Ben-DutkaThe PlayStation Vita will launch on February 22 and if you want the full handheld experience, you'll probably need a few accessories.
Well, GameStop has revealed the prices for several Vita-related products and re-confirms a few previously known prices.
For instance, we had heard about the Vita first edition bundle for $349.99, and we also knew games would cost $39.99 (what PSP games cost now). But it's the announcement of the memory card price tags that have people talking: the 4GB card will cost $29.99, the 8GB will run you $44.99, the 16GB will cost $69.99, and the 32GB will hurt your wallet at $119.99…basically half the price of the Wi-Fi-only Vita. That can be considered pricey.
However, before everyone starts to freak out about the memory card prices, we should remind you that the cost of PSP memory cards isn't much different. In fact, the Vita cards are actually cheaper : the 4GB PSP memory card is $37.99 while the Vita's will be $29.99, the 8GB PSP card is $50.99 while the Vita's will be $44.99, and even that big 32GB card is more expensive for the PSP: $124.99 compared to $119.99.
As a reminder, Sony has stated that retail Vita titles will come on 2GB and 4GB game cards, and the 3G model will be able to download files of up to 20MB (due to 3G mobile carrier restrictions). If you want to just use the Wi-Fi, though, you can go even higher than 4GB. Also check other Vita accessories through the link above; there's an AC adapter, headset, portable charger, carrying cases, protective films, and more.
Um, no, you can't remind me of that Ben. for once (and it's rare) I will disagree with you. PSP uses a relatively standard memory Pro Duo format that is available via people other than Sony, with the MagicGate intact. So you don;'t have to pay the cost of a PSP for 32GB unless you're buying the premium Sony cards. These prices are daylight robbery for flash memory – with, or without, MagicGate.
Even if Sony developed some new protection system beyond MagicGate, they should not be passing on the costs of their decision to consumers when the MemoryPro Duo format is still entirely valid.
Of course I am referring to MemoryStick Pro Duo in the previous post…
For example, here is a third party 8GB MemoryStick Pro Duo for under $30, including free shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171435
The point being, Sony is making this machine network and download dependent to an extent, so gouging us for a proprietary memory standard when MemoryPro Duo already existed seems out of order – to me.
Last edited by TheHighlander on 11/28/2011 10:28:04 AM
One more MemoryStick product of note.
This 8GB Micro memoryStick M2 product. 8GB for under $10.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820234056
You'd need an adapter for the PSP, but this is a Sony card, 8GB for under $10.
Yes, but aren't we just comparing Sony prices to Sony prices?
I'm sure third-party prices for all Vita cards will be cheaper as well.
There will be third party cards with a completely proprietary design? It's not you I am arguing with really Ben, it's sony's insistence on yet another proprietary design.
That was the point I was making. Sony always upcharges compared to third parties, of course. And I get what you are saying. But at the same time, if there are no third parties making these cards because of whatever proprietary protection Sony puts in place, we are left with a single source – Sony.
When PSP first launched, MemoryStick Pro Duo was a really new format, and getting third party cards for reasonable money was essentially impossible. I had hoped that Sony would have learned something from their proprietary format debacles of the past. But it would seem that they have not. This is yet another needless proprietary standard that will for a time lock purchasers into paying Sony a premium for flash memory that is otherwise as cheap as chips – literally.
I hope that I am proven wrong and Sony allows third parties to make inexpensive variants of this, but I doubt it. Otherwise why not stick to the MemoryStick M2 micro format, or one of the SD formats?
Last edited by TheHighlander on 11/28/2011 10:37:24 AM
Oh, I have no doubt you'll have to wait on third-party involvement for a while. That's just something that's never going to change, unfortunately.
I think Sony just wants to show that the memory cards for the vastly more powerful Vita are actually a little cheaper than the cards for the PSP. Of course, the power is irrelevant in the discussion, but consumers are simple people. 😉
Unfortunately true, although many had hoped that Sony would do something different this time around. They seemed to have learned so many other lessons, so it's kind of a shame to see them going this way with the memory cards.
Hell I bought a 1 GB MSPD in 2006 for $60. At the time Sony was the only one making them. Now I can get a 8 GB MSPD from SanDisk for $15 at Wal-Mart. Oh how things change.
wait? Does it have any built in memory?!
No, but the game cards have a portion of Flash memory for game saves so you don't need a Vita memory card for game saves.
Cartridges are back?!!
YES!!!
32GB FTW… Once I can afford it.
It is completely *ridiculous* to not implement a standard memory card format into these devices. Why the heck not? Do we really need yet another format?
There are no technical reason for not doing that. The *only* reason is to profit on proprietary design, squeezing money out of their customers.
Sony did the same for their camcorders some years ago, changed to proprietary connections for…: External mics! Yup. Can you believe it? If you buy a Sony camcorder you are *forced* yo buy a Sony mic, who – whoops – just happen to be 2-3 times the price of a similar mic on the open market.
Damn, it's just *so* Microsoft to behave like this. And yes I use MS as a swear word here – they are the nightmare example of proprietary abuses.
Last edited by Beamboom on 11/28/2011 11:24:41 AM
We'll just have to hope that the microSD adapters come out quickly.
Up until now everything I read about the Vita made me feel pretty positive towards the product, but this is just too damn expensive period. I think I bought a 32gb SD memory card for the price Sony is charging for the 4gb. I know that's not the same thing, but it could have been. I hope they know what they are doing becuase the reaction to this has not been good at all. This will most likely hurt the early adoption rate of this product.
When the PSP first launched, you had no choice then, either. The memory card prices were actually more expensive, and that was six years ago.
Third-party stuff will always be cheaper, but you always have to wait for the influx of third-party accessories in any generation, console or handheld.
That's not true unless you limit the scope to only gaming products, Ben. Even Sony mobiles uses standard memory cards in their phones. Most cameras do too. There's no reason why Sony couldn't have done the same on this device.
This is like if they made a "Sony USB" connection on the ps3, forcing everyone to buy Sony USB cables only. It's that silly.
Last edited by Beamboom on 11/28/2011 2:24:01 PM
It's not going to be that way with the Vita. It's only starting that way, as it starts every generation.
It's really absolutely no different than the start of the PSP era.
Every generation doesn't have to start with something new, especially when there are already several flash cards that can be found at an already great price.
The start of the PSP era should be irrelevant. It was Sony's first handheld and they introduced the Pro-Stick duo, which is understandable, to an extent. This is their second handheld, so why create something new? It's like Apple making new charging cables for their iPod/iPhone devices every generation, but we know that's not the case.
Imagine if the PS4 didn't use SATA HDDs, just because it's a "new" generation. It would be ridiculous. This is what M$ did for their console, and something I don't expect Sony to do.
Seriously? Has Microsoft really made special hard drives for their xbox? Omg I didn't know that. I should not be surprised knowing MS, but did not know it.
That is… Insane!
@beamboom
not special hdd's special hdd enclosures
Damn, why couldn't the industry come out with set-in-stone memory card standards???
It already pissed me off enough having to find out what cards the PSP Go's took, and then to hunt for a cheaper deal on those M2 cards, plus all of their adapters too.
But in the long run, I was able to get 32GB M2 cards,(with adapters), for only $28.99 from one of my HongKong exporters.
But now I've got to hope that the aftermarket cards get out here pronto, & I'll be contacting HongKong again for these new Vita cards too.
@Biker
Yeah, I got a 32GB as well for $29.99 but for the life of me I can not remember where. It was at an actual store where I made the purchase. Makes these cards seem GROTESQELY overpriced in comparison. Dissapointing considering everything else about the Vita has been viewed in a mostly positive light up until now. Let us know what your HongKong contacts tell you about these Vita cards. It would interesting to know if there are any third party cards available already.
I agree with the others above such as Highlander and Beamboom. It does feel a little like daylight robbery in terms of flash memory pricing no matter how you try to justify or defend it. You would think Sony had learned some lessons in regards to pricing and propietary formats. I don't understand why Sony chose to go this way either. Well outside of them making what looks to be a nice profit. LOL at Beamboom's comment…Sony pulled a freaking MS here. I like anybody who uses MS as a swear word. 🙂 It's kind of like how MS overcharges for their special HD drives but even that pricing is not as gouge worthy as this in my humble opinion.
There are standards, Biker. Unfortunately not just one, but there are standards out there. Plenty to choose from.
It's a deliberate choice by Sony. They do it because they can. 🙁
Last edited by Beamboom on 11/28/2011 2:21:26 PM
Excelsior1,
Oh, you can make bet that I'll definitely be giving the "best price" link to any cheaper aftermarket Vita cards when they finally come out. I'll be on top of this one for sure!!!!!
FYI, just keep watching the forum or any one of the Vita related threads here later on because that's where I'll be posting it just so everyone else can also get the best bang for their buck too
Boombeam
Maybe I didn't word it just right, but I know there's already standards for memory cards.
I meant that make the MC standards so we don't need a damned new & different card every other Tuesday.
Like, instead of making new cards all the freaking time, how about just making adapters in every kind of form for the cards we already do have.
Hell, I know for myself, between SD cards, Micro SD, M2 & Micro cards for it too, I've already got at least 3 to 12 of every adapter card already out there foe my camera, 10 PSP's my 2 PSP Go's, and/orany other assorted self-amusement related gaming emergencies.
Besides, it just makes for more added sh!t to take up needed space, no matter how small they may be.
And if you don't have any of those specialty memory card holder wallets like I do, I can see some of those cards getting lost over time, especially how those itty-bitty, & much more pricy, M2 Micro cards are.
But that's just me,. LOL
Last edited by BikerSaint on 11/28/2011 5:08:07 PM
BTW, Today is Cyber Money at Ice Monkey, so anyone needing either of these cards, here's the deal on them….
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I'll be getting the Vita on Day1 but even I will admit these prices for memory are laughably over priced. They may be cheaper then the original costs for the PSP's memory but comparing one over priced format to another over priced format doesn't justify either.
Having just bought a 32gig card for $30 for a phone I fail to see how Sony thinks this is the right move.
LOL What the hell are they smoking??
They can keep the Vita, I won't support this type of practice. This is almost like what M$ does with its HD for the Xbox360!
This does not give me much confidence on how they will handle the PS4… Thought they had learned a lesson from the mess that was the PS3 launch 🙁
Thinking back to the time they announced the price… How people cheered… It makes me sick 🙁
What I'd really like to know is what are the read/write speeds of these new cards. It could be a reason for the price increase, outside of Sony trying to recoup some of the money they are losing with each Vita sold. I would imagine these cards would need a higher read/write speed capability than a class 10 microSD card considering the graphics that PS Vita games are pushing. Guess we'll have to wait till the cards are released next months to get some true specs on them.
That's a very good point, thank you. It could well be the case that the cards are very high performance, in which case they will cost more than 'standard' flash products.
Very, true, but is it asking too much if we want the Vita to support Pro Stick duo too? You know like having an option between regular HDDs, and those SSDs, which costs a fortune right now.
I think it's unlikely that this is due to r/w speed. Even the cheap ones now has got very good read speed and more than enough write speed to match the network adapters transfer speed. Why have any higher write speed than that?
And regardless, they could still have used an established format on the cards, and offered high-end memory cards in that format. So while a nice theory I'm sorry but I doubt it.
Last edited by Beamboom on 11/28/2011 5:01:04 PM
If we're talking the Game cards, yes. but we're talking about the separate memory cards that wont be putting games on the screen besides the occasional PSN game. Only holding music, photos, etc. In which case, the MSPD does just fine. I think you have them mixed up.
No JMO, you'll be able to download every Vita game you can buy at retail from the PS Store, so the memory cards will need to have at least the same read/write speeds as the game cards. And if the game cards read/write speeds are going to be high as they are pushing pretty high quality graphics for a handheld, the memory cards will need to follow suit. I understand that Sony is definitely subsidizing the price of the PS Vita with their accessories, but I think that there's more to these memory cards than you average microSD and that's also part of the reason for the high price tag.
True, I don't think it will be a major difference to be completely honest. I think it's simple price gouging. But of course neither of us will be proven right or wrong until Next year.
Oh, and I think we can blame the rampant piracy of the PSP for an additional reason Sony is making these proprietary cards, which more than likely have a pretty sophisticated anti-piracy protection. We may not see 3rd party cards for a long time because of that fact. All I know is I have my 1st Edition pre-ordered/paid for and I'm ready for the Vita and I'll be picking up a 32gb card as well.
Piracy may justify making a proprietary card but it certainly doesn't justify pricing your product 4 times more than the same thing by a different company.
I never said it justified the price. They are attempting to justify the price by keeping the price of the Vita itself relatively low (compare to a smartphone without a contract). It's essentially like choosing your own price. Considering the Vita requires a memory card for most of the functions, you start at the base price of either $250 or $300 and then you determine the full price in which memory card you buy. Not saying it's right but it is logical and either you accept or reject. As I'm very interested in the Vita, I like the games I've seen so far, I'm going to take the plunge and pony up about $700 on release day for the Vita, memory card, and some games.
Last edited by Mr_Nice_Guy on 11/28/2011 3:41:42 PM
….and I never said you said it justified the price. But I find it funny that after pointing out that you weren't justifying the price you spend an entire paragraph JUSTIFYING THE PRICE.
If someone sold a new car at a fair price that didn't include seats but rather sold them separately at inflated prices beyond 4 times what dozens of other companies sold seats for you would bi*** about it. Evidently Sony can do something very similar (limit their new product) and you don't have a problem with it.
I get what you're saying LV, but that's a bad analogy and you know it. 😉
That is a bad analogy LV. A more fitting one would've been if you buy a car, are you gonna get the standard stereo package (just the Vita), are you gonna upgrade to the 5 disk CD changer (vita with 4gb card), the 5 disk changer with Ipod and aux hookups (vita with 8 or 16gb card), or are you gonna go all out and get the navigation package with Bose premium speakers (vita with 32gb card). That analogy has to do with the fact that the wifi model doesn't need a memory card, only certain games require it. And I'm not justifying the price of these cards. Sony is, using the relatively low PS Vita starter price as their reason. All of the accessories are going to be somewhat overpriced. They've gotta make the money up somewhere. Is it right? No. But if you want what the Vita has to offer, you gotta pony up the dough.
a more fitting analogy to the one lv used would be if you bought your vita without analog sticks…
That pricing is ridiculous. Sony used to be more open, but is no longer the case. They are making exponential profit on those memory cards. The cost of the unit is more like $350 rather then $250. You pretty much have to buy a memory card to use the vita for anything but a paper weight. (No internal storage) I was thinking about buying one, but won't now. Thanks for making it an easy choice.
My feelings exactly, it raises the cost of PSP Vita exponentially…
no, sorry, no it doesn't raise the cost of the Vita exponentially at all. To have the 32GB card it increases teh total cost of the package by approximately 50%. Now, I don't know about you, but that simply doesn't meet the definition of an exponential increase. $45 tagged on to the end of the price for a Vita raises the price a little for sure, but 8GB is enough for some downloadable content at least, and it's not hideously expensive, it is certainly not exponentially more expensive.
Look, I already pointed out that these cards will in the first instance be more expensive than 3rd party Flash. so it's not like I am a fan of the price or defending it. However realistically, you're talking about $10 over the price of a 3rd party Flash product at the 8GB level. $10 is not ridiculous or unreasonable. The 16GB product is less then double the price of the 8GB product and although similar MemoryStick Pro Duos currently go for $40-$60, $69.99 again isn't going that far overboard. The cost of the 32Gb Vita card is about $30 over the typical cost of 32GB of MemoryStick Pro Duo memory from a third party. So yes it costs more, but again, is that $30 difference between a third party product and the Sony Vita product sufficient to justify the 'exponential' comment? No, I think not
I was one of the first to point out the difference in cost compared to 3rd party MemoryStick Pro Duo products. But there's no way you're going to claim that the cards make the Vita exponentially more expensive, that's simply BS.
Compare
Vita $249.99
8GB of memory $44.99
Total $295.99 + tax
Vita $249.99
8GB of MemoryStick Pro Duo $30
Total $279.99 + tax
Obviously the MemoryStick Pro Duo is only there as an illustration of a possible 3rd party product cost comparison. But it should be clear that the difference is $10-$15 depending on the third party product cost. OK, that's $10-$15 you have for something else. But are you going to refuse to buy a Vita over $10-$15? Really? Because that is what your outrage is based on, $10-$15.
Outrage is cheap, it costs as little as $10-$15.
Last edited by TheHighlander on 11/28/2011 4:38:52 PM
@High
First I must say this, like many on this site, I'm a big fan.
But this price difference is significant. If you must get all Webster on my ass fine, "exponentially" was a little bit of a stretch 🙂 but it's a significant difference nonetheless.
If you will use the vita as your portable media device you will need the max amount of memory, 8GB? are you freaking kidding me? Music, movies, games, pictures and what have you will eat that up in an instant. How big is Uncharted going to be? 200MB? more like a few GBs. 8GB will barely keep you afloat. If you are a serious media junkie and gamer, you will need the 32GB period. They should just have the 16GB built in with the option to add more, just like the new Tablets/Readers do. You see, Sony is not competing against itself, it's competing against other devices, they must be measure by the general standard. $119 for 32GB of memory is evil, simple as that.
Also, you said on a post before that the games will have their own save space on the flash cards they came on, I hope you are right, I've read some troubling articles saying some games won't even start if you don't have a memory card plugged in, Uncharted included… That sounds too bizarre to be true but if it is, Sony will loose a lot of the respect I had for them…
Just for fun, here are some prices for Micro SDHC cards I just research. Micro SDHC is the closest thing to an industry standard when it comes to portable media storage.
4GB Class10 $7.00 (Sony's $30)
8GB Class10 $10.00 (5.00 w/ rebate)(Sony's $45)
16GB Class10 $27.00 (Sony's $70)
32GB Class10 $48.00 (Sony's $119)
Sorry but Sony shoot itself in the foot with this choice, I smell another UMD in the making.
Yes, I'm well aware that SDHC cards are really in expensive. You may have noticed that I was specifically comparing like with like, and therefore using 3rd party MemoryStick Pro Duo prices as a comparison. There was/is no chance that standard SDHC cards would be used since they are not secure in any way. Therefore comparing the Vita cards against SDHC cards is a false comparison. I do agree that the basic cost of Flash RAM is low. But the cost for 3rd party MemoryStick Pro Duo cards is a far more reasonable like for like comparison since they work well with the PSP and include MagicGate.
So, nice as the SDHC card prices you quoted are, they aren't really to the point of the comparison here, are they?
Of course you can buy an adapter to let you use MicroSDHC cards with a MemoryStick Pro Duo reader, so you can use SDHC cards, but you must pay for that adapter – but it must provide the MagicGate technology or it won't work for games.
Just like the MemoryStick Pro Duo format with the PSP, I think it's inevitable that someone will create an adapter to take a microSD card for the Vita, and then we will have a cheaper option. But come on, be fair and compare like with like.
Personally, I would have been fine with Sony sticking with MemoryStick M2 products, or even MemoryStick Pro Duo again. A new format specific to the Vita is a mistake IMHO, but I don't think it's as huge a mistake as you're suggesting, and I do think you're drawing a false comparison by using SDHC prices.
Last edited by TheHighlander on 11/29/2011 3:32:54 PM
They still charge $20 for PS2 memory cards when you can get them $3 new or $0.01 used. heh. This really isn't going to change, so if I ever do end up with a Vita it'll be when the cards are cheaper. I really can't afford all that.
Warrior Poet,
During the heyday of the PS2, I was getting 64MB PS2 memory cards for only $10-$11 & 128 MB cards for only $13 BRAND NEW from HongKong suppliers.
They all said Magicgate on them, with all the same exact numbers & assorted markings, and while they might have even been knock-offs for all I really know, every one of them still work perfect to this day.