SanDisk’s 512GB GamePlay microSD Express card is now $98 at Walmart — the lowest price seen in months for a Switch 2–licensed storage card. It’s not just discounted. It’s the only kind of microSD card the Nintendo Switch 2 accepts for game storage and playback. Older microSD UHS-I cards won’t work at all.
This isn’t an accessory upgrade. It’s a requirement, and one that’s suddenly more affordable amid a global NAND shortage pushing prices up elsewhere. The card uses PCIe and NVMe to hit 880 MB/s reads, 650 MB/s writes, and 220 MB/s sustained writes. Speeds no legacy microSD card can match.
SanDisk says it’s built for gaming durability: water-, shock-, magnet- and X-ray-resistant, with ThermAdapt thermal management to keep the Switch 2 from throttling during long sessions. It’s licensed by Nintendo. That matters. Unlicensed cards may fail silently or corrupt saves on the Switch 2’s new file system.
The $98 deal is live now, but only at Walmart, and only while stock lasts. No release date for the Switch 2 itself has been confirmed, though Nintendo has confirmed the console will launch with microSD Express as its sole expandable storage standard. This isn’t computing hardware in the PC sense.
It’s gaming infrastructure. And it’s already here, priced, certified, and shipping ahead of the console. Walmart lists the regular price as “over $120”. So this is a $22+ discount, rare for a newly launched, platform-exclusive component.
Buyers should note: the card works only with the Switch 2. It won’t run games on older Switch models, PCs, or Android phones. Even if those devices have microSD Express slots. Nintendo’s firmware locks the card’s full performance to the Switch 2’s controller stack.
For anyone prepping for Switch 2 day, this is the first tangible piece of the ecosystem you can actually hold. And it’s cheaper than expected.
GDFiled by The Games Desk
Consoles, handhelds, PC gaming and the platforms and hardware behind them.
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