[BocoDragon]

Hilarious that people are butthurt about this. Yes, it's a clever move by Sony to make a few bucks and usher UMD owners onto the Vita.... but a free download just because you have the UMD in the drive would be insane! Everyone would just trade UMDs around and abuse it!

The alternative is no program... not a free program.

[Jonnyram]

Well, I'm sure the third parties wouldn't be happy with them doing this for free, but at least SCE themselves should be setting an example. Patapon 3 and Gran Turismo cost 1000 each!? Come the fuck on, Sony!

[airmangataosenai]

LOL, this is some bullshit right here.

[spindoc]

They could bypas that by letting every UMD register only once.

There's no way to uniquely identify UMDs, at all.

[kunonabi]

So this only works with umd games that have a PSN version? Sony really doesn't want me to buy their portables at all.

[BocoDragon]

The only thing I wonder about it, because it's done through an OG PSP, will custom firmware be able to spoof the UMD in the drive.....?

[Slavik81]

You prove to Sony that you have the game and need to pay to play in the PS Vita. Amazing

Of course. I don't have a PSP or any UMDs, but if it were free, the first thing I'd do is borrow a PSP from a friend and all his UMDs. I'd sign into my account and get myself all his games for free, then give them both back so he could do the same.

We'd then go trade, buy, or borrow any other UMD we could. We'd only need them for a few minutes, run them through this program, then sell or give them back again.

I'd have every title worth owning from the PSP back catalog for nothing... if this program were free.

[Drkirby]

Well, this is a bit of an odd idea, wonder why they didn't do it sooner for the GO. The fees are higher then what I hoped though, wonder if this program will come out in NA or Europe.

[Skilletor]

So they are punishing people for buying at retail, that makes it a lot better. PSP-GO users are the only ones guaranteed not to have a problem wth this.

I don't have a problem with this. I didn't buy my PSP games to play on my Vita. I bought them to play on a PSP. I don't see how I'm being punished since I can still use the game on the system for which I bought it.

[kadotsu]

This would be awesome if Sony could get there shit together and use a single content and licence distribution server. As it is now I will most likely get "This game isn't available in your region" BS messages. I will just keep my PSP 3000 for the last few UMD games I haven't beat, yet.

[lupinko]

Hmm, oh ok that solves my Peace Walker/Valkyria 2/Third Birthday thingy then for Vita.

Hopefully they do this for KHBBS.

[spindoc]

The only thing I wonder about it, because it's done through an OG PSP, will custom firmware be able to spoof the UMD in the drive.....?

Yeah, it probably could. It still could mean a load of money for Sony though if people go for it.

[ResidentDante]

I hoped it would be: Upload your UMD iso-image to PSN network and download it again for a small fee. How about games that aren't on PSN?

[Takao]

So they are punishing people for buying at retail, that makes it a lot better.

They aren't punishing anyone. If you don't want to pay, you can just play your game on PSP. They aren't destroying your UMD, or your PSP.

So this only works with umd games that have a PSN version? Sony really doesn't want me to buy their portables at all.

We don't know what Square Enix games will be supported as of yet. ;)

But if that's such a problem for you why didn't you buy a PSP?

[KiteGr]

re-buy all my games at a discount price?
Not sure....

Now I see why Sony didn't want us to sue them.

[BocoDragon]

Yeah, it probably could. It still could mean a load of money for Sony though if people go for it.

Right... it's kinda like iTunes Match in that sense!

Sure, the pirates could abuse it... but they're still getting pirates to cough up money for things they've already pirated :P That's quite a feat.

[spindoc]

The only bitch is that if you own games from different regions, you're going to have to activate titles on separate accounts..and there's no evidence that the VITA will support multiple accounts.

[chickdigger802]

Time to sink another 40 hours into Tactics ogre

oh god. Tactics ogre was already super blurry due to stretched sprites. I can't imagine how bad that will look on the higher res vita o_O.

[LiK]

oh god. Tactics ogre was already super blurry due to stretched sprites. I can't imagine how bad that will look on the higher res vita o_O.

Probably some fancy scaling tech that will make it look like a PS3 game.

[Noshino]

So they are punishing people for buying at retail, that makes it a lot better. PSP-GO users are the only ones guaranteed not to have a problem wth this.

How are you being punished?... its not like you were expecting your retail copy to also be a digital copy.... were you promised that at ANY point before, or during, your purchase?

[BocoDragon]

I think this move is wise... I went from having this meh feeling about Vita because of my UMD collection, to being excited for it. I would have never bothered buying digital versions of my games at full price.... but feeling that I get a discount makes the move to digital realistic.

I only hope they don't fuck up with a narrow catalog.

[vall03]

sorry if this has been asked already but what about those umd games that are still not/will never appear on PSN? doomed to oblivion?

[Takao]

Who wants to bet SCEA and SCEE don't bother?

[Suzzopher]

So this is for titles that are on PSN? I want a way to get my UMD games that don't exist on PSN on my Vita.

[confused]

I think this move is wise... I went from having this meh feeling about Vita because of my UMD collection, to being excited for it. I would have never bothered buying digital versions of my games at full price.... but feeling that I get a discount makes the move to digital realistic. I only hope they don't fuck up with a narrow catalog.

But it'll cost you 5 bucks to register a UMD that costs ten at retail.......

[LiK]

Who wants to bet SCEA and SCEE don't bother?

Maybe SCEE will do it. SCEA will screw us.

[BocoDragon]

sorry if this has been asked already but what about those umd games that are still not/will never appear on PSN? doomed to oblivion?

Too early to tell.. But I'd assume they'd start appearing as legacy titles someday, just as PS1 and PS2 games being added to PSN now.

But it'll cost you 5 bucks to register a UMD that costs ten at retail.......

I'm not really thinking about buying new UMDs to play on Vita. I own tons of UMDs already. I like that I have the option to grab a digital version of those for 5 or 10 bucks. I'd never have re-bought them otherwise.

[ResidentDante]

So this is for titles that are on PSN? I want a way to get my UMD games that don't exist on PSN on my Vita.

This is what I'm thinking.

[jambo]

$5 $10 and $15?

Ugh, should be $5 at the most.

[Takao]

AndriaSang reports that around 200 titles will be supported.

[charlequin]

This is pretty rad, actually (despite the fact that I probably paid less than $10 for most of my PSP games to start with, lulz.) The only thing that bothers me about it is that it almost certainly won't hit in the US and therefore I won't actually get to use it.

[MightyKAC]

Who wants to bet SCEA and SCEE don't bother?

Really don't see why they wouldn't. If the infrastructure is already in place then it seems like they would be tossing away free money if they didn't offer this.

[REMEMBER CITADEL]

How are you being punished?... its not like you were expecting your retail copy to also be a digital copy.... were you promised that at ANY point before, or during, your purchase?

Of course not, but you might have expected the next machine to be backward compatible with your games, as is the norm.

[BLagiver]

This is good on Sony! I wish Nintendo did this with the 3ds because I have the Gameboy games that they are reselling on it like links awakening and such.

[BocoDragon]

This is pretty rad, actually (despite the fact that I probably paid less than $10 for most of my PSP games to start with, lulz.) The only thing that bothers me about it is that it almost certainly won't hit in the US and therefore I won't actually get to use it.

I'm worried about that, too.

But I can see this being attractive to publishers.. so their might be motivation to push it everywhere.

People with UMD games aren't potential customers for those same games on PSN. But they can get them to cough up some extra bucks anyway, and that's a good thing from their angle.

[UberTag]

I'll care about this if some of my UMD-only titles not already on PSN can be recovered digitally on my Vita this way (i.e. Crisis Core, Lumines, Metal Gear Acid, etc.)

Otherwise, I could care less. I've already repurchased any games I have UMDs for in digital format that are already on the marketplace.

[archnemesis]

$10 is a bit steep, but the overall idea is nice.

[Zen]

They could bypas that by letting every UMD register only once.

Is there some bit of data that's unique to every UMD that can be checked when the UMD is loaded? I honestly don't think so.

[BocoDragon]

Of course not, but you might have expected the next machine to be backward compatible with your games, as is the norm.

If Vita had a UMD drive.. I'd be pissed about no BC... but it doesn't.

I wasn't pissed that my Gamecube couldn't play N64 games, either. Different format, so I understand the loss of BC intuitively.

Digital PSP games work on Vita just fine.

[V_Arnold]

So they are punishing people for buying at retail, that makes it a lot better.

Dude, you did not buy those UMD games so that you will be able to play those in a foreign machine without UMD drive, 10 years later. You bought those games to play with them, and you did, as you had(have) a PSP. Deal with it.

I swear, if PS Vita releases will be identical to some PS3 games, we will see people running around, demanding a free PS3 copy every time they buy the game for PS Vita, just cause they ALREADY OWN THE GAME. Good for them. I would love an Arkham City for Ps3 cause I already have it for 360. Oh, and for PC also, why not?

Different systems, different game libraries. Be glad that you can keep playing your games with a discounted price on a new system IF YOU WANT.

[mrklaw]

People were screaming at Sony to give them an avenue for their UMD games, and now they are shitting on them for giving them an option. Of course it would be nice if it was free. But unrealistic. The discs won't have unique codes so there is no way to prevent a disc being reused. A fee is the only feasible option.

And I don't think most people with large UMD collections will want to transfer everythi (not all games will be available for a start). Likely they'll want to transfer a few key titles that they want with them, or they are still playing. If you have a huge collection you don't plan to get rid of, you'll keep your PSP.

[Drkirby]

I'm worried about that, too. But I can see this being attractive to publishers.. so their might be motivation to push it everywhere. People with UMD games aren't potential customers for those same games on PSN. But they can get them to cough up some extra bucks anyway, and that's a good thing from their angle.

Yeah, it isn't like the Publishers are really loosing anything. $5 is still $5, unless they think they can get more sales from normal PSN releases.

[BocoDragon]

Now, if only Sony would extend the program to my PS1 and PS2 discs!

People were screaming at Sony to give them an avenue for their UMD games, and now they are shitting on them for giving them an option. Of course it would be nice if it was free. But unrealistic. The discs won't have unique codes so there is no way to prevent a disc being reused. A fee is the only feasible option. And I don't think most people with large UMD collections will want to transfer everythi (not all games will be available for a start). Likely they'll want to transfer a few key titles that they want with them, or they are still playing. If you have a huge collection you don't plan to get rid of, you'll keep your PSP.

I'll probably upgrade games here and there on a whim when I want to play them... it's not like I'm going to drop $300 at once to upgrade my collection.

[Noisepurge]

this is awesome! i don't mind the convenience fee to get my UMD's playable on the new tech.

[WickedLaharl]

Lame as fuck.

[jackdoe]

$10 is a bit steep, but the overall idea is nice.

I'm assuming IF it ever hits the US, that such a program would probably be closer to $5 per transfer, with the $10 titles being even less.

[Cheesemeister]

http://www.jp.playstation.com/psvita...ity/umd/title/ Initial titles. More on the way, and companies such as Sega and Square are supporting it.

Guilty Gear Judgment (Arc System Works) 500 yen
Carnage Heart Exa (Artdink) 500 yen
Pachipara Slot: Pachislot Super Sea Story in Okinawa (Irem) 1000 yen
Akiba's Trip (Acquire) 1000 yen
Last Promise Story (Image Epoch) 1000 yen
Persona 3 Portable (Atlus) 1500 yen
Metal Slug Complete (SNK Playmore) 500 yen
Higurashi Daybreak Portable Me, Mega Edition (Create) 500 yen
Atelier Viorate: Alchemist of Gramnad 2 (Gust) 1000 yen
Shutokou Battle (Genki) 1000 yen
Dynasty Warriors (Koei-Tecmo) 500 yen
Dead or Alive Paradise (Koei-Tecmo) 1000 yen
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 (Codemasters) 1000 yen
Ever17: the out of infinity (Cyberfront) 500 yen
Nanatama: Chronicle of Dungeon Maker (Gae) 500 yen
Ginsei Shogi Portable (Silver Star Japan) 1000 yen
Kuru-kuru Chameleon (Starfish SD) 500 yen
Hot Shots Golf Portable 2 (Sony) 500 yen
Patapon 3 (Sony) 1000 yen
Gran Turismo PSP (Sony) 1000 yen
Nano Diver (Takara-Tomy) 1000 yen
Princess Days Portable (Takuyo) 740 yen
Secret Room Sacrifice (D3 Publisher) 1000 yen
Promise This Blue Sky: Paradise in Hand (TGR) 100 yen
Everybody Read: Masterpiece & Mystery & Horror & Literature (Dorasu) 500 yen
Disgaea 2 Portable (NIS) 500 yen
Phantom Kingdom Portable (NIS) 1000 yen
Tsuyokisu 2 Semester Portable (Netrevo) 500 yen
Pachislot Simulator, Secret Treasure Edition: Sealed Goddess Portable (Paon) 2400 yen
The Convenience Store Portable (Hamster) 1000 yen
Unchain Blaze Rex (FuRyu) 1050 yen
Neon Genesis Evangelion Battle Orchestra Portable (Broccoli) 1000 yen
Kanon (Prototype) 1000 yen
I Conquer the Path I Believe In (From Software) TBA
Harvest Moon: Boy & Girl (Marvelous AQL) 500 yen
Maikomi Best: Mahjong Champion Portable: Mahjong Club Battle (My Navi) 530 yen
Memories Off (5pb.) 500 yen
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (Ubisoft) 1000 yen
Tenshin Ranman: Happy-Go-Lucky!! (Russel) 1000 yen

Other supporting publishers:
Idea Factory
Capcom
Gung-ho Online Entertainment
Konami
System Soft Alpha
Square-Enix
Spike
Sega
Sonic Powered
Chunsoft
Nihon Falcom
fonfun
Media-5

[LiK]

^ update OP

[Toki767]

Pachislot Simulator, Secret Treasure Edition: Sealed Goddess Portable (Paon) 2400 yen

What the hell is that and why is it worth 2400 yen to transfer?

[Noshino]

Of course not, but you might have expected the next machine to be backward compatible with your games, as is the norm.

Except not everyone liked UMDs, and given the great update, I think the lack of BC is understandable.

Like someone mentioned before, its like N64-GC kind of scenario.

I'm worried about that, too. But I can see this being attractive to publishers.. so their might be motivation to push it everywhere. People with UMD games aren't potential customers for those same games on PSN. But they can get them to cough up some extra bucks anyway, and that's a good thing from their angle.

I do think UMD owners are potential customers, but I think the biggest draw will be from those that dont own said UMDs. They are far more likely to buy them cheap just for the discounts and then either resell them, or just keep them given their low (resale) price.

Not only is the customer winning, but so is the retailer, the publishers, and Sony.