Good Vita memory card starting point

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jman2avatar

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I'm thinking of getting a ps Vita with my birthday money and was wondering if a 16gb card would be a good starting point for the system?
 
I think it depends on your initial source for games.  I've seen folks here making do with 1 or 2 4GB cards and excited that the recent price drop put the higher capacity cards in reach.  I just got my Vita last Sunday along with a 32GB card and I only have 10 GB free.  Now I had a backlog of Vita games I'd been collecting on PS Plus for a year before I had the Vita so I had an instant collection.

If you're gonna buy retail game cards, 16GB will do ya a while, if you're a PS Plus member, pray for a bigger cards in teh future!

And enjoy your VITA!

TMG

 
32GB if you can afford it, otherwise 16GB is a good start. Really, I would just invest the money now in a 32GB card and call it a day..

 
You can get by with a 16 GB, you just may have to delete some games here and then ( can always re-download again). If you have PS Plus+ you could be swapping things out a lot, but its not unmanageable. If you see a cheap 32 GB somewhere ( lol) go for it though.
 
EdTheRevelator said:
You can get by with a 16 GB, you just may have to delete some games here and then ( can always re-download again). If you have PS Plus+ you could be swapping things out a lot, but its not unmanageable. If you see a cheap 32 GB somewhere ( lol) go for it though.
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or you can back the games up with the content manager..thats how i get by.

 
I bought a Vita friday and it came with an 8 GB card. So far I've downloaded Uncharted, Gravity, and Wipeout from PS + and the Killzone beta. I'm down to
 
I am doing OK with a 16 GB. I don't know that I'd get anything smaller than that. I have had to delete games to make room for others, but then there are games I don't play so they might as well be deleted. Maybe I get to them at a later date. The prices for the memory cards still suck, unfortunately.

If and when I ever get a 32 GB, though, how do you copy from one card to the other? Is that even possible?

 
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crunchewy said:
I am doing OK with a 16 GB. I don't know that I'd get anything smaller than that. I have had to delete games to make room for others, but then there are games I don't play so they might as well be deleted. Maybe I get to them at a later date. The prices for the memory cards still suck, unfortunately.

If and when I ever get a 32 GB, though, how do you copy from one card to the other? Is that even possible?
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I think you'd need to use Content Manager, connect Vita to PC, backup whatever you want from Vita to PC, swap cards in Vita and restore to new memory card on Vita.

Regarding the best card to start with, just get a 32gb. I have one of each size card (4gb came with Vita), and I wish I'd just gotten a 32gb to begin with (got one from Sony when they had that deal), instead of buying the 8 and 16 cards before that.
 
crunchewy said:
If and when I ever get a 32 GB, though, how do you copy from one card to the other? Is that even possible?
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Yes, possible - in the content manager app (which is pre-installed on the Vita) there's an option to backup the memory card, do that (you'll have to move it to either your PC or PS3), and then when you get the new one, re-install the backup.

 
Thinking about getting a Vita here. I was thinking I'd be able to pick up a bunch of the 4GB cards cheap off ebay by now, but they are going for like $10-$12 on eBay, but I can walk into my local retailer and pay $9.99. In fact most of the prices for cards on ebay are more than they retail for... remember when ebay used to be good?

 
I had an 8gb before, it was okay. I recently bought another Vita and opted to get a 32 gb card now that they've dropped. I have plus and a huge backlog of games from it. So far so good.

 
I got an 8 gb bundled with my Vita. I was only able to download three PS+ games (Uncharted, Wipeout, and Gravity Rush). I finished Uncharted so that left me with an extra 3.4 GB's of space.

 
If I may interject, I'd highly recommend that if you can find the PS+ Bundle Vita around at a GameStop, jump on it and get a cheap high-capacity memory card on top of it. You'll thank me later. PS+ is one of the best deals around.... this is coming from a guy that loves his Xbox 360! Love my Vita but I don't play it much anymore... I need to buy a higher capactiy memory stick myself... I have a ton of purchased content on the PSN but at this point I can't fit it all.

 
8 GB is good enough   remember you can go though the  psn shop on the PC and buy the games and then transfer them later when you have the room (just cause you buy them dont mean you have to download them right now) 

i had a 8GB   for the first year i had  the system and never had space issues  i would say a  8 GB  would be enough if you like playing and beating games before moving on.. 16 GB  if you want a lot of games on your system

.   Got  a  32 GB   around 60    and ended up buying a lot more crap that i never played  yet.  When i had a  8 GB card i had maybe 1 or 2  vita games on the back log.   with a 32 GB card i have close to 10 to 15 

on system now

mana student

class of heroes

class of heroes 2

final fantasy  1 and 2  (dont buy this   too burried mess) 

final fantasy  6 

sega gen collection

sukioden

gen of chaos

disgaea 2

riviera 

soul calb

knytt underground

god eater burst

pinball arcade

zombie tycoon 2

geminator

uncharted

wipeout 2048

gravity rush

zero escape

hexyz force

knights in nightmare

mens room mayhem

growlancers  wayfarer

breath of fire 4

grandia

crimson gem saga

yggdra union

badass rumble

metal slug xx

dokuro 

darkstalker

alelier totori 

dragon book 1

machinarium

and have   7074  MB left (or little over  7 GB left ) if i took off the  4 main  vita games i could fit  the other  25 or so  games on a  16 gb card easy

 
If you're expecting to take a full library of digital games with you all the time, then go for one of the higher capacity cards. If you are only expecting to take two or three digital games at a time, then you can make do with a lower capacity card.

I would personally recommend the 8 GB card. It's a good balance between the two, and is reasonably priced for what you're getting. It is large enough to handle just about any game that was released for the PS1, PSP, or PS Vita. For more reasonably sized games, it can usually store between 4 and 6. I consider that to be a pretty respectable selection to be carrying around with you.

4 GB cards are great if you can get them on clearance. I wouldn't want to pay full price for one, but I was able to acquire several for only $6.50 each. It's usually possible to tote around 3-4 PSP or Vita games on a 4 GB card, and at least 2-3 PS1 games. (again, depending on the title)

Having a PS3 or PC helps, as you can back-up downloaded games to them, and then install them on your Vita whenever convenient. This is an especially nice feature for PS1 games, as they can be played on the PS3 as well.

 
Really depends on how much DL you going to do instead of buying physical copies.  16GB should be enough, if you delete games that you aren't playing often.  Much worth it than 8 of 4 GB IMO.

 
skyknight said:
Really depends on how much DL you going to do instead of buying physical copies. 16GB should be enough, if you delete games that you aren't playing often. Much worth it than 8 of 4 GB IMO.
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I was able to get the 4 GB sticks on clearance for less than $7 each. With four of those cards, I have as much memory as a 16 GB card. I was able to acquire four 4 GB sticks for only about $28. Has there ever been a 16 GB stick on sale for $30 or less?

 
Ugh...I think I might just save my money for the 64GB.  I've been juggling memory cards on my PSP and have grown tired of it.

I'm curious how much space is needed for every free Vita game from PS+ in North America so far?

 
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I have an 8GB card and it fills up quickly, but to be honest, I think I would be perfectly fine with a 16GB. I generally don't download a lot of games at once, maybe 5-7 games at a time (varying sizes). 16GB would likely be perfect, I just need to find one cheap.

 
Based on my personal experience and watching people get 4/8gb cards and then regretting it, I never recommend anything short of a 16gb for a flat out purchase.

I bought a 32gb with my system... and then that wasn't enough once I decided to go 98% digital.  Now I've imported a 64gb card and sold the 32gb to subsidize it.  Swapping cards is a chore and the bubble order issues persist.

Clearing games as I finish them, having none of my PSP/PSOne classics installed, I'm still clocking in at 18gb free (31gb used).

Then again, I like fighters and the combination of SFxT, UMvC3, BBCS2E, MK9, and DoA5 take up something like 14gb digitally.  Add in some other games I like to keep on the card for easy access (NGS+, Wipeout 2048, Lumines) and it adds up quick.  One saving grace is that I bought Killzone retail to help offset it's 1.2gb patch footprint.  This way my card slot for retail games isn't just empty and useless.

TL;DR:  Buy a 16gb at the least if you don't really buy games -- your PS+ sub (you have one, right?!) will fill it up, but you should be able to manage well enough.  If you take advantage of sales or plan on using your Vita for a long time, look into finding a 32gb or 64gb card.

 
I'm a new Vita owner and I picked up a few 8GB cards with recent BF sale. What is the downside of having 4 of these vs. 1 32GB card; I mean, is it just inconvenient to have to switch out cards or is there some other problem with my strategy.

 
The Linguist said:
I'm a new Vita owner and I picked up a few 8GB cards with recent BF sale. What is the downside of having 4 of these vs. 1 32GB card; I mean, is it just inconvenient to have to switch out cards or is there some other problem with my strategy.
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It's annoying to have to constantly switch cards, and to remember what games are on what cards. You're a lot better off with just a 32gb card, even if it costs a little more. I have one of each, 4, 8, 16, and 32gb and wish I'd skipped the smaller ones and just gone with the full 32gb card.

Having said that, my 32gb card has been great; now my problem is that I've hit the 100 app limit on the Vita, because I have some smaller PSP, mini, and PS Mobile games on the card. Can't go beyond 100 apps/games (10 screens at 10 apps/games per screen), that's the current limit for the Vita.

 
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Right now the price per Gig for the Sony Vita memory cards @ Amazon is out of whack.  (I haven't found cheaper prices yet.)
 
4GB = $16.45  which is $4.12 per Gig
8GB = $16.49 which is $2.07 per gig  $19.96 so it's now $2.50 per gig.
16G= $37.33 which is $2.34 per Gig
32GB= $84.89 which is $2.66 per gig
64GB= $121.99  which is $1.90 per gig
 
(All rounded up. And you may need to factor tax + shipping in.  But it's a quick check so don't shoot me.)
 
So the 64GB is actually the best deal per GIG...but that's a lot of money for 64 GB.    Compare that to other memory and you can get a 64 GB SD card for about $40.  So if you don't want to spend that much then the 8GB is the best deal.  But now you've got to have multiple cards, which is a pain but for a cheap ass it's the better deal than the 16 or 32 gb options.  Now that the 8BG is higher the 16GB is the sweet spot until you get to 64GB.  I personally like having multiple cards in case one craps out.  Buying just the 64GB puts all your eggs in one expensive basket.  Only a complete nut would buy the 4GB.
 
Love the Vita but the memory situation stinks.  I know switching cards sucks, but I'm cheap.

 
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I just ordered a Vita and opted for a 16gb card.  I don't feel a need to keep all my games on there all the time. Just the one or two I'm actively playing, a couple good pick up and play here and there games, and maybe the game or two I plan to play next.  I don't really go back and replay games often, so other than the high replay games (puzzle games or whatever), there's no reason for me to keep stuff around after beating. Also, with PS+ cloud saves I can always delete the game and still have the save info available if I want to redownload in the future.

I'll also stick with game cards for a lot of things as I like to sell after beating to recoup some costs.  So the digital games are mostly PS+ freebies and/or games that got big discounts through PS+ and/or sales.

 
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I ended up getting a 64 GB for $116 shipped.  That came out to about $1.82 per GB so the cheapy in me just said go for that.  It's the same reasoning that gets me to buy a truck load of jasmine rice.  Cheaper per lbs.

 
MrGranger said:
I ended up getting a 64 GB for $116 shipped. That came out to about $1.82 per GB so the cheapy in me just said go for that. It's the same reasoning that gets me to buy a truck load of jasmine rice. Cheaper per lbs.
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Good logic. I have two 32gb cards, one for each Vita. One Vita for retail games, one for digital. Nice to have a backup system in case I need it.

You must eat a ton of Jasmine rice; i've eyed the huge bags of brown rice, but haven't figured out how to keep eating it constantly, to get through it. How do you get through it? Serious question!
 
its amazing to me the raping sony is engaging in with these. I just got a 64GB Ultra micro SD card for a tablet for 45$ shipped from amazon. 120$ for a vita. Does it have a faster data transfer? 30MB/sec is the ultraSD
 
jedi0077 said:
its amazing to me the raping sony is engaging in with these. I just got a 64GB Ultra micro SD card for a tablet for 45$ shipped from amazon. 120$ for a vita. Does it have a faster data transfer? 30MB/sec is the ultraSD
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No, Sony just supplies extra lube.

 
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chimpmeister said:
Good logic. I have two 32gb cards, one for each Vita. One Vita for retail games, one for digital. Nice to have a backup system in case I need it.

You must eat a ton of Jasmine rice; i've eyed the huge bags of brown rice, but haven't figured out how to keep eating it constantly, to get through it. How do you get through it? Serious question!
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I've got a big family. That's the reason why we've got so many game systems in our house. I don't buy most things in bulk but the basics (like rice) always run out.

 
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