Following the debut of the Steam Deck OLED in late 2023, the $399 Steam Deck now comes with 256 GB of inner storage. That’s much more than the 64 GB it used to come back with at this value level, nevertheless it nonetheless will not be sufficient storage in your gaming wants. Don’t stress, as upgrading the Deck’s storage is each simple and comparatively inexpensive.
Just like the Nintendo Change, each Steam Deck helps microSD playing cards for storage growth, and people playing cards are available a variety of capacities — a lot of that are commonly discounted. A microSD card is one of some must-have Steam Deck equipment that we suggest for most individuals.
Whether or not you desire a modest improve to 256 GB, a much bigger 512 GB card, or the last word 1 TB enhance, now we have some suggestions that’ll allow you to get to downloading extra video games from the Steam retailer. These choices meet the Steam Deck’s pace necessities (extra on that beneath). When you insert your new microSD card, you’ll simply have to undergo a fast formatting course of so you possibly can retailer video games on it.
Is pace necessary?
Whereas some pricier microSD playing cards promote sooner switch speeds than others, which ought to equate to sooner sport set up instances, the final consensus is that almost all fashions ship an identical expertise on the Steam Deck. In comparison with operating video games off the $399.99 mannequin’s SSD inner storage, utilizing a microSD card could end in barely slower loading speeds, however similar efficiency.
The console’s microSD card slot helps UHS-1 class playing cards, a spec that tops out at a 104 MB/s switch fee. That’s fairly a bit slower than the marketed switch pace that a lot of at this time’s run-of-the-mill microSD playing cards boast. So, our suggestion is to concentrate on getting as a lot storage as you possibly can afford as an alternative of worrying about pace.
Replace (Jun. 10): Checked retailer hyperlinks for accuracy