Nintendo Switch 2 storage can be easily expanded by 1TB, but it'll cost you extra

Nintendo unveiled a whole lot of new details about its new console during this week's Direct presentation, but not all of them were met with applause.

The Nintendo Switch 2 will undoubtedly be a powerhouse upgrade, with a larger 1080p 7.9-inch display and enough processing grunt to run games at higher resolutions and frame rates, but we weren't as pleased to learn about the storage situation.

Not only will you get a measly 256GB of internal storage, which is bigger than the Switch and Switch OLED but still unlikely to be enough, it doesn't support the same microSD cards as its predecessor.

You'll therefore need to invest in a microSD Express card instead, and they are harder to find – especially at larger capacities.

The most commonly-found microSD Express card (such as this one on Amazon) hosts just 256GB of storage, which will double your Switch 2's capacity but only to around the same amount as an Xbox Series S.

Thankfully, Lexar has announced that it's introducing a new 1TB version that'll be compatible with the new console, but even that comes with a caveat – it's about half the price of the Switch 2 itself.

The Lexar Play Pro microSD Express card is already available in 128GB and 256GB, but will also soon arrive in 512GB and 1TB too. You just need to sit down before you see the prices, though.

The 512GB version is $99.99 in the US, while the 1TB card is a staggering $199.99. We're still awaiting UK and Australian pricing.

In comparison, a standard 1TB microSD card that's more than good enough for the current Switch will set you back around $80 / £90. I even bought one for my retro gaming handheld for just £65 during the recent spring sales.

The mark up on microSD Express is crazy – even a 256GB version costs around four times as much as a standard card. Admittedly, they do offer much great read and write speeds, which is likely the reason for Nintendo's adoption, but still.

Hopefully we'll see them plummet in price over time, much like PS5 SSDs have over the last couple of years.

For now though, just remember to factor in the additional costs when pre-ordering your Nintendo Switch 2. I know I have.