If you haven't considered buying extended memory options for your Nintendo Switch and you are a basketball fan, you may want to consider it -- NBA 2K18 will reportedly use up to 107% of the handheld system's default memory.
News comes by way of Nintendo's support page for the title, which firmly lays down how much memory each portion of the game takes up:
- Initial software download after purchase – 6.8 GB
- Additional software update – 16.1 GB
- Save file – 5 GB system memory per save file
So if you don't want to do the math, that is a whopping 27.9 GB for the Visual Concepts game. While this may be a standard download size for other current-generation titles, Nintendo Switch owners are acutely aware that the Nintendo Switch launched with only 25.9 GB (down from 32 GBs in required updates). That means that those looking to download the game digitally will need a little more than 107% of the system memory.
While you do have the option of buying the game physically, Nintendo still requires (as noted on their support site) that you have a MicroSD card:
Please note that a microSD card is required for both the digital and physical versions of the game.
Even with the purchase of the physical cartridge, publisher 2K Games opted to go with an 8 GB card instead of a 16 or 32 GB card. In other words, it will still take up roughly 82% of your default memory, not including factors like extra save files, software updates, or future system updates on Nintendo Switch.
And while this does put a damper on the Nintendo Switch version of NBA 2K18, we've had otherwise nothing but good things to say about the port. In fact, DualShockers Co-Founder Al Zamora got to test out the game while getting a hair cut. Specifically, he noted "Nothing felt stripped out of this version: if anything, I was surprised with the amount of polish shown." It seems like that polish may come as a result of poor optimization for the platform.
NBA 2K18 releases on September 19, 2017 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.