Nintendo Switch 2 leak hints at massive storage improvements

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Summary

  • The Switch 2 may support microSD Express cards, according to some new GameStop SKUs.

  • The microSD Express standard offers over 900% faster transfer speeds compared to the UHS-I interface supported by the Switch.

  • microSD Express cards can also have a capacity of up to 128GB, while their UHS-I counterparts have a capacity of up to 2TB.

The Nintendo Switch 2 will support microSD Express cards, according to a few new SKUs that are believed to belong to some of its accessories. As such, this leak suggests that Nintendo's upcoming console will offer a significant improvement in storage technology over its predecessor.

The Switch 2 is rumored to go into mass production in the latter part of 2024, possibly as early as late September. This belief is supported by the massive influx of console hardware leaks that have been appearing online since Q4 2024.

Super Mario thinks next to Switch 2 Joy-Cons on a 2x1 composite red background

Relatives

The Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons may have a new trick

Some recently unearthed data suggests that the Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers may come with a new gimmick very similar to Nintendo's.

In continuation of this trend in early January 2025. several GameStop SKUs of unannounced Switch 2 accessories have leaked. The product labels, originally shared by Reddit user Opposite-Chemistry96, mention a trio of “Switch 2 Exp Micro SD Cards” with capacities ranging from 256GB to 512GB. , these designations refer to cards based on the microSD Express standard, a storage interface that is much more advanced than the which is supported by Switch.

The Nintendo Switch 2 can offer up to 900% faster microSD card transfer speeds

The Nintendo Switch supports UHS-I microSD cards, which offer a theoretical maximum data transfer rate of around 104MB per second. In practice, even best-in-class products based on this interface are typically limited to approximately 95 MB/s. At the same time, the microSD Express standard can actually achieve a transfer speed of 985 MB/s. This 900% improvement comes from the technology's reliance on the Non-volatile Memory Express (NVMe) protocol for highly parallel data transfer, the same one used by today's fastest SSDs.

UHS-I vs microSD Express standard

UGS-I

microSD Express

Transmission speed

~95 MB/s

~985 MB/s

Maximum capacity

2 TB

128 TB

Another big advantage of microSD Express cards compared to their UHS-I counterparts is their maximum capacity. While the old 2TB limit was standard, the newer ones support 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 a price tag of $84.99.

Opposite-Chemistry96 also revealed the SKUs for the Switch 2 carrying case and two deluxe cases, priced at $19.99 and $29.99 respectively. All of these offerings are likely unofficial Switch 2 accessories, the kind of products that have been leaking online for months now. Nintendo has said twice so far that it will officially unveil its next console before the end of the current fiscal year. The company still has two-and-a-half months to deliver on that promise, as its current financial period ends on March 31, 2025.

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