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$49.99 Memory Stick PRO Duo 1GB? Better Be Careful

Posted Feb 21, 2006 at 8:58PM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: Accessories, Reviews Tags: psp accessories, psp gift ideas, psp memory sticks

Jjslotr, one of our users, came across an advertisement about memory stick: $49.99 Memory Stick PRO Duo. Sure the price is really attractive - too attractive to be real.

All fakes

IÂ’m not questioning the legitimacy of this advertisement, but there have been such Â“cheapÂ” memory sticks, which were in fact hand made from some private workshops. These fake memory sticks are mostly tagged as Sony/Sandisk 1GB/2GB ones. Their quality is so terrible that you may find it stuck in the memory stick slot because the memory stick is too thick. If you try to apply too much force on it, you may just tear it into two, because the glue is too weak to keep its integrity. Data stored on them can easily get lost for no reason, or the whole stick turned out to be unrecognizable to the PSP. The free space on the sticks can suffer a sudden drop for no reason. These are the most important part of the Â“functionsÂ” you may get through the discount.

I doubt if you could tell which one is real without a tag

I for one know that where I live, in China, have been seeing numerous fake memory sticks on the market Â– but then again it is China. These perfectly faked things may be able to make their ways to other part of the world. So, just be careful when you do a bargain, sometimes it may just be a scam.

Thanks for the advertisement scan, Jjslotr.

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I have one of the old fake 2Gb Sony Duo Pros that came in Japanese packaging. This one holds ~39 more mbs than the official one and is about 15 mbps slower (which is kind of a downer0). The difference was that I saved atleast $150 at the time of purchase when I got it for $118 off of ebay. It works fine and is a bit thicker than the official one. Right now, I am finding it hard to regret getting it as it seems pretty sturdy, works fine, and saved me so much money that I can get another when the new 4 and 8gb cards come out for the total price of one official 2gb. My homebrew gets way less corrupted than my buds off of his official 1gb sandisk gaming and I have never had a problem playing the games, videos, or mp3s. Turns out the 333 mhz processor is the real bottleneck. Can't wait to switch this 2gb to all mp3s and video and use the new 2gb I get for homebrew, manga, and my ebook collection. I admit that it is risky though. Evidently, the new fake ones are really just a 1gb that fakes the hardware into thinking its 2gb, but doesn't allow the card to hold more than one.

# Guest 2006-02-21 20:25

this really sucks i just won an auction on e-bay last night for 110.00 w/ tax/shipping etc. it has Japanese righting on it can some one tell me if it might be fake or not this is the item # 7592683265.. i didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t pay for it yet.. but i noticed that the packaging is a bit different b/c on the sides of the original packaging has it sealed all around and this one shows just a few marks around the packaging to seal it.. any second opinions am not going to pay this guy if it's fake.. pay pal was actually having a problem w/ there credit card processor thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s y i couldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t pay it right away!!

# Guest 2006-02-21 20:58

The advertisement is not fake. I saw the ad on Saturday and I bought one the same day ( last one they had ).

# Guest 2006-02-21 22:19

Daamn! What the **** is the difference?

# Guest 2006-02-21 22:27

Pfft I got a fake one once. It became unrecognizable but Sandisk said they would replace it. SO i threw it in my pocket to take it to UPS. When I got there it had cracked in two and SanDisk wouldnt replace physical damage. mine was a 1GB Blue SanDisk i forget where from for like 80USD. Rememeber always go with the the pro gamer ones from SanDisk.

# Guest 2006-02-21 22:29

I bought a 2GB sony memorystick pro duo for Ã¢â€šÂ¬103 on amazon.co.uk

Came in japaneese packing but works fine.

Sweet!!

# Guest 2006-02-21 22:34

Grrr, now I know exactly why my memory stick is stuffing up. I always suspected it was fake after it started stuffin up after about 2 months after purchase. My memory stick is 512mb and it came in the same packet as the image in this article (the sort of middle image). I bought it off ebay Australia. To get my memory stick to work, i have to keep re-inserting it about 10 times or more. If I turn my psp off or leave it idle for too long, I have to reinsert it about 10 times or more also. I guess I will have to buy my memory sticks elsewhere from now on...

# Guest 2006-02-21 22:38

This is just nice... lol

# Guest 2006-02-21 22:39

Actually the true difference, is the quality...

Notice the speed of your FAKE 2gig stick is horrendous, compared to your original 32mb stick, despite being HIGH SPEED, but the fact is it works.
( STILL faster than UMD )

ANYWAY, all i can say, if i was scammed, someday ill sell my memostick for the price i got it, and say its half price. :P!

Ill prolly be selling it with the PSP, that is when i get over PSP, or if i ever DO get over psp...

Ill give it 85 years. ^_^

# Guest 2006-02-21 22:49

I can't really tell, it could just be the photo (which is pretty low res) but it looks like the fake has slightly bolder, uglier text in the "Sandisk" logo.

And once again its hard to tell from the res, but it looks like the fake has a diagonal on the G in "MagicGate" as opposed to the right angled one.

And of course it doesn't really make much of a difference when you're buying online and can't physically inspect it.

Glad I bought my memory stick from Amazon rather than eBay.

# Guest 2006-02-21 23:25

I have ordered a 2GB one at eBay from Hong Kong! I am sure I am being fooled now when reading this, but it's too late to cancel it

# Guest 2006-02-21 23:36

yea, dont buy off ebay, ppl always ripping others off.

always buy form good sites like newegg.com!!

# Guest 2006-02-22 00:09

I got a 1gb MS Pro Duo off newegg for right around $50 after $15 rebate, which I received quite quick. Ordering from reputable retailers is the way to go.

# Guest 2006-02-22 00:14

Just a thought, the X-Ray machines at airports can damage some electronic things, do you think they could damage memory sticks? I have taken mine to Bali and back so yeah. Just a thought...

# Guest 2006-02-22 00:25

no i took my on a plane and it all works fine.

# Guest 2006-02-22 00:30

I bought a memory stick off of ebay a few months ago, it looked like a fake to me when I got it. Because it was abnormally thick and hard. It was supposed to be a High Speed 80x 1GB memory stick pro duo from Sony, but it was so much slower than my other 60x 1GB SanDisk Ultra II which is VERY fast. I think that the stock 32MB memory stick was faster than the Sony one I bought. Overall, if that Sony stick is a fake, it was a darn good one, because I haven't experienced any problems yet.

# Guest 2006-02-22 00:33

I don't think X-ray of that degree can damage a electronic thing. Maybe something worse like an A-bomb...

But a microwave can surely destroy it in 3 seconds.

# Guest 2006-02-22 00:34

If you buy a cheap memory stick for your Psp from Ebay it is most likely going to be a fake.

Apparently the fake 2GB ones have approximately 1948MB of total / reported free space and the legit ones have approximately 1909MB. You know what they say, if the price is too good to be true.......

# Guest 2006-02-22 00:37

If you buy off amazon sellers or ebay, make sure the seller has a good returns policy.
I got my 2GB one from an Amazon seller for Ã‚Â£66 and it works great.

# Guest 2006-02-22 00:44

4 bucks 1gb http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006TI9WG/sr=8-1/qid=1140611902/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-1521784-4704119?%5Fencoding=UTF8

# Guest 2006-02-22 00:53

i bourght one of ebay a few days ago, & was just about to make payment via paypal!

thanks heaps for reporting this, u have saved me $$$ 4 somthing i thought i had bourght @ a price 2 good 2 be true!

# Guest 2006-02-22 01:16

What do u guys think of the ones from Media Markt. I saw an offer in their commercial paper, 1GB Sandisk memory stick duo's for 49,99 euro. I wonder if its good quality then, if it is.. im sure as hell gonna buy it.

# Guest 2006-02-22 01:41

How do these people make these memory cards? I'd like to try and make my own. But must not be too expensive if these guys are profitting.
Minus

# Guest 2006-02-22 02:06

I just bought a 2gig from amazon.com.
I hope it's not a fake.

# Guest 2006-02-22 02:37

And how do they even get the "parts" to make the memory cards? Wouldnt the parts still cost a bit even though they are crappy (didnt know what other word to use lol...)?

# Guest 2006-02-22 02:50

I just bought this on Saturday and it worked like a charm. No problems at all so far.

# Guest 2006-02-22 02:57

"I bought a 2GB sony memorystick pro duo for Ã¢â€šÂ¬103 on amazon.co.uk

Came in japaneese packing but works fine.

Sweet!!" - ME

"Actually the true difference, is the quality...

Notice the speed of your FAKE 2gig stick is horrendous, compared to your original 32mb stick, despite being HIGH SPEED, but the fact is it works.
( STILL faster than UMD " - LordSturm

No really, its super fast, Hell of alot faster than my previous 1 gig scandisk pro duo gaming. (See through yellow..)

I think yee should check this deal out!

# Guest 2006-02-22 03:06

The only difference that I see is the separation of the letters on the Sandisk logo. but it's practically the same!!

Pinches chinos, son bien pinches piratas!!

# Guest 2006-02-22 03:15

i got my old 1 GB (which is now my gf's)and my new 2 GB both off of eBay. bought i bought my 2 GB stick before they were even available here in the US so i think i avoided this mess cause mine works fine. but for my new 2 GB stick that i was gonna buy sometime this month i think im gonna get off Amazon instead. and i seriously cant see any difference in the 2. damn these guys are good

# Guest 2006-02-22 04:16

I bought a 2gb 80x one off ebay not to long ago. It reports 1958mb space. It works fine tho and the transfer speeds are faster than my buddys 2gb sony "the solid black one" that he got from best buy. Hope it doesn't give out :S.

# Guest 2006-02-22 04:47

fraseybobo,
didn't you know, there is nothing the asian's won't counterfeit. It's really disgusting how there is little way of enforcing any kind of copyright laws in those countries. However, alot of people get duped every hour by these scammers and the level of accuracy these fakes have is amazing. Buy from retail stores with good return policies for this item and be careful in the future with other small memory.

Doesn't everyone remember when all that bad memory came out of the far east when RAM prices were through the roof? It would pass a RAM check and then not even work right.

All I say is that we should be more worried about getting these types of laws under control before trying to give every family over there a damn car and a computer.

Just my 2 cents.

# Guest 2006-02-22 04:49

99% of Memorystick DUOs sold on eBay are fake, if you google "Fake duo" you will get lots of information on counterfeiting of this hardware. I bought my 1GB legit from a store in my city but if I were buying online, I would make sure it is from a retailer who has return policies and such. These fake chips are known to break in days!
You would be better off trying to get real Tiffany silver or Louis Vuitton leather than trying to buy a real memory stick on eBay.

# Guest 2006-02-22 05:19

Wow...how low can they go? Thank the lord my 512MB and 1GB sticks are real, considering I bought them online from newegg...Guess that makes them very reliable on my book. This sucks for a lot of people though, the price on MS duo pros is a very high one to afford. I could only tell the difference on those black MS duo pro sticks,too...pretty effin' pro what they've manage to do here...+ I can't imagine how much it would suck to brake one of these in half inside the PSP's stick slot...Corrupted PSP homebrew...anyone?

# Guest 2006-02-22 05:21

Sorry for the double...but, I just had a look at the Office Depot advertisement pic....I that also fake???

# Guest 2006-02-22 06:12

i don't think 99% of pro duo's are fake. Heck i don't even think 90% of them are fake. These people who post these numbers have no proof of statement.

I admit, it sucks that they are now counterfieting tech items too, instead of just fashion items. This will be a major problem if something is not being done about it.

I recently sold a 1GB for $45 shipped, and its real. I bought it on amazon.com. I bought a new 2GB on amazon.com as well for $85 after MIR. So under $50 for a MS Duo pro does not necessarily mean fake... just buy from trusted ebayers. (like me =) )

# Guest 2006-02-22 07:28

yeah I have seen many fake things come out of asia I would never trust any of them on something like this.

greedy as hell and will do anything to make a quick dollar. Bout the same way in iraq, well it would be the same if they had the resources. You cant make memory sticks out of dirt though.

# Guest 2006-02-22 10:41

Is there a way we can post pics to see who has fakes over real ones? i think this will help alot of people out.

# Guest 2006-02-22 10:53

i just buy my memory sticks off those bulk stores,,
you know, like costco, sams club,, those types of stores,,
super cheap there

# Guest 2006-02-22 12:23

well it seems that this is going on for a while now i have seem lots of threads and it comes to a conclution that the item i won on e-bay is fake.. here are a few links that can help u see if is fake or not

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?s=30dc9d1ce743811ac558cab869dc3135&t=224382&page=2&pp=15

http://www.forum.renoraine.com.my/viewtopic.php?t=43&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=&sid=e9de2958169e27bd71ce2b586da8551b

http://www.vrforums.com/showthread.php?t=53801

http://www.mxphone.com/show.php?no=913

http://reviews.ebay.com/Sony-Memory-Stick-Pro-Duo-Card_W0QQugidZ10000000000014874

hope this helps

# Guest 2006-02-22 13:03

F#$ken sweet ANZ! thanX heaps for the links

i have a feeling i have a fake 2GB sony, BUT it really seems like the real deal, i will have to scan/photo my stick/package.

I guess this is the reason why i can NOT copy music from "SONICSTAGE" to my MSpro?

Has anyone else had this problem with sonicstage v3.4, making a ATRAC3plus file then transferring it to a v2 PSP?

# Guest 2006-02-22 13:19

Memory prices have tumbled in the past few weeks, so this is not necessarily an invalid price. For example, Fry's Electronics, a popular electronics store in the U.S., is selling 1 GB Memory Sticks, I believe they're Sony, Sandisk or Lexar (all good brands), for $59.99 after a mail-in rebate. There are likely to be further price slides as well. If you stay with those three brands you're likely going to be fine.

Best,

Auri Rahimzadeh
Author, Hacking the PSP
www.hackingpsp.com

# Guest 2006-02-22 13:39

I bought mine in ebay. From the info from other people, my memory stick is most likely to be fake. But I had mine for almost 2 month and it hasn't been broken or corrupt yet. Mine almost work like if it's real. I'm keeping by fingers crossed for now...

# Guest 2006-02-22 14:26

Oh so thats why my Memory Stick won't come out...

I didn't expect a scam like this to happen in a little place like New Zealand!!!

# Not all fake — eragon2317 2006-04-02 16:18

I've seen some for that price at fry's electronics and on ecost.com. and ecost.com is 100%reliable ive goten loads of really cheap stuff from there and it came.

# beware the new fakes!!! — Guest 2006-10-09 21:32

My friend just brought me a 2Gb ms duo from ebay and it seemed to work fine but after filling it whit more than 980 mb it started to give the cyclic redundancy error. a short while i found out it was a fake.it almost gotme fooled because everything seemed ok the packaging, the printing in the card and even the PSP displayed the rigth capacity, the stupid card even comes now with the sony holographic autenticity stickers!!! iI just hope these scaming artist get caugth soon!!

if you need info on spoting and reporting fakes go to http://reviews.ebay.com.au/BEWARE-of-FAKE-1GB-2GB-4GB-8GB-USB-Flash-Drives-on-eBay_W0QQugidZ10000000000706427?ssPageName=BUYGD:CAT:-1:LISTINGS:1

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