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[Go Go Ackman!]

I think the price of Memory Stick media is the one thing keeping me from buying a PSP ASAP. I know it's not as widespread a format as SD or whatever, so the two can't be compared exactly, but how much should we be expecting to pay for big (256, 512) Memory Sticks by the end of 2005? A lot less?

 

[Shompola]

I think it will drop just nicely. I have checked some prices from 6 months ago and 1 gig cost well over 2x what it does now I think.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Well, based on the fact that Sandisk has an entire line of MS Pro Duos slated to hit EB along with the PSP, I'd say that eventually the price will come down. EB has the entire size line up from 1GB ($150) down (in fruity new colors!) listed in their PSP section. It's obviously going to be a big part of the PSPs appeal and I'd imagine that as other 3rd parties get licensed and in on the MS Pro Duo act, we'll see prices drop.

That being said, scarcity drives up prices, and since most of the people buying PSPs this year are hard-core gamers, and most will be buying 512 or 1GB cards, I can see these things getting both hard to find and possibly MORE expensive. At least for the first year.

Prices will probably really start coming down next year, though.

 

[drohne]

sandisk 1gb sticks can already be had for $110-$120, and their prices were going down even when they were unavailable over the holidays. if eb intends to charge $150 for the 1gb, they're ripping us off.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

sandisk 1gb sticks can already be had for $110-$120.

Yeah, but that's online. Of course ANY retail establishment is going to be a "rip-off" on any PC-related commodity like this.

I predict that a day after US launch you won't be able to find the sticks in-stock anywhere for the prices you mentioned.

One of the reasons these cards are so expensive is because very few pieces of hardware require them. Once the PSP launches in the US, there's going to be a larger market for them, which can drive down cost because Sandisk doesn't have to make as much per stick to be profitable with them. They could gouge, but that would probably be your B&M or Webstore's fault, not Sandisk's. My point is that if EB intends to carry an entire line up of these cards in-store for gamer use, then they're going to be pretty ubiquitous. No longer a niche product.

Does Sony have to grant some kind of special licesnse to make Pro Duo cards? Is Sandisk the only alternative? The quickest way to drive down price is to have MadCatz, Hip Gear, or any of the other cheap crap peripheral makers start churning them out.

 

[Go Go Ackman!]

Does Sony have to grant some kind of special licesnse to make Pro Duo cards? Is Sandisk the only alternative? The quickest way to drive down price is to have MadCatz, Hip Gear, or any of the other cheap crap peripheral makers start churning them out.

You read my mind here... can 3rd parties make Memstick-compatible cards? That would go a long way to speeding up the economy of scale effect of several million PSP's on the streets.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

I hope they drop soon. I refuse to touch anything requiring a memory stick because of cost at the moment. It costs a packet for fuck all storage.