Any sign of the Memory Stick Pro Drivers

[kikouyou]

Now that the Memory Stick pro are in pre-order on SonyStyle, when do we get the updated drivers for these sticks ?

As we have to run almost everything from the stick with this very limited memory, I hope to be able to SEE a visible speed improvement!

[the_iceman]

I have seen no patches on Sony's site for them as of yet. I hope they will come out with them soon. I'd like to get a 512mb Card for mine.

[Hong Kong Nick]

Keep checking here for updates ... http://www.css.ap.sony.com/Announcement/AnnouncementCurr.asp ... still not seen anything yet, either.

Oh well.

Nick

[TheUltimate]

hopefully we will get something very very soon, ill bet it will be release 1 week before the Sticks are on sale...

[n2ifp]

Sony says that the devices that need a software driver will NOT see any difference in speed. I read that on the Sony site yesterday.

[bluguru]

That makes complete sense, but boy is it disappointing. Still the chance for larger capacity memory is interesting to me. I will hold out for the CF driver (hopefully in April) since there is no speed increase.

Here is a thought related to the debate. I have heard from camera users that some more professional types hate Sony because MS has no controller built in and was thus slower to write/access (I own one, but cannot tell the difference because I can only compare it with a SD card camera which also has no built in controller). I wonder if the new MS now will have a controller now (like CF) and thus will be faster. If this is the case, would not CF be faster than the old MS (but perhaps the same speed of new MS) because of having a controller built into the CF. Seems like logical deduction, but I am by no means an expert. Some one help me out here.

[denony]

Originally posted by kikouyou
Now that the Memory Stick pro are in pre-order on SonyStyle, when do we get the updated drivers for these sticks ?


The MS Pro drivers are not already included in the NZ90 ?

Thanks

[robrecht]

Originally posted by n2ifp
Sony says that the devices that need a software driver will NOT see any difference in speed. I read that on the Sony site yesterday.

So, even the "compatible" devices, after they are made "compatible" by means of a software upgrade, are in reality only partially compatible.

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by robrecht


So, even the "compatible" devices, after they are made "compatible" by means of a software upgrade, are in reality only partially compatible.

That's what I read from Sony. Newer devices that read the new MS Pro natively, will only take advantage of higher speeds. Now Sony didn't exactly specify how or why. I am sure we'll find out soon, maybe the new stick has additional contacts on it, I don't know. The core OS for the NX60/70 & NZ90 are essentially the same. I hate to see people get all excited and their hopes up, only to be let down again. One has to read the fine print. After all Sony has only one goal in mind, to make money.:(

[CliePet]

> So, even the "compatible" devices, after they are made "compatible" by means of a software upgrade, are in reality only partially compatible.
(and others on this thread)

The current sticks (White or Blue) have a serial bus, and a maximum size of 128MB.
White sticks have Magic Gate support.

---
There is the two-in-one stick (two 128MB banks in one stick) with a selector switch that doubles the standard capacity.
No software driver changes required.
http://www.sony-europe.com/presscenter/PressShow.x?articleid=872

This is not memory stick PRO

---
There are two new advances with the Memory Stick PRO

#1) the ability to have more than 128MB at a time (capacities from 256MB -> 1GB announced)

#2) an optional 4 bit wide bus for faster access (instead of just one data bit)

#1 requires a software upgrade, and will be available for the NZ90 as they promise.

#2 requires new hardware which is not yet on the market. IMHO this is more important for video cameras than PDAs.

http://www.sandisk.com/pressrelease/030109_mspro.htm


===============
Re, actual speed.
For many cases the limiting speed is not the bus speed, but how fast the Flash ROM chips can be programmed. As flash chips get faster, the single bit serial bus of the existing memory stick can be a bottleneck. It is a bottleneck for reading.

That's why I like Compact Flash. There are different CF cards with different write speeds (slower = cheaper, faster = more $$$)

[bluguru]

Thanks for the explanation.

[rob_squared]

The MS select isn't as ugly as I supposed. I thought it would have two connectors, one on each end.