Since the launch of the Nintendo Switch, there had been speculation we would eventually be getting a Switch Pro version. Those rumors came to a halt following the announcement of the Switch OLED. This new model improved on the base version, but not to the extent many folks had hoped. Then Valve, with impeccable timing, announced its take on the hybrid handheld/home console. If you were hoping for a true Switch Pro, this is the closest thing you’ll get—at least for now. The power of a PC in the palm of your hand.
With all that power come three different models—the main difference being storage capacity. The Steam Deck is available with either 64GB, 256GB, or 512GB. And that’s not all, you can swap in a MicroSD card to expand storage further, excellent for when you’re gaming on the go and don’t have the ability to redownload some of your favorites. So what MicroSD card should you go with? Well, we put together some options for you to check out. While you may be inclined to just pick up the highest capacity card for the cheapest price you can find, know that there are other things to consider. Read/write speeds will affect load times for games, for instance.
If you’re looking to maximize how much you can fit on the Steam Deck, the SanDisk Extreme comes with 1TB of storage. Out of the gate, you’ll be nearly tripling the capacity for Deck—and that’s if you’ve got the highest-end model. Not only are you getting a ton of more space, but the speeds offered here will allow you to load games pretty much just as fast as launching them straight off the Steam Deck’s internal flash memory.
You don’t always need the best of the best, because usually, the best of the best means the most expensive of the bunch. You’ll find similar performance to the SanDisk Extreme 1TB card from the Samsung Evo Select, but with about half the capacity and a much lower price tag. 512GB is still a significant amount of storage, and it’ll take you some time to fill up the internal storage along with it.
Now, you can still significantly expand your storage without spending too much cash. The 400GB SanDisk Extreme Pro is a good fit for any of the Steam Deck models if you’re not trying to drop over $100.
You can definitely get away with something a bit smaller and cheaper as well. If you bought the 64GB Steam Deck and are cool spending a couple hundred more on storage, you probably should’ve just opted to get the fancier, higher-capacity Steam Deck. But if you’re trying to be frugal and 64GB still won’t cut it, this Lexar MicroSD card will be a good fit. It’ll double your capacity for only $11.
Okay, so maybe you’re willing to pay a bit more than $11 on an SD card. Well, this SanDisk Extreme variant is 256GB and still hovers at only $34. Not too bad. You’ll forget that $34 pretty quickly, but you won’t forget how thankful you are to have that extra space where you’re in the airport trying to play Elden Ring.
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