Skip to main content

Western Digital debuts new line of Nintendo Switch-branded memory cards

The Nintendo Switch is a great piece of hardware, but it has one glaring flaw carried over from the older Wii U: A tiny amount of built-in storage space. To fix this, players have to purchase a MicroSDXC memory card with their system, and Nintendo has announced a new line of licensed cards for the most dedicated fans.

Produced by Western Digital, the SanDisk MicroSDXC cards come in 64GB and 128GB sizes, and feature the Nintendo Switch logo on the front. Nintendo aims to have them near Switch systems on retailers’ shelves to encourage customers to buy them at the same time. They’ll be available in store this October.

Recommended Videos

“Nintendo Switch has generated tremendous momentum, and we are thrilled to partner with Nintendo to offer consumers a trusted card for their system,” said Western Digital vice president Sven Rathjen in the official announcement.

So, what benefit does the Nintendo Switch get when using one of these licensed cards? Absolutely nothing. The 100MB/s transfer speed is also available on the newest SanDisk cards, so there is no reason to go out of your way to purchase the licensed version. It’s going in your Switch anyway, so you’re never going to look at it again.

You will certainly need a MicroSDXC card if you plan on owning any digital Switch games, and there are quite a few games to play at the moment. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle are all fantastic, and the highly awaited Super Mario Odyssey releases at the end of October.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an electronics company brand a storage device as if it were only compatible with one system. Seagate released a special “Game Drive for Xbox,” advertising that it worked “flawlessly for Xbox One and Xbox 360.” It costs about $20 more than the standard Seagate 2TB external drive, and it’s internally identical. Don’t be fooled by the pretty design and branding — you’re just throwing away your money. Instead, spend the extra cash on a game to store on the external drive, or invest in a subscription to Xbox Live Gold.

Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
The Nintendo Switch’s new fitness game punched me into shape
A trainer throws hooks in Fitness Boxing 3.

My body was having a rough week.

The trouble started on Sunday when I somehow managed to injure my foot so badly by simply going for a long walk that I couldn’t put weight on it for two days. I got it working well enough on Tuesday so I could go to a concert, but four hours of standing did a number on my legs. To make matters worse, I had a messenger bag over my shoulder throughout the night, which translated to even more pain by the time I got home.

Read more
These underrated 16-bit classics just got new life on Nintendo Switch
A still from the intro cinematic for Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked.

There is no shortage of all-time greats to choose from when seeking out a new 16-bit platformer to play. SNES and Sega Genesis classics like Super Mario World, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Mega Man X are probably the first things to come to mind. During that same era, Contra and Castlevania developer Konami released a series of platformers that rivaled those greats but didn't get as much recognition as they deserved. Now, these titles are getting a new lease on life thanks to a collection that launched earlier this month on PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.

I'm talking about Rocket Knight Adventures, a 1993 release on the Sega Genesis, as well as its follow-ups on Genesis and SNES, separate titles both named Sparkster. These 2D platformers put players in control of an opossum named Sparkster, who wears a suit of armor with a rocket strapped to its back. These games aren't as widely remembered as many of their peers but are well worth the time of any platformer fan, so they are definitely worth checking out now through Limited Run Games and Konami's Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked, which came out right in the middle of Summer Game Fest this year.

Read more
3 new Nintendo Switch games you should try this weekend (May 10-12)
Two players play Nintendo Switch.

If you only tend to follow the biggest video game releases, it may seem like the Nintendo Switch is currently in a game drought. The system has only gotten a handful of niche releases last year, like Endless Ocean: Luminous, that haven't been Zelda-level hits. Zoom out a bit, though, and you'll find that Nintendo's aging system is still thriving. That's thanks to vibrant indie and third-party scenes that are keeping the platform engaging.

If you're looking for a new Switch game to play this weekend, you actually have more to choose from than you might realize. The system got several games this week, from a chaotically fun Pac-Man game to a genuine game of the year contender. Here are three games to check out on Switch, all of which are worth picking up this weekend.
Animal Well

Read more