Memory and storage manufacturer TeamGroup has announced a new microSD card that might just be the best microSD card for the Steam Deck – when it’s available, that is.
The TeamGroup T-Create Expert S.M.A.R.T. MicroSDXC memory card has a 2TB capacity, and while it’s designed more for the creative community, there’s no getting around the fact that its reported read/write speeds and capacity make it ideal for PC gaming handhelds that accept microSD cards as additional storage, like the Steam Deck.
In addition to the speed and capacity, the memory card features ‘S.M.A.R.T.’ software, which lets users to monitor the card’s condition through proprietary software developed by TeamGroup.
The software utilizes flash memory wear detection technology to inform users about the card’s status, giving you a better sense of when the card might be in danger of failing.
In terms of performance, the card boasts read and write speeds of up to 170 MB/s and 160 MB/s, respectively. This isn’t as good as even the flash storage in the base Steam Deck model, much less the ones with a PCIe SSD in them, but if you have a large game library that you want to swap in and out of your main storage drive, this will allow you to keep many more games offline than is currently possible.
When you can you buy it and how much will it cost?
The announcement, as exciting as it might be for some Steam Deck owners, is tempered somewhat by the fact that the card doesn’t seem to be on sale anywhere at the moment, and without any official pricing from TeamGroup we can’t tell you how much you should expect to spend for the added capacity of this card.
As PCGamesN points out, a few 2TB cards have been announced in recent months, only for the cards themselves to never quite make it to market – at least not yet.
Whether TeamGroup, which has much better distribution channels than other manufacturers, is able to bring its card to market first remains to be seen, but it will be a windfall for the company if it’s successful – a lot of Steam Deck owners, as well as creatives, will love to get their hands on this one.