Pioneer outs an optical disk drive in 2022, citing "increasing opportunities" due to telework

Pioneer recently launched the BDR-213JDK optical disk drive in Japan for the equivalent of US$150. Despite optical drives having gone the way of the floppy disk years ago, Pioneer cited teleworking and an increased need for data storage as key reasons for resurrecting this piece of early-2000s tech. 

The BDR-213JDK can handle over 21 different optical disk formats, everything from four-layer Blu-ray disks to CD-R. The BDR-213JDK features "Pure Read 3" technology, which purportedly enables smooth playback of disks with minor physical damage.

The real question here, though, is why Pioneer decided to launch an optical disk drive in 2022. While the company states that the BDR-213JDK exists to help teleworkers meet their increased data storage needs, this is something that USB flash drives accomplish just as well, in a more compact package.

Pioneer itself sells a range of USB 3.2 flash drives, including models that have higher storage capacity and faster read speeds than the best that Blu-ray has to offer. As of now, the BDR-213JDK is only available for purchase in Japan. It remains to be seen whether demand will be high enough to warrant an international launch.

Check out this Pioneer USB 3.2 Gen 1 flash drive here on Amazon.