Nintendo Switch 2 Vs ROG Xbox Ally: Storage And Expansion Options
Next, let's talk storage and expansion options. The Nintendo Switch 2 has 256 GB of internal storage, using UFS 3.1 flash storage comparable to a proper NVMe SSD at roughly 2100 MB/s. Sadly, all other forms of storage on Switch 2 fall short in comparison, with the SD Express standard for SD cards limited to roughly ~900 MB/s, and the actual game cards limited to an estimated 600 MB/s.
This is part of the reason why a number of Nintendo Switch 2 releases that are ported from current-generation platofrms launch without physical versions, or resort to pseudo-physical versions that still require a download -- if the game is reliant on NVMe-tier SSD speeds to load assets quickly enough, SD Express and the game cartridge slot might not be able to keep up. Even overall loading times of games supported on all three formats have been benchmarked dramatically faster on internal storage versus all other methods.