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[jroc74]

First post nails it.

What's funny is the OP was on the same track with the comparison to iPhones.

Let's not forget the orig Vita also had a proprietary charger too.

Sony backed off that with revisions tho.

 

[Gleethor]

They saved you money.

...by forcing you to spend it on something else?

 

[Alphahawk]

I always found it odd that people flipped out over Vita memory cards yet seem fine spending. $50+ a year for online play on other systems.

That's a really weird comparison to make...

 

[hodayathink]

How much better would the Vita have done without the proprietary memory..

Not much. Still would have been a complete failure. SD cards wouldn't have made major Western devs actually want to make games for it, for starters.

 

[Kindekuma]

They seem arbitrary and scummy because SD Cards exist. They also still are very expensive.

Funny how Sony has Class 10 MicroSD cards for dirt cheap.

 

[Jimrpg]

I can't believe you actually spent time writing out a defense to Sony's ridiculous prices on these things.

They're too expensive - the end.

Why defend this? Even the Vita fans are not defending this.

Sony made the choice to go with propriety memory cards.

Who else is there to blame?

lol fuck that, the memory cards are complete bullshit.

Using proprietary memory instead of an established standard is backwards no matter how you look at it.

We can buy 3 128GB SD cards on amazon for the price of one 64GB Vita card.

128GB Class 10 MSD is 40$.

Charging 107$ for 64GB is laughable.

If they let you use SD Cards, then you would have to pay more for the Vita hardware. Sony have to make their money back in some way.

I'm just arguing the fact that there's a lower entry point for Vitas because of the memory card prices.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Okay, suppose we a priori had no reason to believe the Vita memory card price is too high. Let's see if this strategy has worked for Sony...

Personally, I have not taken the $20 Playstation TV I bought out of its box because I haven't felt like paying the upfront cost for a memory card instead of using the half-dozen SD cards I have in my house. Oh well, I guess I'm missing out on... uh...?

 

[Sakura]

Did you read the OP, if they offered SD cards - the hardware RRP price would probably most likely go up. The Vita system is probably cheaper because of the memory cards, because Sony knew that if they priced the system $50 higher then it would get a lot less sales. They saved you money.

Do you have anything to actually back this line of thinking up...?

And either way when you have to buy a memory card regardless I don't see how you've saved money.

 

[Falchion]

No it's not. You're making that comparison now. When the system launched it launched at $249. Sony went with a proprietary format for memory because that's what Sony does and it uneccesarily handicapped the Vita from the jump. Proprietary formats = $$$ to Sony, that's why they've launched so many. This was further compounded by the fact that some games wouldn't even run with out a memory card in the system and that pretty much means you had to buy one. It was basically a hidden cost, and a very large one at that.

Pretty much this. I currently make do with an 8 gig and 2, 4 gig cards because I got them cheap and there's no way I'm going to pay what those cards run even now for a dead system.

 

[Aselith]

If they let you use SD Cards, then you would have to pay more for the Vita hardware. Sony have to make their money back in some way.

I'm just arguing the fact that there's a lower entry point for Vitas because of the memory card prices.

That doesn't make the criticism unfair though....you still need both. Basically, you're arguing that they tricked you into the thinking the system would be less than it actually is.

 

[RedToad64]

128GB Class 10 MSD is 40$.

Charging 107$ for 64GB is laughable.

SD Card prices:

8gb: $6
16gb: $9
32gb: $21
64gb: $31

Yeah. It was absurd to go with their own memory format again. I'm actually kind of surprised the Vita never got a revision that supported SD Cards.

Also, I know several people who passed on the Vita due to the ridiculous memory card prices. This was such a poor move.

 

[krae_man]

It was criticized back when the PSP had Memory Stick Pro DUO as its memory format, though prices were somewhat higher on other forms of memory back then. I don't know why Sony thought it would be a good idea to try it again, but, here we are!

Certainly led to some lost sales, but likely not one of the top reasons why it's floundered.

Oh man, I remember upgrading my PSP memory card every time the next biggest card came out and dropped under $100. Did it with the 8, 16, and 32gb cards.

Those sizes launched at like $250. My how times changed.

 

[Kindekuma]

If they let you use SD Cards, then you would have to pay more for the Vita hardware. Sony have to make their money back in some way.

Do you have any proof to back that up? Sony would make extra from additional PSN digital sales since consumers can buy and fit more games.

 

[kamineko]

"unfair" seems like a reach. If it drives TCO up without actually contributing anything to consumer experience, a negative reaction seems pretty natural

 

[Luminaire]

It's not just Gaf, it's the entire marketplace that generally seemed to say it's a bad idea. You can do the mental arithmatics all you like, but the fact of the matter is that Sony shouldn't have released such a poorly thought out solution.If it was too tough for Sony to make their own proprietary memory cards, then they should have stuck to using regular ones. If that was not an option than they should of included it as internal storage.

In general consumers aren't worried about what it cost to manufacture the product, they care about the price that it costs them to buy it.

I can't imagine it's all greed. Chances are they had 'security' in mind when going with the proprietary cards. Can't blame them for that after the PSP's piracypalooza. The high price may have been them trying to recoop the R&D costs. It makes sense to me, but it doesn't make it right. I've never purchased another card either. More onboard memory would've driven up the cost of the unit too.

Maybe they'll get it right on the next one. Third times a charm and all.

 

[DownGrader]

What you are saying doesn't make a fraction of sense; it is an interesting theory, but it's just plain wrong.

3DS and PSVita launch prices were comparable not because PSVita was purposefully made cheaper, it's because 3DS had an expensive stereoscopic glasses-free screen.

High prices for PSVita memory cards were essentially "piracy taxes" which Sony forced after PSP's rampant piracy. Even then, it was an awful decision, especially considering that Nintendo, with DS and Wii being hacked beyond believe, still uses SD cards.

 

[Darkspineslayer]

Nah, the criticism of the memory card prices is generally fair. I get why Sony did it, and it made some sense at the time, but it's fair to criticize it.

The idea that the memory cards are even in the top 3 reasons why the Vita failed, though? That's BS.

I mean, I'm sure it contributed in a knock on fashion.

I never could whole-heartedly recommend the Vita to a casual friend simply because of the cost of entry, which includes the memory card by necessity.

 

[WickedLaharl]

nah you can spin it however you want but the price is exorbitant. I remember how excited i was when the vita's capabilities and pricing were revealed only to have sony pull the rug out with their ridiculous memory card prices. I can go on amazon right now and get a 64gb micro sd card for twenty bucks.

 

[EMT0]

As a Vita owner....Bahahahahahaha. No. It's entirely fair, because Sony chose to use a proprietary format. And the Vita didn't cost that at release.

 

[clay_ghost]

If they let you use SD Cards, then you would have to pay more for the Vita hardware. Sony have to make their money back in some way.

I'm just arguing the fact that there's a lower entry point for Vitas because of the memory card prices.

But most games can't function (save) without memory cards! Not sure how you can delink the cost, the initial oled model does not comes with any memory and the new models come with only 1 GB of memory! There is no lower entry point as a memory card is required.

 

[Aselith]

nah you can spin it however you want but the price is exorbitant.

But that let you pay less at first so that you could pay more later...isn't that magnanimous?

 

[Phamit]

It's nice that they wanted to make the Vita cheaper by off loading the price to the proprietary cards, but if you didn't buy the 64gb from the start, you have to pay multiple tim for the overpriced cards every time you want to upgrade

 

[Maiden Voyage]

I would have bought more digital games on Vita if not for the outrageous prices for memory cards.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

Do you have anything to actually back this line of thinking up...?

And either way when you have to buy a memory card regardless I don't see how you've saved money.

Razor/Razorblade economics is a very common model for game consoles. Basically, it means you make the console itself as cheap as possible (no profit or even selling at a loss) to lock people into your ecosystem and then you make your profit via accessories and software. As a required accessory for the vast majority of users, profit on memory cards would be a definite part of overall profit strategy.

3DS and PSVita launch prices were comparable not because PSVita was purposefully made cheaper, it's because 3DS had an expensive stereoscopic glasses-free screen.

It's not like the Vita had a cheap screen at the time either. I'd be interested in seeing a cost comparison.

 

[Toki767]

It's nice that they wanted to make the Vita cheaper by off loading the price to the proprietary cards, but if you didn't buy the 64gb from the start, you have to pay multiple tim for the overpriced cards every time you want to upgrade

They didn't even offer the 64gb from the start lol

The 32GB card was the one that was originallly $100

 

[Roto Prime]

$ per GB... http://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung...ory-card/5410400.p?id=bb5410400&skuId=5410400

64GB sony vita = $107
256 GB micro SD card = $250

I think it is fair to say sony is taking your money for they don't offer the same amount of GB per $$.

 

[Sakura]

Razor/Razorblade economics is a very common model for game consoles. Basically, it means you make the console itself as cheap as possible (no profit or even selling at a loss) to lock people into your ecosystem and then you make your profit via accessories and software. As a required accessory for the vast majority of users, profit on memory cards would be a definite part of overall profit strategy.

Yea I understand that. Controllers etc sell for way more than they cost to make. But to say that the cost of the Vita would have to go up if it didn't use proprietary memory cards, I do not believe.
Edit: And in either case, to act like they are saving you money when you HAVE to buy a memory card anyway is ridiculous. Accessories for consoles aren't required.

 

[Tagyhag]

Vita 64GB: $107

Regular 64GB: $20

Which means the Vita would have been $90 more expensive, and since $90 is a weird number, they would have been forced to jack the price up from $249 -> $349 and $299 -> $399.

Thank you Sony, always thinking about your loyal fanbase.

Spoiler

I'm just being silly, but assuming that Sony would have charged you $50 or $100 bucks more if it used regular microSD's is dumb.

 

[RoninChaos]

The ironic part of all of this is I think Sony would have made their money back via games (you know, like they have every generation since the PlayStation) because the vita had an insane attach rate for software. I don't think it's a bad assumption to say that if people didn't have to dump 50-100 bucks into a memory card they could have spent that extra money on a few games. Sony just got greedy and they've always had a hard on for proprietary formats.

 

[KirbYuuYuu]

Is this some sort of humans don't understand the price and therefore they're afraid of it plea?

No I'm pretty sure this was fair.

 

[Boombox On]

Sony have to make their money back in some way.

That's the video games' job

 

[night814]

If they let you use SD Cards, then you would have to pay more for the Vita hardware. Sony have to make their money back in some way.

I'm just arguing the fact that there's a lower entry point for Vitas because of the memory card prices.

But clearly that ideology hurt them at least somewhat. People don't want to buy memory cards at high prices if at all. If they had models of the Vita that had some amount of internal storage it would've limited the barrier of entry even more. Because people are forced to buy something else with their system it creates a huge barrier of entry and the people who are unaware that you would have to buy a card would be very frustrated after trying to play something and then realize they need to go buy a card. I am sure that happened to some uninformed consumers. And that's because we live in an age where all phones come with memory internally, a 3ds comes with an SD card already, and consoles have internal HDs.

Get with the times man

 

[foolishoptimist]

Sony went with a proprietary format for memory because that's what Sony does and it uneccesarily handicapped the Vita from the jump. Proprietary formats = $$$ to Sony, that's why they've launched so many.

Sony had proprietary memory card formats they could have used if they just wanted $$$.

If you think, creating a Vita Only memory card wasn't done to prevent the piracy that hurt the PSP, well, you're just not thinking.

 

[Kindekuma]

I'd be slightly more OK if you can use the Vita card with other Sony products like cameras or whatnot. Memory Stick Pro Duo was compatible with a lot of Sony devices, not just the PSP. Vita cards are well, limited to the Vita only which is a bummer.

 

[JayEH]

lmao

 

[kewlmyc]

You cray.

I like the Vita but don't even try to argue that a 64GB micro SD card being $100 is normal.

 

[Blam]

I don't think it was that big a factor outside of enthusiasts... Was it?

Yeah it actually was. A lot of people I know including me hated it.

 

[Whiteblade999]

So because the system is cheap years after it failed commercially we should ignore a large part of why said machine failed? I love my Vita as much as the next guy, but cmon man. It was a terrible mistake that Sony should have fixed years ago, and no amount of mental gymnastics is going to change that.

 

[Cyframe]

The cards are overpriced. Additionally backing up your saved data can be cumbersome; you have to use a PC or PS3 to do that. With the PSP the saves weren't tied to the games, so you could delete them and you'd still have the saved data; not with the Vita though.

I like the games released for this system but Sony is definitely price gouging consumers when it comes to memory.

 

[mrmickfran]

Why would I pay a huge fraction of the console price for a memory card?

There's no justification for that and there never will be. End of story.

 

[OnionPowder]

Not only is it fucked that they don't give us the option, but the costs are diminished if you want a decent amount of storage. We're also limited to whatever storage they allow. It's sad that the 3DS allows more space than the Vita.

 

[VariantX]

Why would I pay a huge fraction of the console price for a memory card?

There's no justification for that and there never will be. End of story.

Basically. That memory card is exactly the reason I went with 3DSXL over Vita. Its too expensive where I could have used that money for games, and I did.

 

[Leafhopper]

Another thing I want to point out is the prices for the Vita were much more than on release.

And when I bought my Vita 16GB cards were 60 dollars.

The cards only dropped price with the dropping price of the system if anything, and they are still too damn high.

 

[eddievanclaylen]

I have a psp but never got a vita for this very reason

 

[friskykillface]

Let us use micro sd cards then
Gtfo at it being unjustified , Sony just wanted to make back some money with the vita being so low at launch

 

[KingBroly]

Proprietary Memory Cards were a pain in the ass on the PSP and they were even more of a pain in the ass on the Vita. SD cards won the memory card wars a long time ago. Even the Wii supported SD cards. THE WII. A console that wasn't forward thinking at all somehow got it right where Sony continued to get it wrong.

 

[Esque7]

They saved me money by making me spend more money on another required component? Also, are you forgetting software exists? That's where the hardware manufacturers make their money back, not on overpriced memory.

 

[Meffer]

Sorry, but the prices of the Vita's memory cards is too much. It's a huge factor why the system failed.

 

[web_slinger_62]

So it's the consumer's job to subsidize the cost of the hardware? Just write Sony a cheque OP, I'm sure they'll appreciate it.

 

[RoninChaos]

Sony had proprietary memory card formats they could have used if they just wanted $$$.

If you think, creating a Vita Only memory card wasn't done to prevent the piracy that hurt the PSP, well, you're just not thinking.

I'm sure that played a factor but the Wii and the DS were pirate play grounds and that didn't stop Nintendo from using the SD card format on the 3ds.