It's the day after Prime Day, but I'm currently eyeing up a fantastic 1.5TB microSD card deal that felt like sticking around. As a Steam Deck player, the idea of carrying 3.5TB of games around with me gets me more excited than a dog en route to the park, so I thought I'd share the vibes post Big Deal Days.
Amazon does feel a bit like "the day after a frat party" right now, but the SanDisk 1.5TB Ultra microSDXC is still partying away in the corner with an $89.99 price tag. This Steam Deck accessory was $149.99 just before the big event, so it's safe to say I'm pleased about the 40% discount.
I can't really call it a Prime Day gaming deal since all of those should have turned into pumpkins at midnight yesterday. But still, the last time I saw it this low was during July's Amazon sale, and it normally messes around at the $100 mark. It's also worth pointing out that you'll pay roughly the same for most 1TB microSD cards, which has me questioning why you wouldn't want an extra 500GB for your money.
SanDisk Ultra 1.5TB microSD for Steam Deck?
I've got a confession to make - I'm not really a big fan of microSD cards. That might sound unreasonable since options like the SanDisk Ultra 1.5TB will make the best gaming handhelds even better with more storage, and I will use them if I'm out of options. However, I've got a track record of losing them and seemingly corrupting my data by looking at them the wrong way, which means I always focus on internal device storage first.
Before getting hold of the Steam Deck OLED, I armed the OG handheld with more storage by installing a WD_Black SN770M 2TB SSD. The mod wasn't too much of a pain, and the most fiddly part was transferring a protective piece of metal from the old to the new drive. All worth it in the end, as I increased my portable PC library space from 500GB to 2TB, leaving me with heaps of room for Steam shenanigans.
Eight months later, and a lot of Steam downloads later, I am now eyeing up a 1.5TB microSD card. Yes, the fool who claimed they don't like external memory solutions is now about to buy one. The thing is, 2TB is effectively the Steam Deck's internal limit, so if I want to store even more romps on the mini rig, I'll have to use external storage. Since we're talking about a card with A1-rated performance and 150MB/s read speeds, comparative load times aren't going to be an issue. Plus sticking with a reliable brand like Sandisk gives me confidence that it won't randomly start to fail (I've got a bad habit of using unbranded cards and running into trouble).
As for whether you should buy the SanDisk Ultra 1.5TB microSD card, I reckon it's worthwhile if you've got limited handheld space. Options like the top Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and the Lenovo Legion Go are all rocking 512GB, and if you really don't want to tinker with an SSD upgrade, this card could be an easy way to expand things.
I imagine a few players might also be in the same boat as me, having upgraded their internal drive and now looking for even more space. Kudos to you if you share that same gluttony for capacity, just make sure to grab one of these microSD cards before Amazon's parents come home and kick it out of their post-Prime Day party house.
Looking for more add-ons? Check out the best Steam Deck dock and best external hard drive for useful handheld accessories. Alternatively, swing by the best gaming monitor if you're putting together a desktop setup.
