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The best New Nintendo 3DS compatible microSD cards to buy

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new-nintendo-3ds-xlIf you haven’t been paying attention, Nintendo announced that the regular-sized SD cards won’t be compatible with the upcoming New Nintendo 3DS. Instead, gamers will have to use microSD cards. The new hardware revision comes equipped with a 4GB one; however, you will need more space if you are planning to download a lot of games from the eShop and/or store other data. So what are the best New Nintendo 3DS compatible microSD cards to purchase? Find out below in our latest buying guide for the upcoming new portable hardware.

The New 3DS will support a microSD card of up to 32 GB. The system files is going to take up to 2 GB of free space, which gives you around 30 GB of free space if you decided to go with the maximum option for the most storage.

So far, Nintendo has tested out four brands that have been confirmed to work with the New 3DS: SanDisk Extreme microSDHC, SanDisk Extreme PLUS microSDHC, SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDHC and Toshiba microSDHC. You will be able to use the 16 GB or 32 GB versions of the SanDisk Extreme microSDHC, SanDisk Extreme PLUS microSDHC and SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDHC. Only the 8 GB option for Toshiba microSDHC has been tested for compatibility with the New Nintendo 3DS.

In terms of getting the most gigabytes per dollar, we suggest buying the 32 GB SanDisk Extreme microSDHC. You can order that particular card with this page from Amazon. If you want, you can also check out the other New Nintendo 3DS compatible microSD cards on the same retailer’s website below this paragraph.

Installing the compatible microSD cards on the New 3DS

Nintendo suggests the cards to be formatted before being inserted into the New Nintendo 3DS. The company explained that doing so should result in the most optimal and consistent performance. To format, you can download the SD Card Formatter from the SD Association website with this link. Keep in mind that you will lose all data on the card when reformatting, so make sure to back up any of the data first if you have anything important before using the SD Card Formatter.

In order to switch your new microSD card with the one that came pre-installed with the New 3DS, you have to remove the back plate of the handheld. Make sure the system is turned off before doing so. Unfortunately, you will need to use a #0 Philips head screwdriver, which is not included with the package. With that said, the screwdriver is pretty cheap. You can find one to your liking with this page.

Once you managed to use the use a #0 Philips head screwdriver to remove the back plate, you then have to push down on the existing microSD card to eject it from its slot. Do not try pulling on the card as you may cause unwanted damage. Simply insert your new microSD in the same slot and then re-screw the back plate on to complete your installation.

If you opt for a 32 GB card, then you should have more than enough space to download plenty of games and apps from the eShop. The New Nintendo 3DS XL is coming out in North America on the 13th of February along with highly-anticipated releases like Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D.