Why does the PS Vita support two types of memory cards?
The PS Vita will be available in Japan this weekend, and I couldn’t help but notice (yeah, I’m kinda late) that it has no internal storage at all. So somebody who buys it without a memory card might run into trouble doing anything with it (wait, there *has* to be something, otherwise even the web browser cannot cache any data…).
The PS Vita will have two types of memory cards. One will be for commercial games (and will apparently have a writable section for save games) and can be compared to the NDS cards; and the other one will be for downloaded content (music, movies, downloaded games ? DLC ?).
I can’t help but wonder why they came up with two formats. This overall increases the cost of the machine (there needs to be 2 slots, or a slot adapted to both cards), so there has to be a good reason for that. Could it be that the PS Vita game cards, on which commercial games ship, have a stronger security (Hardware-managed encryption), and that Sony is trying to make a physical separation between the games and the unencrypted content (music, etc…), in order to make piracy harder? Or am I paranoid and is it just because they needed a format that can guarantee a “read-only” part to avoid a bug that would wipe out your copy of uncharted? If it’s about security, then maybe there’s a hope for some ethical hacking of the device: hackers could have a look at anything but the game cartridges, unlocking the hardware as much as they want without hurting games sales (or at least, without giving development studios an excuse for bad sales).
Well it’s good to dream 🙂
I really think its all about the protection against piracy. And I dont really blame Sony for these ‘extreme’ hardware enhancements as thier are alot of ‘free` pirated games all over the Net. This will probably make it impossible(for now) for people to rip games.
I,d like to also add one more thing about CFW and its ability to play so called “backed up games”. This is pretty silly; dont you think people will more likely download ripped games rather than buying a UMD and backing it up? this IMO is pretty silly(i would use another word but it isnt very nice:)
Umd it was also for read only but they found a way to rip games.So we will see in the near future.
when you can read something there is also a way to copy it.
well yes if your referring to save data
Just save data? Then how the heck can emulators (or in fact even computers) even exist? Read, AND write. Doesn’t have to be to the same device. The black hat hackers WILL get Vita game cards copied either over to the Vita memory cards or over USB to the computer.
The only things Sony can do about it are delay it by using better security methods (like would have been with the PS3 if their firmwares didn’t have their Master Keys in plaintext) to stall them, and be better to the white and gray hats so they won’t do black hat stuff.
You might be right, it is going to be copied, but I think there is a huge difference between copying the encrypted material and making the Vita read the copied material.
True
I think the reason for this is simple. It’s like the NDS in that the first cartridges are mostly read-only so you cant accidentally erase your game. The others are fully writable as a normal memory card. Imagine buying uncharted from a store and when playing, you accidentally run the battery out. If the game was simply saved to a regular memory stick, theres a chance for data corruption meaning that game you spent $40-$60 just became a paperweight. Just my 2 cents however.
a lousy paperweight at that.
No moving parts = less energy usage. One of the main reasons why i “backup” all those so-***-easy-to-break umd’s.
So yes wololo, the government finally got you going paranoid, I look forward to see your conspiracy articles !
Just joking, I think its just a modern version of UMD, that is less energy consuming and has the possibly to save data in a non-deletable way. As described before.
so the memory card the same as the psp go has
I don’t think so because Sony said all games will also be available for physical and digital download (digital will have a discounted price too) and the digital game would have to be saved on the memory card and not the PSV card.
yes but once purchased through psn, you can download the game anytime if anything happens to it. that wont be the case if you purchase a physical copy of the game. I highly doubt sony would let you download a copy of a game just because you purchased a physical copy and it got ruined somehow.
I think it is because most Hardcore gamers like owning the game in hard copies. 🙂 and maybe so that you can simultaneously access your own files from the memory card while reading the game from the vita card. Reducing the access load from the memory card and making it faster. 🙂 Sony may be also thinking if hackers can create a rom copying software can be created, then it could be directly copied to the memory card from the vita card. xD
“If it’s about security, then maybe there’s a hope for some ethical hacking of the device”
That’s an oxymoron. Every hack, no matter how much you or geodouche claimed wouldn’t, let to piracy
anyone else see that nintendo 3ds also has two card slots? one for game and another for pictures?