Alright, so here’s the deal. Have you ever tried to shove NVMe goodness into a Switch 2 just ’cause MicroSD Express is pricier than a dinner date? Well, Better Gaming on YouTube went there. Picture this: they whipped up some open-source adapter magic—geared just for the Switch 2—to see if they could make it dance with an NVMe 2230 SSD. Spoiler: not much of a cha-cha.
We’ve been chatting already about this SDEX2M2 gizmo. Basically, it grabs MicroSD Express’s PCIe vibes and attempts to cozy up to NVMe SSDs. Sounds fancy, right? MicroSD Express works off this PCIe Gen 3×1 biz, supporting NVMe protocols (which honestly sounds like tech-speak blah-blah, but roll with it).
So, Better Gaming snagged some blueprints, got a bunch of PCBs cooked up via some third party—they must have a buddy in the electronics business. Anyway, after wrestling with soldering irons and whatnot, there they were armed with a working adapter and a shiny Corsair MP600 Mini NVMe. Physically? Everything fit like Cinderella’s slipper. Just perfect.
Except—whoops! Error code 2016-0641 popped up quicker than you can say “tech fail.” The Switch 2 was like, “Uh, where’s my microSD card?” which was awkward.
Digging deeper, they found passive adapters are like that friend who shows up at a party and doesn’t talk to anyone—so not helpful. MicroSD Express stuff comes with its own controller, and devices, including Switch 2, expect to chat with it. NVMe SSDs do have controllers, sure, but they’re not speaking SD Express 7.1 lingo.
Now, the brains behind SDEX2M2 are on it, supposedly crafting a version with an integrated FPGA to mimic a MicroSD Express controller. If this takes off, maybe gamers will finally have a wallet-friendly upgrade path for the Switch 2’s measly 256GB storage. Considering the price of MicroSD Express cards is through the roof (seriously, over 50 bucks for 256GB!), a 1TB NVMe for under $90 sounds dreamy—even if the final thing is cumbersome for handheld gaming.
So, bottom line, grounded tech meets awkward high school dance. Oh, and don’t forget to hit up Tom’s Hardware on Google News for more riveting tales—and make sure to follow them.
