Accessories: 64Gb Memory Card (PS Vita)

PS Vita Logo

Some of the biggest complaints that people have had regarding the PlayStation Vita since it’s launch have centred around it’s memory cards. Whether it’s been regarding the limited capacity of many of them, or the high cost in comparison to SD cards or other formats as a result of Sony using their own format as they did with the PSP, it’s been the one major drawback of the system, even to the extent that it has put many off buying a Vita completely. The 4Gb cards have generally been considered to be of little use, and with the sheer volume of games on offer from PlayStation Plus each year, space is at a premium. Even having access to Content Manager, gamers have been crying out for more storage than the 8Gb, 16Gb and 32Gb cards so the 64Gb seems like the answer to many gamers prayers…

As with all the other memory cards available for the PS Vita, the 64Gb model can be used on any Vita no matter what country it has been purchased in which is an essential feature right now because the card is only available officially in Japan. No release date has been confirmed yet for the US or EU territories which is a major disappointment. With the sheer volume of games available for the Vita digitally this is an incredibly strange decision from Sony, even more so when they continually state that more than 50% of the Vita’s software sales are downloads. It’s clear that this card needs an official release in the West but for now we have to settle for imports. A side note here is that despite not being released in the West, the inside of the packaging is translated into English…

Despite being branded as having a capacity of 64Gb, it has to be stressed that this is the amount of storage space that the card has when it is unformatted. As soon as the card is inserted into the PS Vita and prepped for use, this drops down to 59Gb although I have to be honest and say that this is slightly more than I expected as there’s usually a loss of around 10% during the formatting process, not just with the Vita but with all types of memory cards.

It has to be said that there isn’t really a great deal that can be said about memory cards. It performs well and handles data – both music, video and images – and games just as quickly as it’s smaller counterparts so I have no complaints there and I would assume that nothing faster was possible given the hardware limitations imposed upon it. The storage, as I said, is greater than what I would have hoped for with this card and while it may only be an extra Gb of space, it’s potentially an extra large game or several indie titles and even though you’re not likely to fill this card in a hurry it’s still something that will make a difference.

For those of you with a PS+ subscription or who prefer to buy games from the PSN Store rather than own physical copies then this is a must have purchase for your Vita. While Content Manager works wonderfully at transferring games to and from the Vita, it’s not practical for day-to-day use so if you want to be able to carry most of your game collection with you then this really is the best option for you. As for those of you with retail collections wondering if something like this is really for you… with the increasing size of game patches and DLC meaning that memory card space is becoming more of a premium, there’s no reason why this won’t be a necessity for those of you with large boxed games collections as well.

This really is something that all Vita owners should consider investing in and is well worth buying. My only real reservation is the price right now which varies dramatically on the import market and if it does get a Western release what price tag it will face over here.

Simon Plumbe

At A Glance

  • Product: 64Gb Memory Card
  • Manufacturer: Sony Computer Entertainment
  • System: PS Vita

Vita Player Rating - 09

At the time of writing this review, this is not currently available in the US or EU territories and is only available on import. As such the price fluctuates heavily depending on the importer used so we advise that purchases shop around before buying this.

64Gb Memory Card PS Vita

Facebook Comments

About Simon Plumbe 1052 Articles
Husband, father and lifelong geek. Originally from the West Midlands, now spending my days in South Wales with my family and a house full of animals. Passionate about video games, especially retro gaming, the Commodore 64 and PlayStation Vita. Love pro wrestling, sci-fi and I'm an animal lover and vegetarian. Enjoyed this and my other articles? Why not buy me a coffee: http://ko-fi.com/simonplumbe

Be the first to comment

Got any thoughts on this? Let us know!