The perfect microSD playing cards for the Nintendo Swap 2

When you’re fortunate sufficient to have a brand new Nintendo Switch 2 in hand proper now, you are most likely filling it up with outdated and new video games alike. The console comes with 256GB of storage inbuilt; that is eight instances greater than the original Switch and 4 instances greater than the Switch OLED. However the brand new console’s improved performance implies that some video games will hog a ton of that area. Take, for example, Cyberpunk 2077, which is a 59GB obtain, whereas Split Fiction checks in at 69GB. Whereas not all titles hog a lot storage, there is a good probability you will need to add extra space to your Swap 2 as time goes on.

You will want a microSD Categorical card to do this. These are not the identical as the usual microSD cards you will have for the primary Swap or different gaming handhelds. They’re newer, sooner and (as to be anticipated) dearer. However if you need extra space, they’re your only choice. When you’re trying to seize one at present, we’ve laid out the very best microSD playing cards for the Swap 2 and damaged down what you must know before you purchase.

The perfect microSD playing cards for the Swap 2 (and why you may need to wait to purchase)

The Swap 2 is the primary mainstream machine to require microSD Categorical for storage enlargement, so there aren’t many choices in the stores simply but. To make issues simple, right here’s a listing of each microSD Categorical card we’ve seen at retailers on the time of writing.

128GB

256GB

512GB

1TB

Nintendo says the Swap 2 technically supports playing cards with a capability as much as 2TB, however we haven’t seen any microSD Categorical mannequin transcend 1TB simply but. It’s additionally price noting that GameStop and Onn (Walmart’s in-house electronics model) aren’t producers, so it’s unclear who precisely is making their playing cards.

Inventory for these playing cards stays considerably patchy, significantly for the higher-capacity choices. However most of the 128GB and 256GB fashions look like steadily accessible as of the Swap 2’s launch week. Simply be warned that you will have to cope with prolonged ship instances in some circumstances. SanDisk’s microSD Categorical Card has additionally elevated in worth because it first went up on the market in February; initially, it price $45 for 128GB and $60 for 256GB.

Both manner, all of those playing cards are far pricier than conventional microSD choices. The Samsung Pro Plus, for instance, prices $17 for 128GB, $25 for 256GB, $43 for 512GB and $90 for 1TB as of this writing.

Keep in mind: You’re in search of microSD Categorical, not “Excessive,” just like the branding SanDisk makes use of for a few of its conventional microSD cards. A microSD Categorical card can have an enormous “EX” emblem printed on it — for those who see that, try to be good to go.

We’ve already examined SanDisk’s Categorical card and the Lexar Play Professional for our broader information to the best microSD cards. Between the 2, SanDisk’s card has a lot sooner sequential read speeds — as much as 899 MB/s vs. 712 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark, to call one benchmark — which theoretically makes it higher outfitted to cut back load instances.

The Play Professional is faster for sequential writes (as much as 720 MB/s vs. 650 MB/s), accessible in additional sizes and ought to be cheaper at 256GB every time it’s in inventory. (SanDisk says the 128GB model of its card has slower sequential writes than the 256GB mannequin, too.) Random efficiency is about equal, so the 2 ought to be equally adept at conserving giant video games like Mario Kart World working easily.

We primarily examined these playing cards on a Home windows PC and Mac, although. How they carry out on the precise Swap 2 stays to be seen. Nintendo didn’t ship out early evaluation items to press, and we have solely simply obtained our personal retail mannequin. So we’ll want a number of extra days to complete testing.

For now, although, we are able to’t say for positive if the console renders all microSD Categorical playing cards to comparable speeds. That was largely the case with the primary Swap: As soon as a (common) microSD card hit a certain threshold of efficiency, there wasn’t that a lot sensible distinction between it and different options. The Swap 2 is working with a unique commonplace, but when one thing comparable have been to occur once more, the “finest” microSD Categorical card would merely be probably the most reasonably priced one from a good model within the capability you need.

That brings us to our principal piece of recommendation: When you can maintain off on shopping for considered one of these items early on, that’s most likely a good suggestion. It’s not simply in regards to the lack of testing — in truth, we’d be shocked if any of those playing cards are actually “dangerous.”

It is extra about worth: Barring extra tariff shenanigans, all of those playing cards are as costly at present as they’re ever prone to get. The Swap 2 is already standard and can proceed to be, thus extra microSD Categorical playing cards will must be made and costs will (finally) come down. Attempt to use all 256 of the gigabytes baked into the Swap 2 first, even when it means having to delete a sport or two. However for those who’re completely positive you need extra space instantly, the playing cards above ought to be adequate.

What are microSD Categorical playing cards?

Most microSD playing cards are based mostly on a normal known as Extremely Excessive Pace (UHS), of which there are three variations: UHS-I, UHS-II and UHS-III. The overwhelming majority of playing cards you will have purchased previously make the most of UHS-I. These have one row of pins within the again and a theoretical most information switch pace of 104 megabytes per second (MB/s). (Although many playing cards are in a position to surpass that restrict with proprietary tech and card readers.) The unique Swap has a UHS-I microSD slot, as do most different gaming handhelds like Valve’s Steam Deck.

UHS-II playing cards add a second row of pins and might attain as much as 312 MB/s. These are pricier and far much less widespread than playing cards based mostly on UHS-I, however they’re supported by some cameras and higher-power handhelds just like the ASUS ROG Ally X. UHS-III, in the meantime, is twice as quick as UHS-II in concept (624 MB/s), however no microSD playing cards have really used it.

UHS-I playing cards have held on through the years as a result of they’re low cost, broadly supported and quick sufficient for the issues most individuals want them to do: report 4K video, stash pictures and so forth. However with the Swap 2, Nintendo needs more. The brand new console is dramatically extra highly effective, which permits it to run demanding games that will have initially been constructed for stronger {hardware} just like the PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection X or gaming PCs. The machine also uses UFS 3.1 storage internally, which is way speedier than the eMMC storage utilized by the unique Swap. (A customized file decompression engine helps enhance load instances as properly.) So if the Swap 2 goes to simply accept microSD playing cards, it wants ones that received’t convey a critical drop-off in efficiency and might maintain up with fashionable video games.

Therefore, SD Categorical. This commonplace has technically been around since 2018 however principally went nowhere till the Swap 2 got here alongside. It additionally makes use of a second row of pins, nevertheless it lets microSD playing cards reap the benefits of the PCI Categorical (PCIe)/NVMe interface, which is similar underlying tech utilized by modern SSDs. Consequently, it could possibly produce significantly sooner learn and write speeds, with a present theoretical maximum of 985 MB/s.

As famous above, real-world efficiency received’t be fairly that quick. Even when it was, the very best microSD Categorical playing cards would nonetheless be a lot slower than the NVMe SSDs used by the PS5 and Xbox. (Sony recommends SSDs with sequential learn speeds of no less than 5,500 MB/s.) They usually’ll fall properly under their peak speeds underneath sustained masses: SanDisk, for example, says sustained write speeds for its 128GB Categorical card can drop as little as 100 MB/s.

However they’re nonetheless a marked enchancment over outdated UHS-I playing cards, and in concept, they need to be faster than some older SATA-based SSDs when it comes loading sport ranges, asset streaming, retrieving saves or copying video games to exterior storage. Whereas SanDisk’s microSD Categorical card can produce sequential learn speeds round 900 MB/s, Lexar’s Professional Silver Plus — the highest UHS-I choose in our basic microSD card information — topped out simply over 200 MB/s, and that’s with a proprietary reader. (On the primary Swap, it’d be nearer to 100 MB/s.) Sequential writes and random speeds have been three to 4 instances higher as properly, and typically much more relying on the benchmark we used.

It stays to be seen how properly these Categorical playing cards will maintain up with prolonged use, and there’s no approach to know precisely when their sky-high costs will drop. Non-Swap 2 gadgets that help microSD Categorical are nonetheless exceedingly uncommon, and the usual itself isn’t backwards suitable with UHS-II, so that you’ll be restricted to UHS-I speeds if you wish to use your card with one other machine (except you purchase a pricey external reader). Nonetheless, whereas the elevated prices and restricted choice are annoying, the tech itself appears worthy of a next-gen Swap.