Difference in Brands of Memory Pro Sticks for a PSP

Sony PSP

• The PSP, released in the United States in 2005, is Sony's first handheld system and has gone through a few iterations since then -- such as the PSP Go, which was released in 2009. You can purchase games in two ways: by downloading them from the online PlayStation Store or buying them on a UMD disc in a retail store. Rather than rely on internal memory storage, the PSP uses the Memory Stick PRO Duo to save your progress or your downloaded games. Some systems include a 32MB Memory Stick PRO Duo, but in many cases that space is quickly used, prompting an upgrade.

Memory Stick Pro Duo

• The Memory Stick Pro Duo, created in a joint effort between Sony and SanDisk, is the successor for the Memory Stick Duo. The PSP uses only the Memory Stick Pro Duo and is not compatible with any other memory stick. The Memory Stick Pro Duo can range in size from 1GB to 32GB. At the time of publication, there are three manufacturers of the Memory Stick Pro Duo: Sony, SanDisk, and Lexar. Each manufacturer's offering has similarities to the others -- but the Lexar has one major difference.

Similarities

• Each manufacturer offers the same sizes for the Memory Stick Pro Duo; you will not find a certain size being offered by only one manufacturer. Likewise, the performance on each Memory Stick Pro Duo is the same; there is no performance increase by using one brand over another. The prices for all three brands are generally the same, barring any sales; at the time of publication, prices for the Memory Stick Pro Duo, regardless of brand, can run from $10 to $200, depending on the size.

Differences

• While the brands are all extremely similar, there is one huge difference: while every Sony and SanDisk Memory Stick Pro Duo can work on the PSP, not every Lexar Memory Stick Pro Duo can do so. To ensure that your Lexar Memory Stick Pro Duo is compatible with the PSP, purchase a Lexar-branded "Gaming Memory Stick"; these Memory Sticks are guaranteed to work in your PSP. At the time of publication, the only sizes available for Lexar's "Gaming Memory Stick" are 4GB and 8GB.