San Diego, CA – November 21, 2023 – As anticipation builds for Nintendo’s rumored Switch 2 console, a critical bottleneck for potential buyers might potentially be storage capacity and cost. Current microSD card technology, while evolving, presents important limitations for a modern gaming device demanding increasingly large game files.
the Nintendo Switch currently utilizes microSD cards for expandable storage. While functional, the cost-effectiveness of these cards compared to internal storage is becoming increasingly problematic. A 512GB microSD card, essential for storing a growing game library, currently costs around $160, while a comparable amount of internal storage in a smartphone or other device would cost approximately $54-a more than 3x price difference. This disparity is likely to become more pronounced with the Switch 2, expected to feature games with considerably larger file sizes.
The emergence of microSD Express cards offers faster read/write speeds, crucial for quick game loading and seamless gameplay. However, availability is severely limited, and prices are exceptionally high. While 1-terabyte microSD Express cards exist, they are difficult to find and command premium prices. Nintendo officially discourages the use of multiple microSD cards, eliminating a potential workaround for capacity limitations.
Understanding the different SD card standards is also key. The “SD Express” designation refers solely to transfer speed, utilizing the PCIe and NVMe interfaces, and doesn’t dictate storage capacity. The most common cards currently available are “SD eXtended Capacity” (SDXC) cards, theoretically capable of holding up to 2TB, though 1.5TB is the largest readily available size from retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. The SD Association, based in Tokyo, Japan, is the governing body for these standards.
In 2018, the SD Association introduced “SD Ultra Capacity” (SDUC), a new standard supporting capacities up to 128TB, applicable to both microSD and full-size SD cards, and compatible with SD Express technology. Despite this significant advancement, no SDUC cards are currently available for purchase. This means that the prospect of a readily available 8TB microSD card for the Switch 2, or any future device, remains distant. The progress of SDUC technology is being driven by companies like SanDisk (owned by Western Digital) and Micron Technology, but mass production timelines are unclear. The potential for SDUC cards to revolutionize portable gaming storage hinges on overcoming manufacturing challenges and reducing production costs.
For now, gamers preparing for the Switch 2 should anticipate perhaps high storage costs and limited capacity options, necessitating careful game selection and potentially relying on cloud storage solutions offered by Nintendo or third-party providers.
