The internal memory of the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite is limited to 32 GB, the new OLED version still offers 64 GB. If you store a lot of games on the console, a memory card for the Nintendo Switch is worthwhile.
The “Switch” from the Japanese manufacturer Nintendo lives up to its name. The hybrid game console can be connected to an external screen and used as a stationary device or converted into a handheld console. To do this, the Joy-Cons are attached and removed from the side to control the switch remotely or directly on the device. On the one hand, this makes the console small, light, easily transportable and flexible. On the other hand, it is also at the expense of the internal memory. Even with two larger titles, capacity will be tight in the medium term. Anyone who mainly buys their games digitally should therefore look for a suitable microSD memory card for their Nintendo Switch early on.
Memory card for Nintendo Switch – that’s what matters
The Switch comes with an internal storage of only 32 GB. The same applies to the slimmed-down version, the Nintendo Switch Lite – that’s less than with commercially available entry-level smartphones these days. At least the slightly younger Switch OLED offers a little more – there is at least 64 GB of memory here. Around 6 GB of this is used by the system alone. That doesn’t leave much space for the games, even if they don’t usually take up as much space as PC games, for example. Big titles like Nintendo’s “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” still require 13 GB. If you buy the games analog, that’s no problem. For digital buyers, however, the limit is quickly reached.
When purchasing a corresponding memory expansion, there are a few things to consider. Only microSD memory cards fit in the Nintendo Switch. Get supported:
- microSD (up to 2GB storage)
- microSDHC – Secure Digital High Capacity (up to 32GB storage)
- microSDXC – Secure Digital Extended Capacity (64GB to 2TB); this variant may require a system update!
Tip: If you want to check how much storage space is occupied or free on your switch, select “System settings” in the main menu and then “Data management”. In the overview that is then displayed, you can see the memory allocation of the device and also the microSD card that may have been inserted.
Also interesting: The difference between megabit and megabyte
Transfer rates are important
In addition to the memory size, which you should definitely think about in advance, the transfer rates are also important. Nintendo itself recommends a reading speed of at least 60 Mbit/s. But of course, more is more. Current microSD cards usually easily meet this requirement. MicroSDXC in particular have a higher speed in addition to a large memory. The write speed, on the other hand, can be neglected.
Once inserted into the bottom of the Nintendo Switch, hidden behind the stand (see photo above), the memory card will automatically select the console as the save destination. In the future, digitally acquired Switch games will end up directly and without any changes on the external storage medium.
Of course, the more memory you buy, the longer the space will last. But that can quickly become expensive. High-quality microSDXC cards like the SanDisk Extreme with a terabyte of memory cost 270 euros. With such a memory card, you won’t have to worry about space on the Nintendo Switch. If you don’t want to spend that much money, you can stick to smaller sizes for now; even with an average storage usage of 10GB, which would be a lot for a Switch game, a 200GB version like the SanDisk Ultra or the 128GB Samsung Evo Plus variant will last for quite a while.
Memory cards for Nintendo Switch cannot be shared
It should be noted, however, that saves are not stored on the microSD card, but in the system memory. As a result, you cannot swap maps between multiple consoles.
In addition, already downloaded titles on the Nintendo Switch cannot be moved to the external memory card. To do this, you have to take a small detour and first uninstall the games and then turn them off again later the Nintendo eShop to download. However, the reinstallation usually does not take much time. However, screenshots and self-recorded game content can also be moved from the internal memory to the memory card afterwards without any problems.