MicroSD Express: Why Nintendo Switch 2 Needs It

Last week, Nintendo unveiled the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2, revealing that it exclusively supports expansion via MicroSD Express cards. This requirement might be a hassle for those with collections of traditional MicroSD cards, but it's a strategic move due to the significant performance advantages of MicroSD Express.

The key benefit of MicroSD Express cards is their ability to achieve read/write speeds comparable to the Universal Flash Storage (UFS) used in the Switch 2’s internal storage. This compatibility ensures that games stored on expansion cards can load just as quickly as those stored internally, enhancing the overall gaming experience. However, this comes at the cost of compatibility with older, slower MicroSD cards.

MicroSD vs. MicroSD Express

Over the years, MicroSD cards have evolved through six different speed ratings. Starting with a modest 12.5MB/s, speeds have progressively increased, reaching up to 312MB/s with the SD UHS III standard. The introduction of the SD Express standard five years ago marked a significant leap forward in performance.

The distinguishing feature of SD Express is its use of a PCIe 3.1 interface, a vast improvement over the slower UHS-I interface. This interface, also used by high-speed NVMe SSDs, enables full-sized SD Express cards to achieve data transfer speeds of up to 3,940MB/s. While MicroSD Express cards don't reach these peak speeds, they still offer impressive performance, with read/write speeds up to 985MB/s—three times faster than the fastest non-Express MicroSD cards.

Why Does the Switch 2 Require MicroSD Express?

Although Nintendo typically keeps its hardware decisions under wraps, the requirement for MicroSD Express cards in the Switch 2 is likely driven by the need for speed. Games installed on a MicroSD Express card will load much faster than those on a traditional UHS-I MicroSD card, thanks to the PCIe 3.1 interface. This trend might soon extend to handheld gaming PCs as well.

The Switch 2's internal storage has been upgraded to UFS from eMMC, aligning with the need for faster external storage. Early demos suggest significant improvements in load times—for instance, fast travel in games like Breath of the Wild is now 35% faster, and initial load times have improved by a factor of three, according to Polygon and Digital Foundry, respectively. These enhancements could be attributed to the faster internal storage, but the new CPU and GPU also play a crucial role in speeding up data processing. To prevent bottlenecks, it's essential for external storage to match the internal speeds, especially for future games that demand faster disk performance.

Moreover, the requirement for MicroSD Express cards paves the way for even faster storage solutions in the future. The current SD 8.0 Specification supports speeds up to 3,942MB/s for full-sized SD Express cards. While MicroSD Express cards don't yet reach these speeds, future advancements could see them doing so, provided the Switch 2 supports such high speeds.

MicroSD Express Capacity Options

MicroSD Express cards have been slow to gain traction, but this is expected to change with the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. Currently, options are limited. For instance, Lexar offers a MicroSD Express card in capacities of 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, with the 1TB variant priced at $199.

### Lexar Play Pro MicroSD Express

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SanDisk, meanwhile, offers a single MicroSD Express card with a maximum capacity of 256GB, matching the internal storage of the Switch 2. As the Switch 2 hits the market, it's unlikely that many MicroSD Express cards will be available with capacities exceeding 512GB. However, this is expected to change as companies like Samsung ramp up production of these cards.

### SanDisk MicroSD Express 256GB

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