Nintendo Switch 2 mod shows what happens when you add a 1TB NVMe SSD

Yu, a tech modder and the creator behind the YouTube channel Better Gaming, recently attempted to expand the Nintendo Switch 2’s storage using a full-fledged 1 TB NVMe SSD. And the result wasn’t quite what they hoped for. The experiment, based on an open-source adapter design by NV&T Labs, tried converting the console’s new microSD Express slot into a functional M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD port. On paper, it makes sense: the Switch 2's microSD Express interface supports PCIe Gen 3 x1 and uses the NVMe protocol, just like SSDs in modern PCs.

The DIY solution involved ordering a custom PCB adapter, essentially a passive bridge that maps the microSD Express pins directly to an M.2 slot. After some painstaking soldering, and a few burnt attempts, the modder slotted in a Corsair MP600 Mini 1 TB SSD, formatted it to exFAT, and plugged it into the Switch.

The console did detect something, but failed to recognise the SSD as usable storage, throwing up a “Unable to access microSD card” error.

The problem? While both SD Express cards and NVMe SSDs use PCIe, they don’t communicate the same way. The Switch expects a handshake and protocol negotiation from an SD Express card’s controller, which a raw NVMe drive doesn’t provide. NV&T Labs now says that future versions of the adapter will include a microcontroller or FPGA to simulate that initial handshake.

So, no, you can’t just plug an SSD into your Switch 2 and expect it to work. But the groundwork is promising, and once the handshake issue is resolved, this could be a breakthrough for affordable storage upgrades on Nintendo’s next-gen console.

You can watch the whole video below for a more in-depth breakdown.