Sure! Here’s the re-written article:
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Okay, so here’s the thing. MicroSD Express cards? They’re like, super pricey right now. And DIY folk—like the really tech-savvy ones—are trying all sorts of stuff to get more storage on the Switch 2 without spending a fortune. There’s this YouTube channel, Better Gaming, that gave something a shot. They tried using this open-source MicroSD Express adapter, which is kind of like a hack to use M.2 NVMe 2230 SSDs with the Switch 2. Spoiler alert: didn’t quite nail it.
Alright, so here’s the skinny on what they did. There’s this thing, the SDEX2M2 project. Fancy name, right? It’s supposed to, in theory, let NVMe M.2 SSDs work with the Switch 2 by tapping into the MicroSD Express’ PCIe roots. Yeah, I know, a mouthful. Basically, it uses this SD Express 7.1 standard, blending in some PCIe Gen 3×1 stuff and NVMe fun, making it all sound super high-tech.
Anyway, Better Gaming took these open-source plans, handed them over to some wizard (or a third party, if you’re fancy), and whipped up a bunch of these PCBs. Then came the magic—or soldering, as normal people call it. They stuck on all these bits and bobs, including an M.2 connector. Four tries, mind you! But in the end, voila, it was alive! They slid this thing into the Switch 2 with a Corsair MP600 Mini NVMe SSD. Physically—worked like a charm. The Switch 2 even said “Hey” to the adapter.
But then, ugh, drama. It threw a fit—error code 2016-0641, to be exact. Basically, the Switch 2 acted like it couldn’t see the microSD card. Took a dive deep into it, turns out these adapters don’t chat as they should. The Switch 2 thinks there should be a controller to talk to, which is usually there with legit MicroSD Express cards. NVMe SSDs have their own controllers, but they’re tuned to a different station—if you catch my drift.
Now, the brains behind SDEX2M2 are in on this hiccup. Rumor has it they’re whipping up something new with an FPGA. This should mimic what a MicroSD Express controller does. If the stars align and this works, Switch 2 users might just ditch those expensive MicroSD Express cards. I mean, MicroSDs now cost something like 20-25 cents per gig. Pretty steep when you do the math. NVMe SSDs, on the other hand, like the Corsair MP600 Mini, you can snag 1TB for under $90.
Fingers crossed, right? If this works out, gamers are in for a real treat—more storage without feeling like they’ve just emptied their wallet. Anyways, keep up with Tom’s Hardware for the real juicy updates. They’re all over Google News, so why not, right?
