Summary
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The Switch 2 may support microSD Express cards, according to some newly leaked GameStop SKUs.
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The microSD Express standard offers more than 900% faster transfer speeds compared to the UHS-I interface supported by the switch.
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microSD Express cards can also hold up to 128GB, while their UHS-I counterparts are limited to 2TB.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will support microSD Express cards, according to several newly discovered SKUs believed to belong to one of its accessories. So this leak suggests that Nintendo's upcoming console will offer a massive improvement in storage technology compared to its predecessor.
The Switch 2 is widely rumored to enter mass production in the latter part of 2024, possibly as early as late September. This belief is reinforced by the massive influx of console hardware leaks that have been appearing online since Q4 2024.
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Continuing this trend, several GameStop stock units (SKUs) were leaked in early January 2025, which are said to belong to unannounced Switch 2 accessories. The product labels, originally shared by Reddit user Opposite-Chemistry96, mention a trio of “Switch 2 Exp Micro SD Card” products with ranging in capacity from 256 GB to 512 GB. These designations seem to refer to cards based on the microSD Express standard, a storage interface that is significantly more advanced than interface supported by the switch.
Nintendo Switch 2 can offer 900% faster microSD transfer speeds
The Nintendo Switch supports UHS-I microSD cards, which offer a theoretical maximum transfer speed of around 104 MB per second. In practice, even best-in-class products based on this interface typically reach a maximum speed of around 95 MB/s. Meanwhile, the microSD Express standard can realistically achieve transfer speeds in the range of 985 MB/s. This 900% improvement comes from the technology's reliance on the NVMe (non-volatile memory express) protocol for highly parallel data transfer, the same one used by the fastest modern SSDs.
UHS-I vs microSD Express Standard
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UHS-I |
microSD Express |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Transmission speed |
~95 MB/s |
~985 MB/s |
|
Maximum capacity |
2TB |
128 TB |
Another big advantage that microSD Express cards have over their UHS-I counterparts is their maximum capacity. While the older standard limits are 2TB, the newer one supports cards up to 128TB – a 6,300% improvement. According to an image of GameStop's internal inventory management system shared by Opposite-Chemistry96, the retailer plans to sell 256GB Switch 2 cards for $49.99. Meanwhile, the only 512GB card listed at GameStop has an $84.99 price tag attached.
Opposite-Chemistry96 also revealed SKUs for the Switch 2 carrying case and two “deluxe” cases priced at $19.99 and $29.99. All of these deals are likely unofficial Switch 2 accessories, the kind of product that has been leaking online for months now. Nintendo has said twice so far that it will officially reveal its next console before the end of the current fiscal year. The company still has two-and-a-half months to fulfill this promise as its current fiscal period ends on March 31, 2025.
Nintendo
- Date of establishment
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September 23, 1889
- Headquarters
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Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
- Parent company
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Nintendo
