In case you’re fortunate sufficient to have a brand new Nintendo Swap 2 in hand proper now, you are most likely filling it up with previous and new video games alike. The console comes with 256GB of storage in-built; that is eight occasions greater than the authentic Swap and 4 occasions greater than the Swap OLED. However the brand new console’s improved efficiency signifies that some video games will hog a ton of that house. Take, as an illustration, Cyberpunk 2077, which is a 59GB obtain, whereas Break up Fiction checks in at 69GB. Whereas not all titles hog a lot storage, there is a good likelihood you will need to add more room to your Swap 2 as time goes on.
You will want a microSD Categorical card to try this. These are not the identical as the usual microSD playing cards you will have for the primary Swap or different gaming handhelds. They’re newer, sooner and (as to be anticipated) costlier. However if you need more room, they’re your solely alternative. In case you’re seeking to seize one right now, we’ve laid out the perfect microSD playing cards for the Swap 2 and damaged down what it is best to know before you purchase.
The most effective microSD playing cards for the Swap 2 (and why you would possibly need to wait to purchase)
The Swap 2 is the primary mainstream system to require microSD Categorical for storage enlargement, so there aren’t many choices in the stores simply but. To make issues straightforward, 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 helps 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, notably for the higher-capacity choices. However most of the 128GB and 256GB fashions seem like steadily accessible as of the Swap 2’s launch week. Simply be warned that you will have to cope with prolonged ship occasions in some instances. SanDisk’s microSD Categorical Card has additionally elevated in value because it first went up on the market in February; initially, it price $45 for 128GB and $60 for 256GB.
Both means, all of those playing cards are far pricier than conventional microSD choices. The Samsung Professional Plus, for instance, prices $17 for 128GB, $25 for 256GB, $43 for 512GB and $90 for 1TB as of this writing.
Bear in mind: You’re in search of microSD Categorical, not “Excessive,” just like the branding SanDisk makes use of for a few of its standard microSD playing cards. A microSD Categorical card could have a giant “EX” brand printed on it — if you happen to see that, you need to be good to go.
We’ve already examined SanDisk’s Categorical card and the Lexar Play Professional for our broader information to the greatest microSD playing cards. Between the 2, SanDisk’s card has a lot sooner sequential learn speeds — as much as 899 MB/s vs. 712 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark, to call one benchmark — which theoretically makes it higher outfitted to scale back load occasions.
The Play Professional is faster for sequential writes (as much as 720 MB/s vs. 650 MB/s), accessible in additional sizes and needs to be cheaper at 256GB each 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 needs to be equally adept at maintaining giant video games like Mario Kart World operating 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 assessment items to press, and we have solely simply acquired our personal retail mannequin. So we’ll want a couple of extra days to complete testing.
For now, although, we are able to’t say for certain 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 sure threshold of efficiency, there wasn’t that a lot sensible distinction between it and different alternate options. The Swap 2 is working with a special normal, but when one thing comparable had been to occur once more, the “greatest” 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 foremost piece of recommendation: In case you can maintain off on shopping for one in every of this stuff early on, that’s most likely a good suggestion. It’s not simply in regards to the lack of testing — honestly, we’d be shocked if any of those playing cards are really “unhealthy.”
It is extra about worth: Barring extra tariff shenanigans, all of those playing cards are as costly right now as they’re ever prone to get. The Swap 2 is already in style and can proceed to be, thus extra microSD Categorical playing cards will have to 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 if you happen to’re completely certain you need more room instantly, the playing cards above ought to be ok.
What are microSD Categorical playing cards?
Most microSD playing cards are primarily based on a normal known as Extremely Excessive Velocity (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 knowledge switch velocity 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 frequent than playing cards primarily based 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 truly 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: file 4K video, stash photographs and so forth. However with the Swap 2, Nintendo wants extra. The brand new console is dramatically extra highly effective, which permits it to run demanding video games which will have initially been constructed for stronger {hardware} just like the PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection X or gaming PCs. The system additionally makes use of 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 occasions as properly.) So if the Swap 2 goes to just accept microSD playing cards, it wants ones that gained’t convey a severe drop-off in efficiency and might maintain up with fashionable video games.
Therefore, SD Categorical. This normal has technically been round since 2018 however principally went nowhere till the Swap 2 got here alongside. It additionally makes use of a second row of pins, however it lets microSD playing cards make the most of the PCI Categorical (PCIe)/NVMe interface, which is similar underlying tech utilized by fashionable SSDs. Because of this, it could actually produce significantly sooner learn and write speeds, with a present theoretical most of 985 MB/s.
As famous above, real-world efficiency gained’t be fairly that quick. Even when it was, the perfect 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 not less than 5,500 MB/s.) They usually’ll fall properly beneath their peak speeds beneath sustained hundreds: SanDisk, as an illustration, 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 previous 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 Skilled Silver Plus — the highest UHS-I choose in our normal 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 had been three to 4 occasions higher as properly, and generally 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 technique 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 appropriate with UHS-II, so that you’ll be restricted to UHS-I speeds if you wish to use your card with one other system (except you purchase a expensive exterior reader). Nonetheless, whereas the elevated prices and restricted choice are annoying, the tech itself appears worthy of a next-gen Swap.
