With the latest Firmware for the PlayStation, Vita Sony has added a new undocumented feature to its latest firmware for the handheld. Once the new firmware is applied to the Vita, memory cards are now locked to specific PlayStation Network Accounts.
Prior to the update, owners were able to switch PSN accounts by going through the system restore process. While the restore process was cumbersome, the process worked. What this now means is that players with multiple accounts or multiple regions will have to buy additional memory cards and move the data between them or lose their data. There is no other option, apparently.
The best way to split the content is to move it to your PlayStation 3 and save the same type of content to the same card. All of one PSN account on one card, all of your same region data on the same card, etc…While the process is a pain, it does work; but you will have to purchase some additional cards first, depending what you need to split up.
The move isn’t good news, since Sony just released the PSone game support for the Vita, and if you happened to have purchased those games under another account you will be forced to swap those memory cards to get the right files on the right card. Some advance notice from Sony would have been nice.
