NW-HD2

The NW-HD2 is part of the first-generation hard-disk Network Walkman family. It offers the same 20GB hard drive storage and ATRAC-family format support as the NW-HD1, with track information shown on a blue-backlit LCD and equipped with shock protection and an acceleration sensor. This model represented a color variant within the initial HDD series before Sony moved to the redesigned second-generation players.

This unit was Sony trying to make the hard-disk Walkman feel less of a bold one-off and closer to an actual product family. The first HDD Walkman had already introduced the appeal of carrying a much larger portable library than flash players could offer at the time, but this follow-up nudged the idea toward something slightly less severe and slightly more livable. It still belongs to Sony's transitional premium era. The HD2 had the storage ambition and object-like seriousness of the early HDD branch, but it also carries a lot of the old software-heavy worldview that made these players feel slightly controlled.