TGS 08: PSP Wi-Fi Store opening Oct. 15 in Japan; all future first-party titles to be downloadable
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Oct 9th 2008 at 12:57PM }
There is currently no date for the release of the store in North America or Europe. We're also wondering how downloadable games' pricing will compare to standard UMD retail prices (considering that direct downloads save on packaging, shipping and a slew of other costs). We'll update as soon as we hear anything.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
WRE @ Oct 9th 2008 1:03PM
Cool!
ExMcCloud @ Oct 9th 2008 1:06PM
Thats actually the best news I heard for the PSP in a LONG time..
JayVe @ Oct 9th 2008 3:22PM
Agreed. Anything that speeds the death of the UMD is welcome. Congrats on this news Sony. Now, introduce a PSP that replaces the UMD drive with more battery power and 16 gigs of Flash memory, and we'll be set.
ExMcCloud @ Oct 9th 2008 3:56PM
Yeah thats actually a great idea...We should have a hard drive or something so we can save as many games as possible on that damn thing
koehler83 @ Oct 9th 2008 1:13PM
US only gets the Video store.
Japan only gets the PSP store.
UK only gets PlayTV
Apparently Canada is now part of continental Europe getting Sony cock rammed in its ass. They do love to rape the consumers who remain loyal to them against all reason.
Haggard (Mr.ESC resurrected on a... thursday?!) @ Oct 9th 2008 1:26PM
At least you guys got Rock Band a year ago.
Whoppy @ Oct 9th 2008 1:15PM
I'm very tempted to get a PSP again. I had a first gen one when they first came out, but I sold it after it sat on my desk never getting any love. A lot of games now that I would like to play and they'll be super cheap as well.
ZaxCG2 @ Oct 9th 2008 1:18PM
What is up with October 15!?! If I remember correctly, its when Adobe CS4 is released and I believe Apple will be holding a press conference about their new Macbooks...
Its a big day for me!
Raikage (Mr. ESC? Mr. ESC? MR. ESSSSSSCCCCCC!) @ Oct 9th 2008 1:29PM
Hmmm, now that I think about it, the idea of Digital Downloading portable games doesn't sound so bad. I usually can't stand it, like iTunes, but if it's just a little game I don't really see the problem, I didn't mind the VC on Wii at all, heck I even had Super Metroid which I already own, just so I can play it on the machine that's hooked to my TV.
So yeah, I think this is a pretty good idea, same with Nintendo's store, if it comes to fruition.
Sora @ Oct 9th 2008 1:51PM
There's already been a PSP PSN store, you just had to download from your PC and connect your PSP to your computer to download, instead of downloading directly from your PSP.
Raikage (Mr. ESC? Mr. ESC? MR. ESSSSSSCCCCCC!) @ Oct 9th 2008 1:56PM
Aww, that's a pain, but I did know it had some type of store though.
I was mostly talking about downloading "full/complete/finished/could have been on UMD" games. I don't think I'd mind not "owning" copies of my portable games, as long as the DRM is kept in check.
But those full $50/60 games I would definitely want in my hands.
jetsaredim @ Oct 9th 2008 1:50PM
who cares about when the store opens IN JAPAN - when does it open IN THE US
jetsaredim @ Oct 9th 2008 2:03PM
Also, not being a Windows user I'm not able to access the store at all now, so I have tons of questions about how this all will work. Things like: How does the DRM work? What happens if my memory card with the game download on it gets trashed - do I still have the ability to re-download the game? What happens if my system goes south, can I re-download my games to the new system? So many questions...
naxe @ Oct 9th 2008 2:08PM
you kinda answered your own question there buddy.
dowloading a game gets saved to your memory card/stick. If your system goes south for whatever reason you swap out the card into the new system. and there you have it.
trunksppg @ Oct 9th 2008 2:25PM
ohh..well..time to switch to japanese firmware lool
Evan @ Oct 9th 2008 2:26PM
A download store is what they should have done from the beginning, instead of that big, slow, battery-eating UMD drive.
JayVe @ Oct 9th 2008 3:27PM
Yes yes yes!
UMD was an AWFUL decision from the start. If you think about the 'spinning disc' technology, you are essentially attaching what amounts to a record player to your system. It is slow to load, eats lots of battery, and has a ton of tiny and fragile moving parts to break. Not only that, but compared to other mobile technology, the discs and the drive bay are HUGE!
I've got 8 gigs of memory on a Micro SD card smaller than the fingernail on my pinky.
Once Sony gives up on trying to sell you tiny records, they will be free to make the PSP into what it should have been from the start.
Justin @ Oct 9th 2008 2:34PM
Just a prediction.
Prices will be exactly the same either online or a UMD. You see, it does indeed save a ton of money in packaging, production, shipping, etc, which is then put right into Sony's pocket.
You really expect them to pass on the savings?
JayVe @ Oct 9th 2008 3:24PM
I think you are right on the money. If the pricing is like Sony's other efforts, they will sell you the download at the same price as the retail disc. Yet when you beat the game, good luck reselling your game the way you could with a retail copy.
Albanian_Killa @ Oct 9th 2008 3:37PM
What happens to people with no WiFi? Sounds good though. I wish I still had my PSP (I bricked it :( )
Jerome @ Oct 9th 2008 5:54PM
Ironic, isn't it?
Disc technology, the main thing that helped Sony whoop Nintendo in the PSone/N64 generation, is now beginning to be looked on as a liability for the PSP, and looks to be replaced by solid state memory, which is what has been in cartridges all along!
Makes sense though, solid state has always been better for portable use, due to its durability, speed, and low power use, but only lately has flash memory increased in capacity enough to start replacing discs.
aj @ Oct 9th 2008 7:44PM
Digital distribution is a bad idea.
(A) Not everyone has wifi in their homes. Because you don't need wifi in your home, unless you have a huge home, or 9 computers on a network, or you think wires are ugly arbitrarily, you don't have wifi.
(B) ISP's have bandwidth caps. Which means that depending upon your ISP, you can only buy X number of games in a month.
(C) It is unknown whether or not you will have access to the games you paid for FOREVER. A physical disc is yours until the disc falls apart. A bit of data is yours until they decide to turn the servers off because it costs too much money to keep all those PSP games stored on them in ten years time.
(D) Instruction manuals. Will digital copies have those?
Jerome @ Oct 9th 2008 8:48PM
@aj,
You bring up some good points there, and I also appreciate actually owning physical media, but there are ways of adressing the issues you brought up.
(A) WiFi connections are becoming more and more common in places like coffee shops and various other kinds of businesses. In addition to that, retail stores could and should provide in-store download kiosks where customers can purchase and download content at the same location where they would traditionally purchase physical media. That way, it won't matter if you don't have a broadband connection yourself, as you can just go to the store.
(B) As networks improve, bandwidth concerns may lessen, and direct store downloads could possibly help remedy this problem, as retailers could have special deals with service providers to handle the bandwidth.
(C) You definitely don't have to constantly re-download content, as games could be stored on (increasingly inexpensive) memory cards, but as those are known to have a limited life-span, maybe people could be allowed to make backup copies to their computers, as is the case with songs bought on online music stores.
(D) I've read that some music albums sold on iTunes will come with digital versions of the album booklets starting late this year, so this is definitely doable.
In the case of PSP games, though, getting rid of UMD doesn't doesn't necessarily mean getting rid of physical media. Memory chip prices have continued to go down, and it's conceivable that the successor to PSP could use memory cards with capacities similar to UMD.
I think digital distribution definitely has some cool uses and features, but just because it's coming more into the spotlight, it doesn't mean traditional media has to die off, and personally I hope it won't.