Silicon Power gives Switch 2 gamers and video media enthusiasts a fast microSD data storage solution with the Hypera microSDXC Express card. The SP’s Hypera cards are available with 256GB, 512GB and 1TB capacities. We were sent the 256GB version to test.

Not all microSD cards are the same. And with a nomenclature that even beats that of DDR memory in the esoterica stakes, buying microSD cards is a minefield.

A microSD card that works well for your camera may not be suitable for your drone or handheld PC. The original Nintendo Switch needs a microSD card for up to 2GB, a microSDHC card for 4GB-32GB, and a microSDXC card for 64GB and above. They also need to be UHS-I (Ultra High-Speed Phase I) compatible. This’ll net you a transfer speed of between 60-95 MB/s, which is slower than an old-school hard drive.

The microSDXC A1 card in my ROG Xbox Ally X rips along at 156MB/s, besting the speed of a mechanical HDD. Frustratingly, all these microSD cards look nigh-on identical and, in being the same form factor, are interchangeable.

For the Switch 2, Nintendo requires an even faster microSD card. It’s no use thinking that stuffing the card from your old Switch in your shiny new Switch 2 will do the job, as it won’t. You’ll just get an error.

The Nintendo Switch 2 needs a microSDXC Express card. At a maximum read speed of 800MB/s, the SP Hypera microSDXC Express card is one of the fastest on the market. But to see those sorts of speeds, you need compatible hardware. The card is backward compatible with UHS-I, and defaults to max speeds of around 104MB/s with non-microSDXC Express devices.

Other than the Nintendo Switch 2, or via an external card reader the current applications for the near SSD speeds of microSDXC Express cards are limited. But as devices start to require faster storage upgrade solutions on par with internal storage, I can see microSDXC Express cards becoming common. Expect to see the cards being a requirement for new phones, cameras and virtual reality/augmented reality/extended reality devices, especially those dealing with large streaming media files.

The Switch 2 uses three data storage methods. First, there’s the internal UFS 3.1 flash memory. This is the fastest data storage for the console at a rumoured maximum of 2.3GB/s. Next, there’s the microSDXC Express card (up to 880MB/s). Finally, there are the eMMC game cartridges at about 400MB/s.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has 256GB of on-board flash storage (compared to the OG Switch’s measly 32GB and the Switch OLED’s 64GB). If you mainly use cartridges, the onboard storage will likely last you a while. But if you prefer digital versions, that storage space will fill up.

Many games are shipping with cartridges that are actually just digital keys, as opposed to having the Switch 2 game in the cartridge. This could be because newer games require faster loading times than the old eMMC cartridges are capable of, or just a cost-saving measure. Regardless, this means you need to download the game onto the machine’s onboard storage before you start playing, rather than just inserting the cart.  There are also always digital games on the Nintendo store available at huge discounts.

With Nintendo Switch 2 first-party games ranging in size from 10-25GB in size, and third-party games up to 60GB, you are potentially only going to get a handful of digital Switch 2 games installed on your machine. A reasonably inexpensive 256GB microSDXC Express card will effectively double the storage capacity of your Switch 2.

The Silicon Power Hypera microSDXC Express easily slips into the Switch 2’s microSDXC slot, which is hidden behind the portable console’s retractable stand.

I tested the startup time of Kingdom Come: Deliverance installed on the internal Switch 2 storage and installed on the Hypera microSDXC Express. The game loaded into my save game in 50.76 seconds from the SD card and 48.39 seconds from the Switch’s internal storage.

Silicon Power’s 256GB Hypera microSDXC Express offers a more affordable solution than those with higher capacities for Switch 2 owners needing extra space.  The card speed seems on par with that of the internal storage when loading games, making it a worthwhile investment for Switch 2 owners.

The Hypera microSDXC Express card was provided by the vendor as a gift; however, this did not influence the testing or conclusions.