Vita firmware update 1.80 locks memory cards to account

[Deleted_171835]

As of Vita firmware update 1.80, your memory card is now locked to one account and can only be changed by formatting it. Before you could change your PSN account without changing your memory card and formatting it, now you can't.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=488830

 

[Rydian]

inb4 1.90 makes the touchscreen used for fingerprint IDing before the system can be used and again at the launch of any software or game.

 

[indask8]

I never used alternate acocunt but this is not a surprise... and whining about it to Sony will likely get all your accounts banned (not your country = not the same eula = you broke the eula = account termination).

 

[Arras]

Sort of related:
http://www.nerfnow.com/comic/image/465

 

[jonesman99]

So, if you want a higher capacity memory card, you better buy it before you even turn on your console, it seems. I understand that Sony is trying to protect their console, but if someone were to lose or break their card, what happens then?

 

[MelodieOctavia]

So, if you want a higher capacity memory card, you better buy it before you even turn on your console, it seems. I understand that Sony is trying to protect their console, but if someone were to lose or break their card, what happens then?

What the hell are you talking about?

 

[Langin]

Here's a workaround:

1. Buy another memory card
2. Switch to your other account
3. Insert your new mem card
4. download stuff you want
5. play while account is activated(DO NOT SWITCH ACCOUNTS BACK)
6. when ur done switch accounts back, and insert old mem card.

It's not ideal I know, but we can still play our demo's T_T

 

[Rasas]

So, if you want a higher capacity memory card, you better buy it before you even turn on your console, it seems. I understand that Sony is trying to protect their console, but if someone were to lose or break their card, what happens then?

Well if your worried that much you can wait for PS+ to add cloud save support or transfer to your pc using content manager. The rest of the stuff you can download back from PSN Store. Still this stuff is BS.

 

[Deleted_171835]

Here's a workaround:

1. Buy another memory card
2. Switch to your other account
3. download stuff you want
4. play while account is activated(DO NOT SWITCH ACCOUNTS BACK)
5. when ur done switch accounts back, and insert old mem card.

It's not ideal I know, but we can still play our demo's T_T

When you insert a new memory card with different account region, you'll have to format it.

 

[Langin]

Here's a workaround:

1. Buy another memory card
2. Switch to your other account
3. download stuff you want
4. play while account is activated(DO NOT SWITCH ACCOUNTS BACK)
5. when ur done switch accounts back, and insert old mem card.

It's not ideal I know, but we can still play our demo's T_T

When you insert a new memory card with different account region, you'll have to format it since it's linked with the old account.

No you don't get it ;p

You buy a new card switch to the other account and use the NEW mem. card with the new(other region) account!

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

So, if you want a higher capacity memory card, you better buy it before you even turn on your console, it seems. I understand that Sony is trying to protect their console, but if someone were to lose or break their card, what happens then?

The content isn't restricted to the memory card, the account is. I would assume you can still backup whatever is on the current memory card, then restore it to the new one.
EDIT: Also, say a card breaks, the person is already screwed with saved games if they didn't back them up, but you can still redownload/restore content to the new memory card.
EDIT2: Err, to clear something up, the content is of course restricted to the account, but you can still back it up/redownload it to new memory cards. Ugh, terrible wording >.>

Sucks for people who use one memory card for 2 different accounts. If you have 2 accounts and a memory card for both, you can switch accounts still when you switch accounts.

 

[DiscostewSM]

Whatever the case may be, anything that adds confusion is not a good idea.

 

[Terenigma]

So this is effectively forcing people to buy more of their specific vita only memory cards which are rediculously overpriced. Well... as evil and harsh as this is, its a pretty clever way of making more money and also establishing them as a contender for the most hated company in the world.

 

[Deleted_171835]

Spoiler: snip

So, if you want a higher capacity memory card, you better buy it before you even turn on your console, it seems. I understand that Sony is trying to protect their console, but if someone were to lose or break their card, what happens then?

The content isn't restricted to the memory card, the account is. I would assume you can still backup whatever is on the current memory card, then restore it to the new one.
EDIT: Also, say a card breaks, the person is already screwed with saved games if they didn't back them up, but you can still redownload/restore content to the new memory card.
EDIT2: Err, to clear something up, the content is of course restricted to the account, but you can still back it up/redownload it to new memory cards. Ugh, terrible wording >.>

Sucks for people who use one memory card for 2 different accounts. If you have 2 accounts and a memory card for both, you can switch accounts still when you switch accounts.

You can't do that since the only way to back up your files is through Sony's content manager. Essentially, you have to format it and lose all your data if it's linked to a different region.

So now people who were using multiple accounts ON ONE CARD have lost their save data.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

You can't do that since the only way to back up your files is through Sony's content manager. Essentially, you have to format it and lose all your data if it's linked to a different region.

...what? Let me explain a little more. I think my wording is a little confusing or maybe I'm just not understanding your post very well.

If you were to buy a new memory card (as said in the post I quoted), you can back up content from the old memory card using CMA, then restore the content to the new memory card using CMA. This is only if you want a larger memory card and this has nothing to do with regions. While yeah, you'll have to format the new memory card this has 0 impact on anything because, y'know, it's new.

If you had 2 memory cards for 2 different regions and you've already linked the accounts to each memory card before this update, it'll work fine.

Again, this sucks for people who only used one memory card for both accounts, as they can't backup their content like saves and game data, but they can still purchase a new memory card, link the new card to the account, and switch them out whenever they want to play whatever region. While this can be a pain and they'll lose all of their saves from the old memory card, it still works which matters most IMO. They can always just redownload games/demos/whatever again and play them again. Yeah, you might have lost 100 hours in X game, but at least you can still play it.

EDIT: Well, your edit cleared your post up a bit so half this post is useless but meh.

 

[Deleted_171835]

If you had 2 memory cards for 2 different regions and you've already linked the accounts to each memory card before this update, it'll work fine.

Again, this sucks for people who only used one memory card for both accounts, as they can't backup their content like saves and game data, but they can still purchase a new memory card, link the new card to the account, and switch them out whenever they want to play whatever region. While this can be a pain and they'll lose all of their saves from the old memory card, it still works which matters most IMO. They can always just redownload games/demos/whatever again and play them again. Yeah, you might have lost 100 hours in X game, but at least you can still play it.

That's one way to shrug off people losing their save data and games with Sony removing a previously advertised feature.


To clarify to others, before you could have multiple accounts with one card. Now you have to buy multiple cards to use multiple accounts. If you previously were using more than one account with one card and updated, you're screwed and lost all your save data.

 

[T-hug]

It was nice before for trying JPN demos, now I will have to transfer all content to PC, format, play demo, format and transfer back from PC?

 

[KingVamp]

So, they are taking away a feature from the vita? Sounds familiar.
The constant formatting isn't going to be good for cards.
Might as well be region lock for some people who don't want to go through all the trouble.
It would feel like it to me.

 

[[M]artin]

Gaming has changed. ID-tagged customers carry ID-tagged products, use ID-tagged accessories. Account-linked memory devices inside their PSP's restrict and regulate their save data.

Spoiler

 

[Hyro-Sama]

Sounds like this update ended up being a double edged sword.