14 DAY TRIAL // Hardware maker and video game publisher Sony Computer Entertainment has said that the proprietary memory cards that will be sold for the upcoming PlayStation Vita handheld are designed as a means to eliminate any potential for piracy on the device.
Muneki Shimada, who is one of the developers working on the new hardware, told a Japanese magazine during an interview that the memory cards will use a new format that will not allow them to be tampered with.
Those who want to connect the memory cards to the PC will need to use a special content management program and Sony claims that the format cannot be accessed using other software.
The memory cards will keep information like saved games, downloaded content and other files.
Sony’s main aim is to make sure that the widespread piracy that affected the original PlayStation Portable does not take place on the Vita.
Hackers were able to use the space on Sony made memory sticks for the PSP to load custom firmware, get around all security protections and then pirate games and play them on the handheld.
Shimada says that the proprietary format for the Vita will also offer a better experience for users, who will never have to deal with the folder structure on the cards and get a simpler way of controlling content, similar to how iTunes from Apple works.
One problem for the end user is that the price for the Sony Vita memory cards are pretty high, starting at 24.99 dollars (18.6 Euro) for the 4 GB one to 119.99 dollars (89.5 Euro) for those that offer 32 GB of space.
The Wi-Fi only version of the Vita will cost gamers 249 dollars and the same amount in Euros and will not come with a memory card.
The Japanese launch for the Vita takes place on December 17 while Western gamers get it in late February.