GameStop Leaks Vita Memory Card Pricing

[EricKei]

Just blowing off steam. Maybe the cards will be egregiously overpriced at release -- just like Wii cards, which have dropped to somewhere between "badly overpriced" and "somewhat overpriced" -- Or they'll go the sane route and just stick to 2-3x market value. It's not like having the *still* badly-overpriced, proprietary HD's hurt the 360 too much...

We've just gotta wait and see.

As for video and other content...That's what I have a real TV and my computer for. My eyesight is bad enough as it is, thank you, I don't need to strain them by watching a movie on a tiny little screen.

 

[omicron1]

Launch + 1 year = third party device: same size, 1/4 price.

This is a bit of sleight of hand on Sony's part, mind. They chopped a bit off the base price tag to compete with the 3ds on price, then hid the difference in a separate (but equally required) addon purchase. The system, all in all, costs $300 on launch... They just want to make their customers think it costs $250. Same story as the xbox arcade, really (although slightly sleazier).

 

[Saggingcow]

Mother of god....

 

[chaosyoshimage]

Hopefully some cheaper third party cards will be available by this time next year. I won't be able to get one at launch, but maybe next Christmas. These cards definitely seal the whole "not getting it at launch" deal for me...

 

[CleverCover]

Mother of god....

Your words paired with your avatar is the best thing ever. It doesn't need anything else to properly explain the tone of the article.

OT: Well, my Dad wanted to buy one, but if this holds any water then he's going to end up buying it much later than planned.

 

[esperandote]

This is commercial suicide. *facepalm*

That's what they always do though. Remember the original cost of memory cards for the PSP and PS2?

I don't know the cost of a ps2 mc to do the math but they might continue to be more expensive per megabyte.

Why are people surprised. Sony make proprietary storage media and charge a fortune for it. From betamax to minidisc

...

Some go on to market success like 3.5 inch fdd or blu-ray, most fail though. This is the most obvious thing that with a new device Sony would bring out a proprietary storage medium for it. If fact they invent media, then try to decide which of their upcoming products they will lumber with it. This was as predictable as the Sun rising in the morning.

But the psp go used M2 (though propetary it was multi-porpouse) i guess people was expecting at least that.

All stationary consoles (that i can think of) use propetary storage devices so they aren't more evil than the competition in that.

 

[coolkirb]

They miss the christmas launch window and then add on this memory card. With the 3DS sales climbing with Super Mario 3D land, and Mario kart and consol bundles on the way it looks like Soney is going to hand nintendo this generation again.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Wow, serious? Hey, what do you think the odds are that the memory card prices have been gouged? I mean if other retailers sell 2-dollar HDMI wires for upwards of 60, what are the odds these memory sticks aren't worth nearly as much as GS wants for them? Of course even if you can find a non-sony brand, the PS stuff has always found ways of crapping out when you try using another company's storage devices with them.

 

[Just_A_Glitch]

Hey, that little bit of interest I had in the Vita, solely because of a portable UMVC3, just went from "eh" to "no".

Good job Sony.

 

[Siege_TF]

The difference between the PSP and the Vita isn't exactly the difference between the Gameboy and the Gameboy Colour, and Sony is going to learn that lesson very painfully soon.

 

[Koroviev]

I'm a fan of handheld gaming, but not at that price. Here's hoping that there are third-party alternatives by the time the re-release of Persona 4 rolls around.

 

[Something Amyss]

they actually manage to cost around ten times more per gigabyte than Microsft's already absurdly overpriced 250GB harddrive - which is an achievement unto itself.

Achievement Unlocked: Out-douched the master.

Somewhere, a child is crying.

Seriously, this is pretty much a guarantee I won't be buying it.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

So um... this is a mistake, right?

Come on, Sony, I've been rooting for you. I was actually going to get a Vita and everything.

 

[Treblaine]

They miss the christmas launch window and then add on this memory card. With the 3DS sales climbing with Super Mario 3D land, and Mario kart and consol bundles on the way it looks like Soney is going to hand nintendo this generation again.

You know what I think is more damning than 3DS's rising sales is what a poor start it has had.

There is BARELY room for one handheld in this market as Nintendo is scraping by with $160 still being too much for most gamers, now they are charging that much for just one of the memory cards! And 3DS will likely have well over a year's head start to the market and Apple can easilly undercut the PSV or add on something that will screw everything!

The thing is there isn't a niche for handhelds any more. They were for a time when people had to fit video games around their lives. Now we can fit our lives around our video games. handhelds were great when we were kids stuck waiting on busses and can't play nintendo on TV when your big sister wants to watch MTV. But now we likely have our own TV and our own console, or own PC, we have more structured lives.

Handhelds are great for commuting only if you are driven, not if your drive.

 

[xXAsherahXx]

Oh Sony, you've figured out a new way to fuck with your customers. Well done. I'm used to getting boned by Sony these days so this doesn't really surprise me.

 

[dochmbi]

These memory cards have such insanely high profit margins that I'm sure a chinese company will make a knock-off and sell it at 1/3 of the price.

 

[mew4ever23]

As if I needed another reason not to buy this thing. What a fail, Sony. What a fail.

 

[ThunderCavalier]

So, if I'm understanding this correctly...

3DS: Overpriced, annoying gimmick with samey games that we've all seen a hundred times before.

Vita: Overpriced, annoying gimmick that's essentially an iPod Touch with better graphics that is attempting to squeeze every single bit of money out of the buyer's wallet.



... So, did the CEOs of both companies suddenly decide, "Ya know what we should stop giving a shit about? The handheld market."

 

[remnant_phoenix]

Times like this make me want to give a stronger embrace to smartphones as the new portable gaming option.

I'd be first in line to argue that mobile gaming isn't going to replace the type of gaming we see on PC and consoles, but in the world of portable gaming? I'd rather stick with the kinds of games that I can get on my iPod Touch than fork out all the money for a fancy portable (at present, the 3DS or Vita) and everything extra you have to buy to make it worthwhile.