AfterDawn: News

Sony drops plan for UMD conversion program for PSPGo at launch

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) has confirmed to Kotaku that PlayStation Portable (PSP) owners will not be able to exchange their games on Universal Media Disc (UMD) media to PSPGo digital copies before the launch of PSPGo next week. The PSPGo does not feature a UMD drive, and relies on Internet purchases to download games that can be installed on the system.

"We were evaluating a UMD conversion program, but due to legal and technical reasons we will not be offering the program at this time," a Sony Computer Entertainment of America spokesman told Kotaku. The statement is in contrast to comments from this year's E3 in Los Angeles where Sony officials said they hoped to have a plan in place to transfer customers' UMD titles to PSPGo at launch.



"We are looking into programs for owners who have previously purchased UMD titles and want to exchange them for digital versions," Sony Computer Entertainment's Brian Keltner told Kotaku at the time. "It's something we are still hammering out the details. As soon as we have solid plans in place we will make an announcement."

Some game retailers have already refused to carry the PSPGo. One rumored plan was to install Sony kiosks in retail stores which would have exchanged UMD discs with digital copies.

Written by: James Delahunty @ 25 Sep 2009 13:56

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• 11 comments

• shaffaaf

  THIS is the fail news :(
  
  but anyone who still uses UMDs (and why would you when you can use .csos off a memory stick) will stick with their regular PSPs.
  
  this isnt being targeted towards them, this is being targeted towards a whole different crowd.

  25.9.2009 15:05 #1

• pphoenix

  lol like this is a surprise. sony want you to purchase that content all over again, so no change to their anti consumer tactics but im sure plenty of loyal customers will tout this as the next best thing.
  
  bend over and get the lube people cus is time to get beefed by sony once again.
  
  anyone that defends their strategy of disgraceful licensing of NEW titles, is either in sony's employ or a stooge of another corporation pushing this destruction, of the second hand game market.
  
  what console will fall to this scam next i wonder?

  25.9.2009 15:22 #2

• Josipher

  the way this is going, i give this Go craPSP 6 months before sony drops it. its basically useless really compared to the normal PSP. im finding it hard to believe anyone would trade their modded PSP for this thing

  25.9.2009 15:25 #3

• pphoenix

  Originally posted by Josipher: the way this is going, i give this Go craPSP 6 months before sony drops it. its basically useless really compared to the normal PSP. im finding it hard to believe anyone would trade their modded PSP for this thingin 6 months time sony will probably try to drop the normal psp, if not before.
  
  as an extra note to my original post, sony could offer a FREE trade or customer resale facility with the new PSP GO, which would mute any ownership concerns,
  
  but what's the likelihood of that, i doubt even the blue whale could hold its breath that long!
  
  
  

  25.9.2009 16:05 #4

• bomber991

  Who knows what will happen with the PSP Go.
  
  I remember before the wii came out I had a gut feeling it would be an utter failure. Remember, no hd graphics, idiotic motion controls. That's what I was seeing. It seemed like the N64, how they stuck with cartridges while everoyne else went to the cd format, and with the gamecube, how they turned it into a purple gay looking thing for little kids with mini-dvd's while everyone else went with regular dvd's.
  
  Now I think this PSP go is going to be a bad failure too. Digital-only games don't make any sense, but they do for gamers on-the-go. The idea is good, just scroll through the list of games on your system and choose one to play. No need to insert/remove any cartridges or discs.
  
  However, I think instead of just making a PSP with no umd drive, which is exactly what sony did, they should have just made an entirely new psp system all-together.

  25.9.2009 17:02 #5

• ThePastor

  Does anyone remember the Sony Mylo?

  25.9.2009 17:38 #6

• Amak

  Sony screwing over it's customers? This isn't news, it is all they know how to do.

  25.9.2009 19:21 #7

• bam431

  jerk move sony

  26.9.2009 11:28 #8

• ZippyDSM

  My god sony sell them a conversion tool that works through PSN so people can go thier and sue their PSP through the PS3 or the PS3 to send in their UDM info and have a protected game file made out of it.....

  26.9.2009 13:34 #9

• salsa36

  Who's going to get a PSPgo anyway.........
  
  Sony needs a reality check do they know that there is a PHONE that can play very similar games? or is it the go a phone also????

  1.10.2009 23:31 #10

• damncrap

  THIS WILL FAIL. Retailers in Europe are already going to boycot PSP GO and stick with the 3000 models.
  
  PSP GO does nothing for the 3rd party sellers. Retail stores cannot sell games for the system so they lose out. SONY has total control over the sale of a game since its over the PSN Network which does not benefit Retail stores. you cannot trade in a game so Retail stores cannot resell a used game. All in all This system hurts Retailers and WILL eventually hurt Sony if Retailers refuse to sell them.

  6.10.2009 01:55 #11