Sony to Offer New Digital Copies Of Your Old UMD Games
You may be thinking, with the recently announced PSP Go, how will I be able to play my previous UMD games? Well, you can keep your old PSP, or you can listen to what John Koller has to say. What’s said might just peak your interest.
When asked how current owners of the PSP will be able to play their collection of UMD games.
John Koller responded with:
“We’re in the midst of putting together a good will program. We’ll be unveiling that soon [because] we actually think there’s a significant group that will be upgrading from the 1000…In the past, we’ve seen a 20-25% trade-up factor, and I assume that’s going to be the case here. We’ve modeled that. So we’re looking at a good-will program—a short term good-will program that would continue for years afterward.”
This goodwill system, further explains Koller, will essentially be similar to Portable Copy, wherein Blu-ray movies are ripped and converted from the PS3 to the PSP. However, you will not be ripping your UMDs. What will happen, actually, is that there will be a PSN-based digital distribution that you can sign up for service. At least that’s what it sounds like.
Short-term for years afterward? In other words, the program itself will last for years, but these digital game copies will be tied to either when you bought the UMD or the PSP Go—such specifics were not made clear.
Speaking more regarding the technical aspects of the good will program, Koller explained while the distribution model was still in the planning stages, the user’s experience would be similar to Portable Copy—a way in which Blu-ray movies can be ripped and converted from the PS3 to the PSP. However, Koller assured me that users would not be ripping their UMDs. Instead, it sounds like Sony will use a PSN-based digital distribution model will “encourage” users to sign up for the service.
But the neatest thing about Koller’s Portable Copy comparison? Portable Copy is free. So we’re doubting that Sony will charge for the service—though we have no confirmation. Unfortunately, Koller also slipped in that Sony’s “looking at what kind of games will be offered.” In other words, Sony’s good-will program will probably not apply to every title in the PSP’s library, but given that there are only a few that matter anyway, maybe this limitation isn’t such a big deal.
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