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Traveler's Tales founder: PSP Go will die if downloads don't get cheaper

by Griffin McElroy { Dec 4th 2009 at 11:58AM }

While speaking at the Develop Jury Service (a pow-wow for industry figures to discuss current gaming trends and topics), Traveler's Tales founder Jon Burton questioned the prolonged survival of the PSP Go platform, since UMD games can often be purchased new or pre-owned at a lower price than the digital versions compatible with PSP Go. "I own a PSP Go but don't want to buy LittleBigPlanet, for instance, as I can get it 20-percent cheaper on UMD from Amazon and could resell it once I'm finished with it," Burton explained. "But if I download it, I get no discount, and no chance to resell -- how annoying is that?"

According to Burton, PSP Go's all-digital system is more than just a minor inconvenience. He later added, "I'm betting on Sony making PSP Go games much cheaper than the UMD versions, or the PSP Go will die." Oh no! The PSP Go is far too tiny and adorable to die so young. Listen to the man, Sony!

Logitech denies it's developing PSP Go UMD add-on [update]

by Alexander Sliwinski { Dec 2nd 2009 at 9:30AM }

A CVG source (singular) claims that Logitech is developing a UMD drive add-on for the PSP Go. The source has neither price nor release information, merely stating that the "only problem is that it'll make the PSP a little bulky." Logitech's UK office told the outlet that it's unaware of such a device and that it "may be something the US office is working on." We've contacted both Sony and Logitech for more concrete information.

Beyond the fact that such an add-on would undermine what the Go represents (not quite the "only" problem, is it?), the likely price of such a device, in addition to the base cost of the PSP Go, would not compare well to the already lower cost of a regular PSP with UMD drive. Now, if the add-on could "install" your old games, that would be something ...

Update: Logitech tells Joystiq: "This is not something that our company is working on."

This Is It: a movie being released on UMD in 2010

by JC Fletcher { Nov 30th 2009 at 6:15PM }

We fully expected Sony Pictures to release This Is It, the blockbuster Michael Jackson concert film, on both DVD and Blu-Ray. However, Sony has taken its plans to put this movie on discs a step further, with the surprising announcement that the movie will also be released on UMD. All three versions will be in stores January 26, 2010.

Both the Blu-Ray and DVD versions will include exclusive bonus material not found on the UMD. Notably absent from the Blu-Ray release is a digital copy of the movie, which would enable it to be watched on any PSP, including the PSP Go. Also notably absent is any mention of the UMD on the site for the home release. Sony must believe that UMD movies sell themselves.

Michael Jackson's This Is It will retail for $24.94 on UMD ($28.96 on DVD; $39.95 on Blu-Ray).

Half-Minute Hero can't rescue Quebec

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 29th 2009 at 1:00PM }

If you're looking for a UMD version of Half-Minute Hero in Quebec, stop trying. A Destructoid reader looking for the game was surprised it had skipped a release altogether in the Canadian province -- and it's all thanks to the law. "Canadian distribution is always tricky because of the bilingual law that Quebec enforces, so for titles with limited distribution we do not create a second bilingual version specifically for Canada because it's too expensive. Unfortunately, that's what happened to Half-Minute Hero," an XSEED representative stated.

Thankfully, digital distribution offers a workaround. PlayStation Network appears to be exempt from Quebec's bilingual laws, so a simple visit to the PlayStation Store is all it takes to bypass the French language police.

NIS America wants to bring Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! to UMD

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 17th 2009 at 11:00PM }

The historical preservationists at NIS America are attempting to save the increasingly endangered beast known as the "Universal Media Disc." You probably haven't heard of the format -- your parents most assuredly have. Though we currently live in an age of incorporeal digital software, the developer is attempting to re-release its eccentric dungeon dive, Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This? in a limited edition UMD format -- provided enough PSP owners show interest in owning a tangible copy of the game.

If over 1,000 supervillains-in-training pre-order the UMD version of Badman by November 13, NIS will go through with actually producing them, shipping out to their respective buyers in mid-December. Seems like it'll be a tough putt -- but we're sure there's 1,000 fans of both obscure strategy games and tiny, plastic-armored discs tucked away in some pocket in the internet.

Third parties not required to release PSP games on PlayStation Store

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 16th 2009 at 9:15AM }

What do Undead Knights, Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising, NBA 2K10, Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes and Cars: Race O Rama have in common? All of these are PSP games released on UMD after the PSP Go's October 1 launch -- and all are currently without a digital equivalent. Owners of the Go system are unable to play these games because they simply aren't available on the PlayStation Store.

Once again, Sony's hands-off approach to the PlayStation Network means third parties are responsible for getting their content on both UMD and the PlayStation Store. "It's up to individual third parties to decide if and when to publish their UMD releases on PSN. Most, if not all, are on board, as this is a revenue opportunity for them," we were told by Eric Lempel, SCEA's director of PlayStation Network operations. Namco, the one publisher that returned our request for comment, noted specifically that "there are currently no plans to release Akatsuki Rising on PSN right now," despite its October 6 release on UMD.

We highly encourage Sony to make simultaneous digital releases of PSP games a requirement for publishers, not merely a suggestion. The company previously issued a mandate for PS3 games to include trophies in 2009 -- a similar policy must be enforced on the PSP. Without it, there's no guarantee that all future PSP games will ever be playable on the PSP Go.

Interview: SCEA's Eric Lempel on PSP minis, scrapped UMD conversion

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 8th 2009 at 5:20PM }

In the second part of our interview with SCEA's Eric Lempel, we chatted about the simultaneous release of PSP Go and PSP minis. In addition to discussing the hands-off approach Sony is taking with the pricing of minis, we talked about the possibility of the minis program moving to PS3, and eventual Mac support for the PSP's MediaGo application.

Joystiq: Are any Sony first-party studios working on PSP minis?

Eric Lempel: Right now, to my knowledge, they're not. That could change, again, but right now, I don't believe any of the studios are working on minis.

What determines the pricing of PSP minis?

There are a couple of rules, or maybe there's just one rule. They have to come in at $9.99 or under.

If someone wanted to release at $1.99, they could?

Yes, absolutely.

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Capcom dates promised PSP UMD Legacy titles

by James Ransom-Wiley { Oct 7th 2009 at 8:00PM }

Last Friday, a blog entry at Capcom Unity (that was mysteriously pulled) revealed the names and dates for a number of "UMD Legacy" titles for re-release on the PlayStation Store:

October 8: Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Dark Tower
October 15: Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max
October 22: Capcom Puzzle World
October 29: Maverick Hunter X
November 5: Megaman Powered Up

This list completes the lineup of un-UMD'd games promised three months ago (and tosses in Capcom Puzzle World for good measure). While Capcom has neglected to price any of these titles, previously released Legacy games are currently $19.99 each on the PlayStation Store. Unsure of the veracity of the pulled info, we confirmed with Capcom's Chris Kramer, who told us that the "titles are correct and the dates should be fairly accurate," though he did admit that it's "hard to pin down digital release dates almost until they happen."

Still unaccounted for? Those PS1 old-timers you've been waiting forever to buy again: Dino Crisis, Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3.

Half-Minute Hero rushes to UMD on October 13, PSN one week later

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 5th 2009 at 3:15PM }

Okay, so it's pretty clear all of us are going to buy Half-Minute Hero. The only questions left are: when? And how? XSEED's bringing the clever micro-RPG game to retail stores on October 13, with a digital PSN release to follow one week later on October 22. "Timing is just off for whatever reason," we were told by a PR representative.

Half-Minute Hero's bite-sized gameplay makes it an ideal game to throw on your Memory Stick. But, will gamers have the patience to wait an entire week for the PSN version? By our calculations, you could play Half-Minute Hero over 25,000 times on UMD before the PSN version comes out!

Gallery: Half-Minute Hero

Sony America scraps UMD-to-PSP Go conversion plans

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 25th 2009 at 12:21PM }

Sony director of hardware marketing John Koller mentioned shortly after the E3 "reveal" of the PSP Go that the company was considering a "good will program," which would allow UMD owners to trade in their physical games for digital versions. However, yesterday at the Tokyo Game Show, an SCEA spokesperson told Kotaku, "We were evaluating a UMD conversion program, but due to legal and technical reasons we will not be offering the program at this time."

That's quite a blow to the base of American PSP owners with large libraries of UMD titles looking to upgrade to a PSP Go -- a blow significantly worsened by the European "PSP Go Rewards" initiative, which grants three free games to PSP Go purchasers who register for the promotion using an older PSP model. This same promotion will not be coming to the US. "SCEA region will not offer a UMD rewards program at this time," due to the fact that the company has a "dual-platform strategy," an SCEA spokesperson has explained to IndustryGamers.

Ironically enough, we have a "we'd rather not purchase our PSP games again to play them on a new version of your handheld" strategy going for us. It's working out pretty well so far.

PSP Go upgrade incentive rewards 3 free games to UMD owners

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 24th 2009 at 11:20AM }

Sony has finally figured out how to incentivize the UMD-less PSP Go for those who possess a towering library of tangible titles for the original models of the device. The company recently announced the "PSP Go Rewards" program for European territories, which offers three free games to anyone who registers the flip-screened handheld before March 31, 2010. To access these titles, users must first connect their older PSP models (which must have a UMD in the drive) to the PlayStation Network, and activate the promotion.

The full list of 17 titles, which users can choose their three free games from, is posted after the jump. No, Pocket Pool isn't on there. We know! It's like, what's the point, right? We've contacted Sony to see if the same promotion is coming to North America, and whether this unforgivable oversight will be fixed on its way over.

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PSP Minis on UMD 'real possibility,' could appear on PS3, Sony says

by Randy Nelson { Sep 11th 2009 at 5:20PM }

Given that they're being tailor-made for quick, digital distribution on PSP Go, Sony's "Minis" will probably be released on UMD, the company tells Develop. "The most successful Minis titles will probably transition to UMD," SCEE head of developer relations Zeno Colaco said in an interview published today.

"I think that a package of multiple Minis games on a single UMD is a real possibility at a later stage, where even a studio or publisher will put a collection of their own games on a single disc," Colaco added. "We'd be open to that."

UMD might not be the only destination for Minis. Responding to a question about Minis making the jump to PS3, Colaco said, "I do think there's a possibility that Minis could find themselves on other consoles down the line." So, Maximum Minis, then?

[Via MCV]

Gran Turismo PSP bundle arrives October 20 for $200

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 2nd 2009 at 4:14PM }

Click to embiggen.

SCEA has announced yet another addition to its growing lineup of PSP "Entertainment Pack" bundles. The upcoming Gran Turismo pack joins Rock Band Unplugged and Hannah Montana this October by packaging a "Mystic Silver" PSP-3000 with a UMD copy of Gran Turismo, downloadable white Corvette ZR1, 2GB Memory Stick, and vouchers for movie and music downloads from the PlayStation Store and Sony Music Pass.

At $199, the limited edition bundle seems like quite a bargain, especially when you consider how much cheaper it is than a PSP Go. The announcement of yet another PSP-3000 package reaffirms Sony's stance on supporting UMD as a format -- but also places into doubt the viability of ending PSP piracy any time soon.

Gallery: Gran Turismo PSP

Undead Knights to rise on PSP this September

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 21st 2009 at 3:30PM }

Tecmo has been pretty quiet about Undead Knights since we last saw it at E3. That's about to change, as Tecmo has announced an unexpectedly soon release date for the PSP exclusive: September 29th. Finally, the team is ready to take the wraps off the zombie-infested gameplay -- and it looks markedly improved over our less-than-stellar E3 encounter. We'll be getting our non-rotting hands on a preview build soon, so stay tuned for our updated impressions.

Gallery: Undead Knights

Beaterator is actually coming out -- and soon

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 13th 2009 at 9:32AM }

You may not remember Beaterator, Rockstar Games and Timbaland's unique PSP collaboration. Why? It was announced over two years ago, in March 2007. Originally a Flash application on the Rockstar website, Beaterator allows players of all skill levels to create "professional-level music" through the thousands of loops and sounds included in the application.

The PSP version of Beaterator is being developed by Rockstar Leeds, the team behind the PSP and DS Grand Theft Auto games. In preparation for the launch of the all-digital PSP Go, Rockstar will be releasing Beaterator on both UMD and PlayStation Network on September 29th in the US and October 2nd in Europe. This is actually the first of two PSP games expected from Rockstar Leeds this year: a PSP version of Chinatown Wars is also planned for release this holiday.

Check out the trailer above, and the box art after the break.

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