The 1TB PNY microSD Express Card I use to store my large game files and thousands of screenshots stopped working over the weekend.
The card has been sitting pretty in my Switch 2 ever since I reviewed it earlier this year without issue. Then suddenly, while taking my gaming handheld over to a friend's house to destroy our friendships over some Dokapon Kingdom, I was greeted with the "this microSD card cannot be read or is not compatible with this console" warning, despite knowing full well it was compatible with the Ninty machine.
Suddenly, the thought of losing my thousands of screenshots I had moved over to the card flashed before my eyes, and I can't lie that some heart palpitations were had. That feeling fortunately didn't last long, as I discovered there was already an official fix out in the wild. Here's what to do should your PNY Switch 2 card also stop being recognized by your Nintendo Switch 2.
How to fix in the PNY microSD Express Card Switch 2 incompatibility error
- Grab a microSD Express Card reader for your PC
- Insert the card reader with the effected card into your PC or laptop
- Go to the PNY microSD Express Firmware Update page
- Click the 'Firmware Update' button
- Run program on your PC
- Select 'Update FW' button on updater
- Safely eject your microSD Express card
The official PNY firmware update was rolled out on June 17, and was advertised across the brand's social media sites like X (Twitter). PNY recommends grabbing its Performance Prime Card Reader for the "best and fastest experience" while running this update, which can be found for $14.99 at Amazon. That said, any compatible card reader should work fine if you don't want to fork out any additional cash.
After following the steps above with the card reader, my screenshots and save data were thankfully intact. However, even though everything was smooth sailing in no time at all, I was, at the time, still curious as to what caused the issue with one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express cards I've tested to date.
A post on the r/NintendoSwitch 2 subreddit by user Whaleambassador revealed that since downloading console update 22.0.0, their version of the 1TB PNY card became "incompatible with the Switch 2" and they encountered the same warning. They weren't alone, as the comments on this six-month-old post reveal that multiple owners of the brand's Switch 2 cards experienced the same fate - total incompatibility once the Update 22.0.0 update rolled out.
As someone who reviews the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, I typically update my console to the latest firmware as soon as possible, so it's strange that my PNY card managed to survive update 22.0.0. I believe that it was Update 23.0.0 that was my eventual downfall, as it was released on September 10, just a day before I took my Switch 2 over to my friend's house for some Dokapon Kingdom action.
Whatever the cause, I'm just glad that there was a fix at hand, and that microSD Express Cards can be updated should they run into any bugs or errors alongside future updates. While the fix brought me a massive wave of relief, you can bet I've been scared silly into ensuring that I back up all my screenshots on a regular basis. I highly recommend you do the same - especially as you're bound to take a ton with games like Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave and Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time remake on the horizon.
- View all Switch 2 microSD Express Cards at Amazon
New to Switch 2? Check out the best Nintendo Switch headsets, the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 cases while you're here.
