Earlier this week, GameStop revealed Sony's pricing plan for its proprietary Vita memory cards. In response to negative reactions from fans, Sony Division 2 software development head Muneki Shimada has spoken out in a new interview about Sony's decision to use proprietary memory, and what it provides over traditional storage solutions.
According to a translation by Andriasang, Shimada says Sony didn't use universal memory like SD cards because it wanted to make sure everyone had an "equal condition." In other words, because SD cards have various classes and speeds, Sony wanted to make sure every customer would have the same transfer rate and experience while accessing their data during gameplay.
Shimada added that Sony was concerned with security. The PSP was plagued by firmware hacks, and Sony's goal may be to prevent the Vita from succumbing to the same fate by keeping its memory on a new proprietary format. Finally, Shimada added that the cards won't simply be for gameplay. They'll be for "patches, game data, download content and more," and for that reason Sony wants to keep them more secure.
Sony hasn't confirmed the exact specifications of the Vita's memory cards, but we expect more details once the system is released in Japan later this month.
Source: http://uk.psp.ign.com/articles/121/1213857p1.html
I can see how what Shimada said justifies them using a proprietary format for PS Vita memory cards, but he didn't even attempt to comment on or justify the high prices which is what the people are outraged by.
