Hardware Why proprietary memory cards?

[synce]

I assume you can only put content on the new cards through USB, so piracy/exploit-wise what can you do with SD or MS cards that you can't do with USB? This is all just one big rip off isn't it?

 

[sergster1]

pretty much. that way all the profits go straight to sony for 3rdthe party devices or most if they decide to license companies to make "official sony memory cards"

 

[steve-p]

photofast will offer a solution i'm sure!

 

[purplesludge]

I think the price announced with the new memory explains enough. Over double the price of the same sized sd card.

 

[MMX]

It's the same with Microsoft and their HDDs - just another revenue stream.

 

[chris888222]

Tbh I really dislike those cards. They are only compatible with the PS Vita and they cost a bomb by Sony.

 

[emigre]

photofast will offer a solution i'm sure!

You want unreliable storage?

Sony's obsession with their bastard memory format is pain, than again game saves are on the cartridge. I really wished they just stuck with MSPD but at least the new format prices isn't obscenely stupid. Knowing me I'll probably wait till Sandisk hopefully make their cards.

 

[prowler]

People keep going on how it's a rip off but we haven't heard the official price for America/Europe yet, all we have is the Japanese pricing but converted.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

I really wished they just stuck with MSPD but at least the new format prices isn't obscenely stupid.

TBH Memory Stick Micros were about half the price of MSPD. I wish they stuck to those.

 

[emigre]

I know but I was thinking in terms there being more 1k/2k/3k owners than Go owners.

 

[jamesaa]

People keep going on how it's a rip off but we haven't heard the official price for America/Europe yet, all we have is the Japanese pricing but converted.

But this is Sony, they don't have a great record when it comes to their pricing on proprietary media.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

But this is Sony, they don't have a great record when it comes to their pricing on proprietary media.

I just talked about Memory Stick Micros.

 

[Wintrale]

It was clearly part of their plan to cut as much from the system as possible so they could compete with the 3DS's price. Just so happens that, because the console costs £230, that they had to leave the memory card out of the box and force you to buy it separately. So, really, they never were able to compete with the 3DS's price in the first place and just did what they could to make it look like they could. That's why there are these weird memory cards you can only buy from Sony.

 

[emigre]

Actually you don't have to buy the new memory format to save games. Vita cartidges will have allocated space for save files and DLC.

 

[chaosdarkneo]

But without memory cards, we can't download games from the PSN or the PlayStation Store.

It's pointless to have a PSP without PSN.

 

[chris888222]

People keep going on how it's a rip off but we haven't heard the official price for America/Europe yet, all we have is the Japanese pricing but converted.

Even if it's cheap, it will only be compatible for the Vita alone. If only it can be used for other Sony devices...

 

[Guild McCommunist]

It's pointless to have a PSP without PSN.

Yeah, no. Maybe it's because I pirated everything but I used a PSP 1000 for a pretty long time with no PSN and never had the desire to. I got a PSN account when I upgraded to a Go and even then I still don't use it. It's not like online multiplayer games are alive on the PSP.

You don't need these cards. You only need them if you want to download like games and stuff off the PSN. All the DLC and game patches are saved to game carts, not to a memory card.

 

[Yuan]

It's pointless to have a PSP without PSN.

Yeah, no. Maybe it's because I pirated everything but I used a PSP 1000 for a pretty long time with no PSN and never had the desire to. I got a PSN account when I upgraded to a Go and even then I still don't use it. It's not like online multiplayer games are alive on the PSP.

You don't need these cards. You only need them if you want to download like games and stuff off the PSN. All the DLC and game patches are saved to game carts, not to a memory card.

But won't the vita have internal nand for PSN games, like psp go?

 

[chris888222]

It's pointless to have a PSP without PSN.

Yeah, no. Maybe it's because I pirated everything but I used a PSP 1000 for a pretty long time with no PSN and never had the desire to. I got a PSN account when I upgraded to a Go and even then I still don't use it. It's not like online multiplayer games are alive on the PSP.

You don't need these cards. You only need them if you want to download like games and stuff off the PSN. All the DLC and game patches are saved to game carts, not to a memory card.

But won't the vita have internal nand for PSN games, like psp go?

This means one thing

but...

it can also mean that the Vita is equipped with little memory but it's expandable.

 

[Rayder]

This is why I really don't like Sony products. Too often they insist on some proprietary format that NO ONE else uses to support their products. They do this not to curb piracy necessarily, though they may use that excuse, but so they can (over)price-fix the things they sell. The thing is, their overprice ideals is why no one else uses it.

And this "proprietary" format is often just a re-worked version of a common format so they can patent "their" version and charge licensing fees to anyone who wants to make stuff for Sony's products or use their formats.

They know consumers have little choice but to pay the exorbitant prices if they want the product being produced.

These days, it's standard business practice to suck up as much money as possible using inconspicuously shady tactics. Every successful company does it.

Why do you think I waited so long to get a PSP? I wanted one right from the start, but I wasn't going to sucker for their tactics until it was hacked and I could avoid (most of) their scams. Their proprietary memory cards being the biggest issue now. I'll do the same with the Vita.....if it's never hacked, then oh well, I'll never get one. No sweat off my sack.