Digital space is always at a premium. Even though the standards regarding hard drive space have drastically changed - even in just the past five years - digital device users always seem to find a need for more space. One of those reasons is to save gaming data from game systems like the Nintendo Switch. The Switch happens to have an expandable memory option in the form of a Micro SD card slot, which is located under the pop-out stand. SanDisk, a trusted brand for memory cards, has a special edition of microSDXC cards made specifically for the Nintendo Switch.
This card is 128GB in size and boasts write speeds up to 90MB/s and read speeds up to 100 MB/s. The card is compatible with both the Nintendo Switch and the Switch Lite. It’s designed to work in hard environments and can even withstand water, high temperatures, airport X-ray machines, and shocks. This particular card is a special edition for the game Apex Legends. It has a logo emblazoned on it that indicates its connection to the game.
As one would expect, the card is packaged similarly to other SD cards. It’s in a cardboard-backed retail package that for some reason, I always have trouble opening. There is a dotted line that is meant to be cut so that the user can pull the card out of the container, but even after cutting directly across that line, I had to rip into the package in order to get the card out. The card does not come with any sort of carrying case. To use it, you simply insert the card into the Micro SD card slot and follow on-screen directions on the Nintendo Switch. I ended up having to complete an update on the Switch before it would recognize the card.
As far as the Apex Legends game goes, I was a little confused if the card itself provided any sort of special download option for the game, but as it turns out, the game is free to download (with in-app purchases) from the Nintendo e-store. I started the download and it ended up taking around 2.5 hours to complete. The game was saved directly to the microSDXC card and took approximately 19.2 GB of space. It’s worth noting that you must have a Nintendo account in order to play the game since it’s online-based. I have multiple users on my Switch and two of them do not have online accounts. As you start up the game, you will find that you also need an EA games online account, too. Other than the branding on the card, it does not seem as though the connection to the Apex Legends game affects the operation of the card at all. There are actually other versions of the microSDXC card that provide different capacities and feature different color/branding designs.
To access the storage options of the card, navigate to System Settings on the Switch and select Data Management. Here you will be able to see how much System Memory and microSD card space is remaining. There are menu items that allow users to move data back and forth between the two storage options, manage software, and screenshots/videos that are being saved. Without changing any of the defaults, the Switch automatically started saving data to the microSDXC card. I didn’t notice any slow downs during gameplay because of this. To test the copy/transfer option between the system memory and card, I transferred all the screenshots (11 in total) from the system memory to the card. The transfer only took about 2 seconds.
To test the read/write speed of the card itself, I connect it to my computer via a USB-C dock. The card appears on the desktop as an attached hard drive and you can access the contents. Items like photos and videos can be opened or copied to your computer if you wish. The game data is also visible as files, but it’s not a file that your computer would likely recognize. Using Blackmagic Disk Speed test I verified the read/write speed of the card. I ended up with a measurement of 82.8 MB/s WRITE and 89.9 MB/s READ. These readings are about 8% and 10% less than the maximum write/read speeds that are reported in the specs of the card. It’s important to note that card speeds could have been affected by the USB-C connection between the dock and the computer.
The microSDXC card is a very good option for additional space on the Switch. I’m glad that it's an option that Nintendo included on it’s gaming device and this seems to be a good partnership between SanDisk and the gaming company. The cost is reasonable and the card seems to be a robust storage option for the gaming system.