Alright, let’s dive into this messy, real-talk kind of version of the article.
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So, here’s a bizarre little thing happening in the world of gaming gizmos. MicroSD Express cards are kinda costing an arm and a leg these days. Naturally, the DIY crowd is getting all creative, trying to cram more storage into the Switch 2 without going bankrupt. This one YouTuber, Better Gaming — love the name, by the way — took a stab at this wild workaround using this open-source doohickey, an adapter that lets you plug in a full-on M.2 NVMe SSD into the Switch 2. Seems like a genius plan, except for the tiny detail that it didn’t really… work.
Now, before we go all “pack it up, folks,” let’s chat about the why. This whole thing’s built on the SDEX2M2 project. Sounds fancy, right? It’s basically making the MicroSD Express play nice with NVMe M.2 SSDs by tapping into MicroSD Express’s PCIe inner workings. It all circles back to the SD Express 7.1 standard. Technical mumbo jumbo, sure, but the promise here is high-speed connections; think PCIe Gen 3×1 lane stuff. This could, in theory, allow consoles to talk NVMe, like two old pals.
So, our YouTuber friend got these blueprints — because apparently, that’s a thing — and had some PCB replicas made, not in someone’s garage, but through a proper third party. Soldering the bits and bobs together took him four tries. But hey, fourth time’s the charm! Anyway, he slapped in a Corsair MP600 Mini SSD, and the adapter cozied up with the Switch 2 like it was meant to be.
Here’s where our story takes a turn. Hit with one of those dreaded error codes, “2016-0641,” the system threw a tantrum, basically going, “What MicroSD card?” Talk about an anticlimax. Turns out, these passive adapters don’t quite speak the Switch 2’s language because MicroSD Express cards have this integrated controller that the Switch expects. NVMe SSDs come with their own set of controllers, which would be nice if they weren’t like two ships passing in the night.
But every cloud has a silver lining, right? The folks behind the SDEX2M2 project have clocked onto this snag and rumor has it, they’re cooking up a new adapter design complete with an FPGA to mimic a MicroSD Express controller. Crossing fingers it works, because we need more storage without remortgaging the house. Oh, and about those prices — last I checked, MicroSD Express cards are setting people back 20 to 25 cents per GB. Do the math on that and it’s a good chunk of change over $50 for 256GB. Meanwhile, some 1TB NVMe SSDs are going for under 90 bucks.
Anyway, if and when they nail this FPGA thing, gamers might have a real shot at a decently priced storage extension. Clunky consolations for now, but hey, you win some, you lose some. Keep those ears to the ground for more updates on this tinkering adventure.
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Hope that captures the chaotic human vibe, full of detours and little asides.
