Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express card prices rise nearly 30%

Retail prices for Nintendo Switch 2 officially licensed microSD Express memory cards have increased by nearly 30% due to rising manufacturing and component costs. The 256GB version, produced by manufacturers such as Samsung and SanDisk, has seen its suggested retail price rise from 6,980 yen to 8,980 yen.

The Switch 2 utilizes the microSD Express standard to meet the high data throughput requirements of modern 3A games. Unlike the original Switch, which uses the UHS-I interface limited to approximately 100MB/s, microSD Express integrates PCIe channels and NVMe protocols to achieve read speeds near 900MB/s. However, the complexity of integrating these controllers and high-speed NAND flash into a micro form factor has increased power consumption and thermal management challenges, contributing to higher production costs.