Nintendo Switch 2 Leak Hints at Huge Storage Improvement

Summary

• The Nintendo Switch 2 may support microSD Express cards, according to some newly leaked 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 reach up to 128TB in capacity, whereas their UHS-I counterparts cap out at 2TB.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is rumored to support microSD Express cards, based on several newly surfaced SKUs believed to belong to its accessories. This leak suggests that Nintendo's upcoming console will offer significant storage technology improvements over its predecessor.

The Switch 2 is widely rumored to have entered mass production in the final stretch of 2024, possibly as early as late September. This belief is reinforced by a massive influx of leaks detailing the console's hardware that have been surfacing online since Q4 2024.

In early January 2025, several GameStop stock keeping units (SKUs) said to belong to unannounced Switch 2 accessories leaked. The product labels, originally shared by Reddit user Opposite-Chemistry96, mention a trio of "Switch 2 Exp Micro SD Card" products, with capacities ranging from 256GB to 512GB. These designations appear to refer to cards based on the microSD Express standard, a storage interface significantly more advanced than the one supported by the Switch.

Nintendo Switch 2 May Offer 900% Faster microSD Transfer Speeds

The Nintendo Switch supports UHS-I microSD cards, which offer theoretical maximum transfer speeds of around 104 MB per second. In practice, even the best-in-class products based on this interface typically cap out at approximately 95 MB/s. Meanwhile, the microSD Express standard can feasibly achieve transfer speeds in the ballpark of 985 MB/s. This 900% improvement stems from the technology's reliance on the non-volatile memory express (NVMe) protocol for highly parallel data transfer, the same one used by the fastest modern SSDs.

UHS-I vs microSD Express Standard

Another significant advantage of microSD Express cards over their UHS-I counterparts is their maximum capacity. While the older standard caps at 2TB, the newer one supports cards that are up to 128TB in size—a 6,300% improvement. According to the image of GameStop's internal inventory management system shared by Opposite-Chemistry96, the retailer plans to sell the 256GB Switch 2 cards for $49.99. Meanwhile, the sole 512GB card listed in GameStop's system has an $84.99 price tag attached to it.

Opposite-Chemistry96 also uncovered SKUs for a 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 product that has been leaking online for months now. Nintendo has so far twice said it will officially reveal its next console before the end of its current fiscal year. The company has two and a half more months to make good on that promise, as its ongoing fiscal period concludes on March 31, 2025.