about the console were unveiled. Among the most striking is the shift to a new MicroSD standard, dubbed MicroSD Express. Brace yourself, though, because if the current pricing trends hold true, these cards might take a bigger bite out of your budget than you’d hope. Many modern SSDs seem like a steal compared to these new cards, with MicroSD Express cards averaging between 20 to 25 cents per GB, while some of the more affordable SSDs are priced at roughly 5 to 6 cents per GB. The high cost stems from the integrated NVMe and PCIe 3.0 support, much like what’s found in M.2 SSDs, packed right into these next-gen MicroSD cards.

If you’re thinking of picking up a Sandisk MicroSD Express card, you’re looking at an MSRP of $49.99 for just 128GB. The 256GB model bumps you up to $64.99. These cards boast speeds of up to 880 MB/s for reading, 480 MB/s for writing, and 100 MB/s for sustained writes.

Meanwhile, Lexar is stepping up with even more options, offering capacities as large as 1TB. But don’t let your guard down just yet—the prices for these beefier storage solutions aren’t exactly gentle on the wallet.

Lexar’s Play Pro 1TB card comes in at a hefty $199.99, with the 512GB and 256GB models priced at $99.99 and $49.99, respectively. Lexar claims these cards can hit read speeds up to 900 MB/s and write speeds as high as 600 MB/s.

When you crunch the numbers, Sandisk’s 128GB MicroSD Express cards cost about $0.39 per gigabyte, while the 256GB cards are priced at $0.25 per gigabyte. Lexar, on the other hand, offers a more straightforward deal with all three of their storage options coming in at $0.20 per gigabyte, with a promise of higher-end performance specs.

With the Switch 2 slated to include 256GB of standard storage, you might think you’re set. But not so fast—even if you buy a physical game, you’re not guaranteed immediate gameplay out of the box. Some titles require downloading the full game onto the system. The cartridge essentially acts as a physical proof of purchase, which Nintendo has coined a “Game-Key Card.” This strategy might be a response to the rising costs of NAND storage, encouraging developers to minimize cartridge usage.

Take Street Fighter 6 as an example: even with a cartridge, you’ll need to install an additional 50GB of data. This means the limited 256GB storage on the console could fill up pretty quickly, nudging you towards investing in costly MicroSD cards unless you’re up for the hassle of constantly managing your downloaded games.

Understanding how this new MicroSD Express standard fits into the picture can be tricky at first glance. These cards look similar to the older MicroSD cards, but they pack a serious upgrade from the UHS-I standard that the original Switch used.

Currently, the SD Association categorizes MicroSD Express into four speed classes: Class 150, 300, 450, and 600—each number indicating the minimum read/write speed in MB/s. Moreover, these newer cards sport more pins—16 or 17 compared to the eight pins on the older UHS-I cards—thanks to their NVMe and PCIe 3.0 interfaces, which could theoretically push speeds up to 2GB/s when using a PCIe 4.0 interface. You can dive deeper into the technology nitty-gritty over at AnandTech.

With some details about the Switch 2’s hardware capabilities still under wraps, it’s unclear if the console can fully harness the maximum speeds these cards promise. For now, the Lexar Play Pro MicroSDXC Express card holds the title as the fastest announced, but we’ll only know how they perform once we have both the Switch 2 and the MicroSD Express cards in hand. If you’re curious, be sure to check out the hands-on review of the Nintendo Switch 2.