Sony will release their Memory Stick Device for the PS2

Sony\'s Memory Stick Device to Be Available for PlayStation 2
By Hiroshi Suzuki

Tokyo, June 3 (Bloomberg) -- Sony Corp., the biggest maker of video games, said it will introduce its memory stick storage device for the PlayStation 2 this year in Japan, allowing users to play or record music and pictures on the game console.

The chewing-gum size memory card can record music and pictures and works with personal computers, digital still cameras and portable mini-disc players, said Shinichi Okamoto, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Sony\'s game unit.

The move is part of Sony Computer\'s efforts to turn the world\'s most popular video-game console into a central unit that links up with other Sony-made consumer electronics products such as TVs, VCRs, DVD players and personal computers.

``We are trying to make PlayStation 2 fit in digitalized consumer electronics products,\'\' Okamoto said. ``We will take steps for that this year.\'\'

PlayStation 2 owners are currently able to play full-length DVD movies on the game machine, which Okamoto said was ``the first step\'\' to connect its various consumer electronics products. Sony has sold more than 30 million PlayStation 2s. That makes it the most sold video-game console with Microsoft Corp.\'s Xbox and Nintendo Co.\'s GameCube machines way behind.

Even so, this does not mean the game machine will have slots for memory stick card, said Kenichi Fukunaga, a spokesman at Sony Computer. The memory stick is connected to the game console through an adapter, and Sony Computer plans to install software programs in the game machine which are designed to read recorded data in the storage device, he said.

Total shipments of Sony\'s memory stick topped 20 million units worldwide as of the end of March, the company said.


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What the heck.  Anyone else think Sony is stupid for not releasing the HDD over here, but releasing these things?  They\'re only making Square mad...

Personally, I really doubt that the memory stick feature will ever really get to the states, and even if it did, I highly doubt that it will ever sell well.  However, in Japan, it\'ll probably be a different story.  Memory sticks are used all over the place for all kinds of things, and a lot of people seem to have them.