MiniDiscs: Who Cares? Gamers Might

While the MiniDisc has only achieved moderate levels of success in the US, rumors in gaming circles have hinted at the merging of the MiniDisc with the next-generation of the PlayStation, making the MD format insanely popular - as well as potentially getting a MiniDisc player into the homes of every gamer.

New pricing and promotions are being launched for Sony's recordable MiniDiscs here in the US. Pricing on 60 and 74 minute discs will be reduced by 10 to 15 percent. Suggested pricing for 74-minute disc packages are as follows: single pack, US$6.50; two pack, $12.99; three pack, $17.99; five pack, $29.99; and ten pack, $55.00.

If you aren't familiar with the format, MiniDisc technology lets you record near fully digital CD quality from any source onto a small recordable disc housed in a small floppy-disk looking device.

MDs will also get new looks this year, sporting brightly colored discs and matching packaging. Also, the higher-end ES model will get a more solid plastic shell to reduce the risk of dirt and dust entering the device. Also, Sony will offer an eight pack of MDs with a case for 20 total discs.

"We believe it's the discs themselves - their recordability, portability, affordability, and 'coolness' - that are going to drive the success of MD recording in the US," said Sony Electronics' Recording Media and Energy Group (RMEG) president Bob Striano.

"Recordable MiniDiscs are already a huge success in Japan and are now coming on strong in Europe, too. In fact, it's such a popular format in Japan today that nearly 50 percent of consumer audio recording media sales revenues are generated by MD compared with audiocassettes. In the US, we expect to reach that level by the end of the decade," Striano said.