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The Nintendo Switch’s 32GB of storage is going to fill up fast

There has been a lot of news coming out of Nintendo this week and while the new Switch console has been getting plenty of praise, there is still some room for criticism. The launch line-up is a tad underwhelming but on top of that, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild alone will take up almost half of the Switch's internal storage right off the bat if bought digitally.

The Nintendo Switch will launch with 32GB of internal storage and with Zelda alone taking up 13.4GB when downloaded, digital buyers can expect their storage to be down by around 40 percent at launch. However, we also need to account for the fact that Nintendo's OS and pre-installed apps will also take up a certain amount of space.


Fortunately, Nintendo does include a microSD card slot on the Nintendo Switch, which will support as much memory as you can throw at it. However, right now, microSD caps out at 512GB, though 256GB variants are more common/affordable. For gaming, you are also probably going to want as fast a card as you can get your hands on too, a Class 4 microSD may provide a poor experience, whereas a Class 10 card may be just fine.

Unfortunately, this is a fairly poor first impression for the Switch as far as Nintendo's digital game support goes- something that has become increasingly important for home consoles as more and more gamers move away from physical copies. If you are planning on buying a Nintendo Switch, you may need to get used to carrying around cartridges once again.

KitGuru Says: As someone who primarily buys digital games, the lack of storage in the Switch is somewhat disappointing. The situation can be improved, but it will require throwing some extra cash at the console

 

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16 comments

  1. Class 10 isn’t going to cut it. That’s a R/W guaranteed speed for 10MB/s. You need UHS-II which is about 90MB/s… and then that depends on the console being compatible with that. Some are just UHS-I which is about 50MB/s.

    Eitherway, 32GB of storage was a huge oversight. 64GB should’ve been the bare minimum, with 128GB models on offer. Flash memory isn’t that expensive (difference between a 64GB OnePlus 3T and 128GB model was £40).

    This could be mitigated if the base station accepts USB 3.0 hard drives, but that would affect the ability to “switch” quickly, or at all (if the game is on the HDD) so yeah, that’s unlikely.

    Nintendo have had a rough decade and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better… And they’ve only got themselves to blame.

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  3. this is a none issue for a gaming tablet that designed to run all the games of there physical cart. why one earth any one would get the “digital” version of a “nintendo game” (unless its a Virtual console) and even they Nintendo track record on that is really poor….

    the switch is basically competing with DS users.. so treat it like a DS

  4. Was just thinking this – trying to play games off a MicroSD is going to be horrible.

  5. In this day and age expecting gamers to heave around a load of physical copies of games isn’t acceptable.

  6. as a mobile gaming system.. its super acceptable..

    not only that having a Physical copy is a way better option for consumers when it comes to trades and resale.. something you can not do with digital only title..

    so unless your a smartphone gamer only… there is zero reason to not buy physical over digital… and we all know Nintendo dose not have a PSN/Live/Steam style account system were you buy once and sign in and download anywere…

    so ya physical copies are the best and only way to go when dealing with Nintendo.

  7. What about the fact that once you get a digital it’s yours
    No loseing disks, getting them scratched damaged, stolen ect

  8. well technically speaking…

    Software is sold as a license , (you don’t actually own it regardless if its digital or physical) well the legal terms out of the way..

    With nintendo you don’t own the Digital version ether (account wise) if your “hardware” dies you are not able to “transfer” it over to a new system.. Nintendo’s Digital download are tied to a Hardware ID and not to account base system….

    so if ya hardware dise so dose the games linked to it… (until Nintendo decided to go account based,)

  9. I live in Canada and the system is gonna cost $400, plus a 128GB MicroSD is $120 and then games are coming out at $80. This system is gonna cost a lot and all it seems to be able to do is game. Kinda wish the dock at least played bluray 4k.

  10. Hope this helps you? https://www.massdrop.com/buy/samsung-256gb-micro-sdxc-evo-w-adapter

  11. I don’t think 128GB and up even come in class 4 and class 10 speeds.

  12. So what good reception has the console got?
    Its low res.
    Low battery power.
    Expensive.
    Low memory.
    Odd controls.
    Under powered.
    Expensive accessories.
    About two major launch titles. (Yes I know there are a few more than that.)
    Paid online access. (Free at start).

    Like WTF?

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  14. Why is it super acceptable?? The trend across gaming is that digital downloads are becoming more and more common (x5 greater than a few years ago). And when digital sales tend to be far cheaper than hard copies to purchase, it offsets any resale profit.

    Also you haven’t thought about the literal annoyance of having to carry games around. With mobile gaming, having easy access to your game library is essential. With digital copies, that’s solved by just downloading the games. With a physical copy, if you forget the game, then tough luck kid, you’re not playing that game today. In this day and age, that’s an extremely archaic approach to take.

    Chirping that Nintendo’s digital store isn’t up to market parity isn’t an excuse, it’s means it’s a problem Nintendo needs to fix!

  15. first off Digital games on release date are not cheaper then there physical copies, Its not suprise to see a PC game like RE7 on steam for 109$ CAD pr steep on releases date was 109$ cad…

    and until Nintendo switches to a “account” based digital store there zero reason to by digital since the games are locked to hardware ID.. lose the hardware, lose all your digital titles..

    Zero resale/trade in the digital market as well..
    and on top of that you really don’t see anyone that owns a DS/3DS about having to pack games around…

    butt until Nintendo switch to account based Digital management I strongly suggest never buying digital form Nintendo..

  16. While digital copies can be the same price as retail at launch, you can pre-load a lot of them allowing for instant access, something you can’t do with physical copies.
    So your defence is that Nintendo’s digital system is so out-dated there is no point in using it? Don’t you think that’s just going to encourage potential new gamers to just avoid Nintendo all together as they seem to be 5 years behind the curve?
    Potential Customer: “32GB? That doesn’t seem enough…”
    Sales Guy: “Don’t worry pal, the Nintendo store is crap, waste of time, no need to think about downloads.”
    Potential Customer: “….I’ll pass…”