Memory Stick facts for kids
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From top to bottom: Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick Micro (M2)
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| Media type | Flash memory card |
| Capacity | 128 MB (Original) 32 GB (PRO series) 2 TB (XC series) |
| Developed by | Sony |
| Extended to | Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, and Memory Stick Micro |
The Memory Stick is a type of flash memory card. It was first created by Sony in late 1998. Think of it like a tiny, removable storage device for your digital stuff!
Over time, Sony made different versions of the Memory Stick. These include the Memory Stick PRO, which could store more and transfer files faster. There was also the Memory Stick Duo, a smaller version, and the even tinier Memory Stick Micro (also called M2). The Memory Stick PRO-HG was a super-fast version, great for high-definition video and cameras.
Memory Stick was a "proprietary format." This means Sony mostly used it only in their own products. For example, you'd find Memory Sticks in Sony Cyber-shot cameras, Handycam camcorders, Sony Ericsson phones, VAIO computers, and the PlayStation Portable game console.
Around 2010, another type of memory card, the Secure Digital card, became very popular. Because of this, Sony started putting SD card slots in their devices too. This showed that the "format war" (a competition between different technologies) for memory cards was ending. Even though Sony now supports SD cards, some newer Sony devices can still use Memory Sticks with special adapters.
Contents
History of Memory Stick
The first Memory Stick came out in October 1998. At first, it could store up to 128 MB of data.
In 1999, Sony let other companies like Fujitsu, Sharp, and Pioneer use their Memory Stick technology. This was to help the Memory Stick become more popular. Some early devices from other companies that used Memory Sticks included MP3 players and printers.
At first, people weren't super excited about the Memory Stick. But after Sony licensed it to other companies, it became more popular. By 2001, Memory Stick had a good share of the memory card market.
However, the SD card, which was made by Toshiba, Panasonic, and SanDisk, quickly became the most popular flash memory format. By 2003, SD cards were much more common than Memory Sticks. Many people also thought Memory Sticks were more expensive than other memory cards.
Around 2010, Sony began to include slots for both SD cards and Memory Sticks in their products. This was a big change, as it meant Sony was no longer only supporting its own Memory Stick format. For example, all digital cameras and camcorders Sony showed at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show could use both types of cards. Sony even started selling their own line of SD cards.
Despite this, Sony didn't completely stop working on Memory Stick. They continued to develop it for a while. However, in 2019, Sony released a new camera, the Sony α7R IV, that only had SD card slots and no Memory Stick support. This was a clear sign that the Memory Stick era was largely over for new devices.
What are Memory Sticks used for?
Memory Sticks are mostly used to store information for portable devices. You can easily take them out and put them into a computer to access your files.
For example, Sony digital cameras used Memory Sticks to save pictures. You could then take the Memory Stick out and put it into a memory card reader connected to your computer to copy the photos. Sony often built Memory Stick readers right into their own devices. This included digital cameras, music players, PDAs, cell phones, VAIO laptops, and the PlayStation Portable gaming console.
Even Sony's robot pet, AIBO, used special Memory Sticks. These sticks allowed the robot to use special software called Aiboware.
Different Kinds of Memory Sticks
Memory Sticks come in many different types and sizes.
Original Memory Stick
This was the first version, released in 1998. It was about the size of a stick of chewing gum. It could store from 4 MB up to 128 MB. Some had a special feature called MagicGate for protecting copyrighted content. The MagicGate ones were white, and the regular ones were purple. This original type is not made anymore.
Memory Stick Select
To help with the small storage of the original Memory Stick, Sony made the Memory Stick Select in 2003. This card had two separate 128 MB sections. You could switch between them using a physical switch on the card. It wasn't very popular, but it gave users of older devices a bit more space. It was the same size as the original Memory Stick.
Memory Stick PRO
The Memory Stick PRO came out in 2003. Sony worked with SanDisk to create it. This version solved the storage problem for good. Most devices that used the original Memory Sticks could also use the PRO sticks because they were the same size.
Memory Stick PROs were faster and could theoretically hold up to 32 GB. You could also get "High Speed" Memory Stick PROs for even faster file transfers. Even if your device didn't support the high-speed mode, these cards would still work, just at a normal speed. Larger Memory Stick PROs (like 4 GB) were often more expensive than other types of memory cards like SD cards.
Memory Stick Duo
Introduced in 2002, the Memory Stick Duo was much smaller. Sony needed a tiny memory card for small digital cameras, cell phones, and the PlayStation Portable. It was a bit smaller than the popular Secure Digital (SD) cards.
Memory Stick Duos had the same features as the larger Memory Stick, including high-speed options and MagicGate. However, it had a limit of 128 MB. Because of this, the Memory Stick PRO Duo quickly replaced it, even though they kept the same small size.
You could use a simple adapter to make a Memory Stick Duo fit into devices designed for the original, larger Memory Stick.
Memory Stick PRO Duo
The Memory Stick PRO Duo (MSPD) became very popular because it could store much more data and was faster than the original Duo. It came with or without High Speed mode and MagicGate support.
Sony released Memory Stick PRO Duos in various sizes, including 16 GB and 32 GB versions. Sony and SanDisk also worked on an even bigger version called "Memory Stick PRO Format for Extended High Capacity," which later became the Memory Stick XC series.
You can even find adapters that let you use tiny microSD cards in devices that only support Memory Stick PRO Duo cards.
Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo
In 2006, Sony and SanDisk announced the Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo. This version was designed to be much faster. It could transfer data up to three times faster than the regular Memory Stick PRO format. This speed was perfect for recording high-definition videos and taking many photos quickly.
Memory Stick Micro (M2)
Sony and SanDisk also created the Memory Stick Micro (M2) in 2006. This card was super tiny, about a quarter the size of the Duo. It came in sizes from 64 MB up to 16 GB. It also had a theoretical limit of 32 GB and a good transfer speed.
Like the Duo, the M2 came with an adapter so you could use it in devices made for larger Memory Stick PRO cards. However, some older devices might not work with the M2/Adapter if the M2 card was too large for them.
In 2009, Sony announced that their Sony Ericsson phones would stop using M2 cards and switch to microSD cards instead.
Memory Stick XC
In 2009, SanDisk and Sony announced the Memory Stick XC format. The biggest feature of the Memory Stick XC was its huge theoretical storage capacity of 2 TB (terabytes). This is 64 times more than the 32 GB limit of the Memory Stick PRO Duo!
The XC series had the same physical size as the PRO series and supported MagicGate. It also used a newer file system called exFAT, which is better for very large storage sizes. It could transfer data very quickly. However, Memory Stick XC cards were never widely released. This was probably because SD cards, especially SDXC cards, became much more popular.
Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX
Sony released the Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX in 2011. This was considered one of the fastest Memory Stick cards ever made by Sony. It came in 8 GB, 16 GB, or 32 GB versions and offered a very fast transfer speed of 50 MB per second.
Mark 2 certification
Around 2008, you could find Mark 2-certified versions of the Memory Stick PRO Duo. The Mark 2 label meant that the Memory Stick was good for recording AVCHD videos or for other devices that needed a certain minimum speed to write data.
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See also
- CompactFlash Card
- Comparison of memory cards
- Format war
- MultiMediaCard
- SD Card
- SmartMedia Card
- SxS
- xD Picture Card
