Memory, those wonderful bits and bytes of data that make our world go round. But do we ever have enough? That's easy as the answer is generally no with the direction that technology has been taking. Bigger, faster, smaller physical sized Hard Drives for our computers, laptops, PlayStations and Xboxs alongside tiny memory cards for our PlayStation Vitas and Nintendo 3DSs. Having recently finally obtained a 32GB card for my Vita as the 64GB are all but impossible to find I figured it was time my 3DS had enough space for the more digital library that I've had of late. Enter the SanDisk Pixtor 32GB Micro SDHC card.
With save files, update files, DLC files, and the system files themselves, the standard 4GB Micro SD card just doesn't have the space for items especially if the likes of Capcom’s Monster Hunter 4 is installed. Thankfully Nintendo, or a quick google search, have pages in which compatible cards are listed. Picking any one of these cards and you should be good to go however at this point in time a quick check of the model numbers will reveal that these are now older models as newer ones will be listed instead. Do these work? I’m honestly unsure but I wouldn’t see why not as they would be based off the same existing architecture. Well we would hope anyways. For anyone wanting to play it safe however a quick eBay search at the very least will reveal loads of compatible model numbers such as this one that we are currently discussing in particular.
The Micro SD card is not that much to look at physically. Let’s be honest however, with how tiny these cards have gotten if they spent time designing them like the way in which desktop RAM can be designed the handhelds would be infinitely larger and not quite as portable. The card itself is sturdy enough so there’s no fear of it breaking while removing it from the package in order to insert it into the 3DS which is a smooth process in and of itself. Take off the back faceplate screws, lift it off, eject the old Micro SD, out the new one in. Honestly that’s about it for the physical aspect of the Micro SD installation.
The longest part would be the method in order to transfer the data from one card to the next in which regardless requires the use of a computer. Older models will need a Micro SD to SD adapter and for the computer itself to have a card reader. Copy and paste the data, swap the card, copy and paste the data to the new card and then put it back into the 3DS and you’re ready to go. For owners of a “New” Nintendo 3DS (they really should have gotten a better name…) there’s a function new to the hardware in which the 3DS can hook up to the network and allow for the user to simply copy and paste the files over their Wireless connection. This can take a bit more time but for anyone, like me not actually currently having card readers, this works out great.
In regards to the card itself there was no difference in the usage of the 3DS once it was installed. While I didn’t notice anything moving “faster” everything responded as it should and honestly the only real difference is that instead of 4GB of space for everything I now had a total of 32GB. Speed wasn’t an issue from the stock card only the file size and the SanDisk Pixtor delivers on that front.
Compared to a lot of others cards on Nintendo’s Compatibility list, while the SanDisk is not near the top in terms of performance or price, it works extremely well and finally allows for more than just Monster Hunter 4 to be installed as it honestly took up the bulk of the space leaving no room for SMT Soul Hackers which has a hefty size itself. For its price and its capacity this is a good choice if you’ve been thinking of finally adding some storage from the stock size that came with your machine.
Hardware Information
Hardware
Publisher(s):
SanDisk
Platform
Multiple
Review by Pierre-Yves
