Sony explains why you can't transfer UMDs to your Vita

By Fred Dutton Published 21 February, 2012

Yoshida cites insufficient demand outside Japan.

As reported earlier this month, a program in Japan that lets users download digital versions of their PSP UMD games to the Vita won't be offered in the US or Europe.

Why? According to Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida there just isn't sufficient demand to make it worthwhile for the platform holder.

Speaking in an interview with Wired, Yoshida explained that UMD transfers are more of an issue for Japanese gamers because the PSP has enjoyed much greater popularity there than it did in the West and titles are still being released.

"The system has been introduced in Japan, where there is a much larger demand for PSP games," he explained.

"When you look at the release schedule of new titles there are still lots of PSP games being released in Japan and being announced for release. Lots of people who are interested in trying Vita are also interested in playing PSP games that they might purchase before Vita comes out, and will not necessarily choose the digital version. So there is a lot more demand… to introduce a program like that."

Yoshida added that UMD games are much cheaper in the West than they are in Japan, and it won't cost much more to buy new versions than it would to pay the fee to transfer your existing discs.

"The other point is that when you look at PSP titles sold digitally in the States or Europe, games are sold for a really reasonable price. You can buy Final Fantasy Tactics for $10. That's a great price," he said.

"There are many, many games that are sold at an affordable price. Because people in Japan are not getting the digital copy for free, because it costs us money to develop and maintain the system so we are asking people to pay somewhere between $5 and $10 to receive the digital copy in addition to what they have on the UMD.

"When you compare that to the price of games here, PSP games in Japan are sold at a much higher price, so people see the value in spending the $5 to $10 to get the digital copy. But when the games are already sold at a lower price in the U.S. we see less value in introducing that kind of system."

The PS Vita launches in the UK tonight.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (113) Latest comment 3 months ago

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  • Tallon4 #1 3 months ago

    Yoshi can say all he wants, but I've got 15 PSP games that I'll have to buy again
    when I wanna play them on the Vita. That's not gonna happen, not with the prices they are asking atm.

  • Collymilad #2 3 months ago

    Translation: All we really give a crap about when it comes down to it is Japan. So screw you!

    :p

  • captain_Carl #3 3 months ago

    @Tallon4 You'd have to buy them again anyway

  • onezeonx #4 3 months ago

    demand???

    IF 1 SINGLE PERSON wants to transfer over their psp games then that should be enough to atleast offer the thing!!!

    It doesnt affect me personally but so bloody annoying when we are told "its not worth it"

  • makeamazing #5 3 months ago

    @Tallon4 You don't really need to buy them again, you just keep using your PSP to play them :)

  • NotSoSlim #6 3 months ago

    Look for PSN offer as its the best way to get a few bargains. Got Persona 3 for 12 quid

  • Badjolas #7 3 months ago

    Sounds like bulls#%t to me...

  • Nismo400R84 #8 3 months ago

    and now we await the obligatory "am cancelling my vita order cos of this feature not happening in the rest of the world comment"

  • Tallon4 #9 3 months ago

    @makeamazing

    Believe me: I will :)
    But still..ii would be great if the Vita was backward compatible.

  • MattEdWithCheese #10 3 months ago

    oh that makes it okay then...

  • Khanivor #11 3 months ago

    Fantastic logic. I mean, with that logic why release any games for the Vita because before it comes out no one has one.

  • fomanchu #12 3 months ago

    It comes down to the fact that it would require signing new licensing deals with publishers which makes such a program extremely cost prohibitive for Sony. If you want to play your UMD PSP games keep your PSP it's a simple as that.
    Edited by fomanchu at 21/02/12 @ 22:07

  • killogrady #13 3 months ago

    nice 1 sony thanks for at least giving us the option ourselves we payed for psp games just like the japanese did, just because we live outside of sony land dosnt mean we should b treated any differently!!!!!!!

  • magicianlord #14 3 months ago

    bullsheet, obv.

  • penhalion #15 3 months ago

    Yoshida is in Japan right? He has seen that there is frak all interest in the scheme there because no-one is buying the Vita?

    I read a review (probably on engadget) where the reviewer said something like "At what point does Sony's policies become hostile to customers?" He sited the price for the optional yet necessary memory cards and deliberately proprietary usb power lead plus full priced games.

    I am slowly seeing what he means. It's like they simply don't get the plot. Nintendo earned a lot of kudos by apologising for the 3DS price nonsense and giving people free stuff to compensate. Sony seem to think they are immune to people disgust.

    So you have a nice collection of PSP games well Sony says F&*k you buy them all again for full price suckers if you want to only lug about a shiny new vita. Screw the fact that you already paid us for them the first time round.

  • makeamazing #16 3 months ago

    @Tallon4 Yeah it would be great if they did, but i can fully understand why they probably have decided against it.

    I can see why they tried it with the currently failing japanese gaming market (let's be honest that market has been going downhill for a few years for Sony), and perhaps the numbers that purchased were so low it wasn't worth doing it in europe....

  • Mazrim_Taim #17 3 months ago

    I'm just annoyed that serveral key PSP game aren't available for download yet, like Crisis Core or the two Star Ocean games.

  • JumpinJackFlash #18 3 months ago

    More Sony PR gobshite...

  • INSOMANiAC #19 3 months ago

    The same old chestnut they churned out about PS2 games, before they began flogging them back to us. Cunts

  • onezeonx #20 3 months ago

    @JumpinJackFlash yawnnnn

  • JumpinJackFlash #21 3 months ago

    Post deleted at 12:29:19 22-02-2012

  • Munkeh111 #22 3 months ago

    Really annoying, so I guess I will just have to keep my PSP with me...

  • bad09 #23 3 months ago

    @INSOMANiAC

    LOL was gonna post the same thing :)

    Watch them moan when custom firmware enables people to it to.

  • Gaol #24 3 months ago

    Its just basic business sense. The small niche of players who would pay $10 a pop to transfer umds doesn't justify the cost of the program. And the difference in Vita sales from not running it is most likely negligible.
    Edited by Gaol at 21/02/12 @ 22:15

  • NotSoSlim #25 3 months ago

    Maybe if it's not popular in Japan then why would it be in the West where PSP has been dead for donkeys?

    Not bothered anyway, wait for PSN sales and pick up games that way

  • Fox89 #26 3 months ago

    Nice one Sony. This little tactic means I am now going to be waiting for at least a second gen Vita at a lower price point, rather than picking up an original in a couple of months. Good going.

    When did 'backwards compatible' become a dirty phrase? Didn't that used to be an unspoken prerequisite for a new console?

  • freethinker101 #27 3 months ago

    So in Japan you pay $10 to have a copy of somthing you own, and in the West you pay about the same to have a copy of somthing you own. Or you could play it on the psp you already own and pay nothing.

  • eviroboy #28 3 months ago

    No offence but going by sales, there isn't much demand in Japan either.

  • Raiko101 #29 3 months ago

    Here's a solution. Don't sell your PSP. They're about £50 at the minute, boxed, and many of the games are incredibly cheap.

  • fomanchu #30 3 months ago

    @Fox89 The Vita is backwards compatible.

  • beep #31 3 months ago

    I'm sorry Mr Yoshida, but that kind of remark just comes across as 'stingey c**ntism'.

  • RobTheBuilder #32 3 months ago

    Yeah. Not much demand, only every single PSP owner in the whole of Europe and the US.

  • Gojiratron #33 3 months ago

    Disappointing to say the least.

    I'll definitely be picking up a Vita at some point and it would have been nice to have had the option to play the 30-odd PSP games I've amassed over the years on the the Vita's lovely big screen. :(

  • hiscore #34 3 months ago

    "The other point is that when you look at PSP titles sold digitally in the States or Europe, games are sold for a really reasonable price"

    ..and that's why we decided our Vita games will be expensive in these territories, especially Europe in which we have a tradition of compensating for the weaker dollar.

    Thank you, good night.

    => this is how one day you will be loosing your most loyal customers: pre-release promises which aren't kept and afterwards finding "a good reason" for it.

  • Rens11 #35 3 months ago

    @FluffyTucker

    You should be banned for saying things like that

  • sfp_noodle #36 3 months ago

    I wish Sony would be honest. Demand is definitely there but the truth is that there is a licensing issue with publishers who would either demand a large fee from Sony or refuse outright to avoid the hassle. They'd also have to negotiate deals with various territories around the world and the whole process would be a clusterfuck. There's also the fact that not even half the PSP library is on the PSN store. There's a good chance that your favourite PSP game isn't even on the store.

    I'm pretty sure these kinds of transfers have never taken place before. No-one complained when DVD players came out and their old VHS formats couldn't be transferred to it. People either kept their video recorders and tapes or upgraded and purchased DVDs of the same movies they already owned. The same applies here. If Sony kept the same UMD format for the Vita it would make sense but I really can't understand when people go crazy over this sort of thing when the console is using a completely different format.

    Keep your PSPs and UMDs. If you really want to play older games digitally (provided they're available of course), just sell your UMDs and re-purchase the ones you really want to keep. Simple as that really.
    Edited by sfp_noodle at 21/02/12 @ 22:49

  • varsas #37 3 months ago

    <quote>RobTheBuilder wrote:
    Yeah. Not much demand, only every single PSP owner in the whole of Europe and the US.</quote>

    You're saying that they are all going to buy the Vita?

  • DrStrangelove #38 3 months ago

    Oh of course I don't want it. Only Japanese people want it. Sounds legit.

  • coolbritannia #39 3 months ago

    Another defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.

    Not doing much for the market outside of Japan are they, and if Vita is going to succeed anywhere, it's outside of Japan.

  • Kami #40 3 months ago

    Shuhei Yoshida, please, stop. This is EXACTLY the sort of thing that made everything go horribly wrong with the PS3 release. When you don't have good news, you don't draw attention to it weeks after the news has broken and the machine is just about to be launched - this is cutting your nose off to spite your face. It's farcical. It does more harm than good, as the people who will buy it on release are more likely to be the people who will visit sites like this, and read your comments, and think; "I can cancel my pre-order now..."

    In short; you're in enough financial doodies as it is. Stop making your life harder and shut up.

  • FortysixterUK #41 3 months ago

    ...and another reason to wait for a year or two on this console until a good package deal arrives. The console, a couple of games and a mem card for £175.00 is a sweet spot methinks.
    The Vita looks like a stunning hand held, but is priced for far more than I consider a fair price.

    Now if Ninty release an updated 3ds with dual analogues and a bigger screen...I'm there.

  • makeamazing #42 3 months ago

    @FortysixterUK Guess its all a matter of opinion...

    The 3DS to me was a toy, and totally over priced when it was launched, while i think the Vita is a smart bit of kit and worth £229.. thats opinions for you :)

  • dsmx #43 3 months ago

    My feelings on the particular sony quote are to quote south park "are you high or just incredibly stupid?"

  • Mr_Brown #44 3 months ago

    I still regulary play my PSP and I fully intend on getting a Vita. I had no intention of transferring any of my games, especially as I had no intention into paying more money for somthing I already own.

    This only worries me because there some major PSP games yet to be released over here (Final Fantssy 0, TiTs 2, Shining Blade). If they don't think there is demand for this, what chance do they have?

  • funkateer #45 3 months ago

    I can't really understand this sort of reasoning. It seems to me that enabling UMD transfers everywhere would be an effective way to increase interested in a new platform. Especially if this platform isn't exactly taking the world by storm at the moment.

  • Kami #46 3 months ago

    @makeamazing; Maybe. But there's a market for both. Only an idiot would argue otherwise.

    The issue for me here is simply we went through this same PR gaffe weeks ago. Many were over it by now. Reminding people of what it won't do rather than what it will is a PR fail that borders on the sublimely ridiculous.

    Sony need to invest more in gaffa tape. Clearly there isn't enough at their offices to go around.

    edit; Come on Sony fanboys, I know its your big night but please accept this is a daft PR gaffe they simply could have done without, left alone or at the very least left it for next week, after the whole release thing.

    That said, the timing on this PR gaffe is if nothing else extremely suspicious. No-one could be this stupid, right? I mean, not without their hand open behind their backs, in any case...
    Edited by Kami at 21/02/12 @ 23:19

  • carrotcake #47 3 months ago

    Well hey, I recognised early that UMD is a doomed format. I have 40 digital download games that I can bring over to Vita no problem. Half of those are PS1 originals which are not supported at launch, but hopefully that gets corrected before long so I can play FFVII on yet another device.

  • vizzini #48 3 months ago

    Collymilad: Translation: All we really give a crap about when it comes down to it is Japan. So screw you!

    It is probably a case of them only having enough influence with Publishers for the Japan territory to make this happen.

    I agree with everyone that says competition in the games industry is great(but I prefer that to mean companies competing with a pedigree in games or hardware development rather than just a truck full of money).

    It might seem like a big stretch, but if Microsoft had never joined the games industry throwing cash around for perks on popular stuff like COD, Skyrim, Rage, etc, Sony would still have enough influence over the old villains (big publishers) to tell them what all customers expect, and how it was going to be.

    Don't get me wrong I'm not laying this problem on Microsoft, as all they have done is help produce conditions that give the very profitable publishers(of late) more influence, but each of them could still have done the right thing here for the benefit of their US/European customers.

    The fact I cancelled my Vita pre-order when I found out I was unable to take all my twenty odd PSP Go download games to Vita at launch, full illustrates the way the publisher/platform disdain for games consumers is heading now.

  • jedivulcan #49 3 months ago

    I thought Gamespot was right on the money with their video preview:

    (http://www.gamespot.com/playstation-vita/videos/ps-vita-is-it-the-future-of-handheld-gaming-6350697/)

    To sum it up: In Japan, they loved their JRPGs and Monster Hunter. In the United States and Europe: Piracy. I think there's some truth in that.

    Shuhei Yoshida explanation doesn't make any sense. The high expense for Vita flash storage, two activations per user user account, and lack of UMD to Vita transfer program really only do game publishers/developers a service.

    Sony's way out of touch with the customer and the value of being able to carry the PSP library over to the Vita. To say all customers are content with SNE, the prices, the limitations, and the need to repurchase games is messed up. Does Sony even care about their customers anymore?

    I thought Ars made a good argument on why this was a mistake as well:

    http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2012/02/data-show-vitas-missing-backward-compatibility-could-cost-sony-sales.ars

    Good luck, Sony, you're going to need it.

  • ElMantis #50 3 months ago

    At first I was a bit peeved about the lack of UMD support but he does make a good point. Most of my UMDs have been bought for less than £10, if they allowed us to pay £5 to transfer it across then it's not really any different from rebuying the game on the store.

    It might be nice to have access to all your titles on one handheld, but in the end I'll still have my PSP 3000 after I've bought a Vita so it's not like I'll lose those games forever. No transfer system wont put me off buying the Vita.

  • Stepharneo #51 3 months ago

    So there wasn't enough demand for it... Is this taking into account that there wasn't that much demand for the console itself in Japan? I bet there would be a demand for it in Europe.

    I personally don't see the need to play old games on a new system when I have the systems that I bought them for originally, still in good working order. I mean surely they'll just highlight how much better vita games are, but to each his own.

  • jedivulcan #52 3 months ago

    @beep You sir, win. I think that's probably the most blunt, honest way to put it into two words.

  • Moz #53 3 months ago

    Unfortunately this is badly worded, what he's saying is the difference in cost between the PSN store and what they are charging the Japanese to get their under games on Vita is too small to be worth the admin. What people are missing is the scheme in Japan is crap anyway if they gave the option for people to spend £5 to £10 to download games they've already got in umd. Would anyone really bother or would they bitch that it was too expensive.

    Why is everyone making such a fuss when no tendon went from N64 to gamecube you had no way of getting old games on the new system. And GBA supports been dropped with 3DS.

    At least with Vita you can atleast play PS1 and PSP games for generally a reasonable price plus some enhanced ps2 games in future.

  • funkateer #54 3 months ago

    @vizzini
    "It might seem like a big stretch, but if Microsoft had never joined the games industry throwing cash around for perks on popular stuff like COD, Skyrim, Rage, etc, Sony would still have enough influence over the old villains (big publishers) to tell them what all customers expect, and how it was going to be."

    I kind of fail to see how that would have been a good thing. Especially considering Sony are one of the biggest publishers in the world themselves.
    Do we really need Sony to tell everybody what we expect?
    I think it's good that Microsoft kicks Sony's butt around a bit! It shows that Sony can still learn a thing or two about what gamers want.

  • WeakOrbit #55 3 months ago

    I traded my psp today but was loathe to get rid of Tactics Ogre which was one of the best PSP games IMHO but i got 20 bucks for it, which is the same price as on the store.

    Shame it wasn't like that everywhere though ;)

  • xythen #56 3 months ago

    well there is also the issue that first they'd actually have to make the games available on PSN in the first place! I think of the 20 or so PSP games I own, less than 10 are on the PSN, which frankly is just shite.

    I can understand the problems getting the right permissions with old PSOne games, but PSP games? Really? It's either sheer laziness, or bad buisness practice (charging publishers a fee to get it on PSN, rather than just taking a percentage of the profits). It's not even niche titles either, lots of big titles from major publishers aren't available.

    Why do Sony continually make the push for digital services, while simultaneously neutering the the content that they provide on it?

    End of rant :(

  • Gimpy_Wonderland #57 3 months ago

    Is it not possible to simply rip the UMD game onto one's PC using a USB cable? I swear I remember reading something to that effect a while ago? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm looking to buy a cheap PSP soon!

  • johnson81 #58 3 months ago

    This is what I hate about the industry. I work for a company that would rather make 35% on a few jobs rather that 20% on all jobs. They just need to think about it in the long term.

  • vizzini #59 3 months ago

    Stepharneo: I personally don't see the need to play old games on a new system when I have the systems that I bought them for originally, still in good working order.

    But this was the way Sony established Playstation as being a better deal(for the consumer)than the competition, by selling the dream, and being savvy enough to allow consumers to preserve the entire old dream, even while telling them, here is a new dream that's much better.

    As for portables, having at least one generation's worth of backwards compatibility for the transition is a necessity, unless you are one of those people who likes to take two or more bottles into the shower.

  • andrewsqual #60 3 months ago

    Makes alot of sense really. Kinda like the people who said "blah blah blah why can't my 40gb play PS2 games. I was just about to buy the 60gb that could, honest."

  • Dizzy #61 3 months ago

    F*ck you gaijin!

  • SpaceMonkey77 #62 3 months ago

    Oh Sony, Sony Sony. You do great things, and them you do this crap. That's a dump excuse, to not give the west the same option.

    I still stand by the fact that there's no need to do this whole thing via PSN. To create an external UMD reader, that gamers could buy and hook up to transfer their PSP games to Vita, is perfectly possible, with the old PSP drive tech that's out there.

    Its freaking simple, and then there's no license crap to deal with, because of having to put stuff online. And if Sony don't want to make it, get old Madcatz on the case.

    IT CAN BE DONE!

  • Fox89 #63 3 months ago

    @fomanchu My UMDs are obsolete with the Vita, and I will have to repurchase games I already own if I get rid of my PSP. That =/= backwards compatible in my book.

  • TheRealBadabing #64 3 months ago

    @vizzini I can understand the difficulty with UMDs but games bought from PSN should be an easy enough fix for Sony, especially if the Vita is backwards compatible.

    Not being able to transfer your PSN stuff from a PSP Go is frankly shocking.

  • Stardusted #65 3 months ago

    People who buy products, even the most loyal consumers of a certain brand (they care not that much, money is money), are getting less and less. They are entitled to less and less. They are expected to pay more for the same for several occasions. Actually it starts to become the norm.

    So, I bought the game for psp, I say "F U sony, I don't care 10$ is considered a fair price by you! 0$ is a fair price, I already paid for the damn game!". Still, sony will just ignore me and mind their own doings, and there will be people (to add insult to injury) that are gonna say "Stop it you whiner, go play them on your old PSP".

    I honestly don't get it. Also to be a little bit more specific on the subject, lets pretend I am Sony, and I WANT, I really really WANT to reward my loyal customers. The ones who already bought the X game for their PSP that I now sell for the "very logical" price of 10$.

    Why is that so difficult and money demanding again? Couldn't they just let me provide them some proof that I own it, a serial number or something, then allow me to download it and "mark" the said game so it can't be used by anyone else?

    One can say it is impractical, sure, and that it only makes the buyer run around circles and hop through burning hoops in order to defend money he already paid, but at least it is there. If all else fails, it could be used.

  • governmentyard #66 3 months ago

    It'll be software hacked in a fortnight, then we can play what we like.

  • georgelolas #67 3 months ago

    Sony must admit it. They added this kind of backwards (in)compatibility so we pay them again for games we f*ing already own. If it costs them money for new license or something, just don't add this feature!

    For Sony, Vita = let's make some extra money out of nowhere. Asphalt, a cheap game from iOS, is sold at full price. Why? Just why? Because they want more money. It's like stealing.

    Yeah yeah, I know the next commenter will say "Just don't buy it", but if we just swallow every rotten idea that they come up with, we will end up paying extra for the face buttons, sound chip and so on...

  • Alestes #68 3 months ago

    I don't really mind this, the main problem is that there are so many PSP games that are exclusive to UMD and not available on PSN. Games like Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles.
    Edited by Alestes at 22/02/12 @ 05:02

  • CypherQ #69 3 months ago

    Sony go look at how Nintendo do backward compatability on their portables. Shame really as Sony were pretty much on the ball with the backward compatability thing with the PS2 playing PS1 games. Not sure when they decided BC was a *bad* thing. If the next Playstaton doesn't play PS3 games out of the box not interested at all in it. It's a nice feature to have and keeps loyalty to the brand you are building. Can you imagine if a BluRay player couldn't play audio CD's? And you had to pay the manufacturer a *fee* to allow you to do that? Crazy crazy Sony....

  • ilmaestro #70 3 months ago

    "a program in Japan that lets users download digital versions of their PSP UMD games to the Vita"

    THIS IS NOT WHAT THE PASSPORT PROGRAM DOES.

    The passport program allows you to register games to your PSN account, so that you can buy the digital versions from the store at the reduced price, that's all. Someone will probably say that this is a semantic difference only, but it amazes me that people who are being paid to provide video game "news" don't even actually know what the products are that they're talking about.

    The Vita isn't actually involved in anything that you do with the Passport Program. It runs on PSP entirely, and is still a useful program (in Japan) even if you don't own a Vita.

  • kenichi-san #71 3 months ago

    Agree with Tallon4: Do they really expect me to buy all 37 PSP titles i have on my self all over again??...

  • dauglyhamstar #72 3 months ago

    I don't understand the complains about a NEW CONSOLE not being backwards compatible.
    You bought games for the psp NOT for the vita.
    I can't remember people complaining that the couldn't play their nes games on the snes (yes im that old)
    Backwards compatibility has to be seen as a service, NOT something you are entitled to have.

  • craziii #73 3 months ago

    @Tallon4 you will still need to pay 75 to 150$ to transfer the games. it isn't a free service.

  • Rano #74 3 months ago

    Agree. A new generation.

  • gandhimaster #75 3 months ago

    @penhalion agreed on the proprietary nonsense, but the psp games debate i don't. We paid Sony for the games, and we paid Sony for the psp console. They have now released a new console, with new games. Backwards compatibility is not a right for us gamers.

  • NotSoSlim #76 3 months ago

    Wouldn't shock me is a portable UMD drive is made but this service isn't free so may as well buy the games off store if desperate to be honest

  • monsieur-goggyturk #77 3 months ago

    @penhalion Sorry, as soon as you mentioned Engadget you lost all credibility. Apple fanbois the lot of 'em.

  • TrevHead #78 3 months ago

    Umm what about all the great PSP titles that arnt available in the UK and need importing from the US can those be DLed from the Vita's PSN?

  • Toothball #79 3 months ago

    I was annoyed when this didn't happen for the PSP Go, so I wasn't expecting them to offer it this time round either. I've still got my old PSP if it want to play my UMDs, although I haven't thought to play any of them for quite some time now. If they had arranged some upgrade to digital scheme I'd have probably made use of it, but this way means I'll probably just buy Vita games instead.

  • spielorg #80 3 months ago

    I'll be honest, if you really look at the reduced prices that Japan got - it's not a whole lot of reduction. If you're so interested most PSP games are in fact cheaper here on our sales (The Dissidia titles were £7ish and so on).

    What they effectively had was a discount on a digital purchase if they owned the original game and that too not a heavy discount. I'd much rather ask them to hold sales for PSP content so it's easier (Get TiTS on sale just like p1)

  • Acteon #81 3 months ago

    I have over 60 PSP games, with about 30 special editions,so you'dthink I'd be pissed, but quite honestly I'll still carry my hacked Go around. If Sony won't let me digitise my library, I'll do it myself and enjoy a heaving shelf while I'm at it.

    One thing I am finding a bit of a letdown is how lightweight the Vita physical releases are. Aside from Blazblue, which has a great LE, you get a box only, which makes them far less desirable as collectors items. On top of that I don't see why Sony don't adopt a similar model to Blu Ray and provide a digital copy with the physical release - that way those upgrading to the next Sony platform won't need to beg Sony for access to their own collections in future.

  • TelexStar #82 3 months ago

    *sniff* *sniff* I smell bullshit Yoshida.

  • Widge #83 3 months ago

    @TrevHead

    Yes, but you better read up on the account swapping malarkey.

    If I get a vita, I'm looking at getting US SEN so that I don't have to faff about. My PS1 catalogue is on it.

  • Darksjeik #84 3 months ago

    I own a good collection of retail UMDs but I don't mind not being able to play them on my Vita. I see it as a small price to pay since any procedure to get your games on your Vita would be an added window for piracy.

    Make no mistake about it... piracy killed the PSP. Devs all jumped ship afterwards and they were right to do so.

  • witchdrash #85 3 months ago

    This is ending up like the PS3 backwards compatibility thing again, lots of annoyed people (ok not nearly enough as backward compatibility wasn't sold as a definitely in) but I wonder how many people would actually play all their PSP games on their vita in anything but the shortterm? When I got my ps3 my ps2 lived next to it, I used maybe 3 times and after 6 months put it in a box in the loft with the rest of my old consoles, the vita will be exactly the same if I get one, I don't play most of my PSP games now, so doubt I'm going to miss and playing them on a bigger screen that will highlight their comparably shittier graphics.

  • Widge #86 3 months ago

    From what I remember reading, the PSP backwards compatibility let you map commands to the 2nd stick and I think there might have been some additional gloss given to the games too.

    This entire thing has been to counter hoovering up games cheaply from eBay to play, which you wouldn't have been able to do really as the conversion costs to do with the transferring programme.

  • Schiraman #87 3 months ago

    Sony's argument here can be summed up as "the deal we're offering to people in Japan is actually a really shitty one, and we realised that gamers elsewhere just wouldn't go for it".

    This is not a reasonable argument however. If a deal is so crap that you're worried you can't sell it to your customers, then the solution is to come up with a better deal, not to shut up shop.

    Honestly there's no real reason they couldn't offer transfers for free - it would cost Sony a little bit of money, but it would be a great promotion for a new console. Consider it a marketing expense.

  • BearFishPie #88 3 months ago

    Hold on, weren't something like 50% of the people apparently 'seriously considering' getting a Vita PSP owners according to Sony?

    No demand? I suspect that's just because they never asked.

  • masterson #89 3 months ago

    IF 1 SINGLE PERSON wants to transfer over their psp games then that should be enough to atleast offer the thing!!!
    Really? If you were running Sony you'd go about making your entire catalogue available online (along with all the requisite contractual efforts with multiple 3rd parties and the necessary infrastructure) and setup a web portal and support processes (i.e. Confirmation of original purchase) so a single person can play games on Vita that they already have a PSP for?

    When he says there is no demand, what he really means is that the demand is insufficient to justify all the above expenses. And he may well be right...

    I agree it sucks for those of us that would like to be able to do this, but let's try for a little perspective shall we? :)

  • Widge #90 3 months ago

    @BearFishPie ps3 owners...

  • dauglyhamstar #91 3 months ago

    @mensar
    As far as i know it was only announced for the japanese market.
    Also it was only for a select couple of games.
    Big chance you will find them on psn for about the same price as the "transfer costs".

  • photoboy #92 3 months ago

    I'll have to check the PSN store again, the last time I looked the majority of PSP games were still full retail price, hardly what I'd call a bargain.

  • Lucodeath #93 3 months ago

    Sony will never learn, constantly spouting drivel. No wonder they're losing loads of money.

  • BearFishPie #94 3 months ago

    @Widge Right-ho. Ignore me then, folks.

  • Ryze #95 3 months ago

    Look - I kept a stack of UMDs after this was announced.

    Now, I'll just buy a 2nd hand hacked PSP if I want to play them, as you've bollocksed up one of my early impulse purchase incentives.

    I can't tell if they'll be on the store to re-buy, so I can't impulse purchase your console yet. I don't need most of the launch games.

    See you after a couple of price drops, to make up for doing a 'typical Sony'.

  • samk #96 3 months ago

    What a bunch of idiots.

    My PSP is 6 years old and seen a lot of usage so is on its last legs now. I'm not remotely interested in any of the Vita's launch titles but if it was possible to transfer some old PSP favourites (mostly JRPGs) for a small fee I'd order a Vita right now. I was waiting to hear whether they allow this, evidently not, which means I won't be buying a Vita anytime soon.

    Good going, jackasses.

    Edit: wot Ryze said. :)
    Edited by samk at 22/02/12 @ 10:40

  • CypherQ #97 3 months ago

    @dauglyhamstar Well this was fine years ago however things have changed and peoples expectations have changed! Remember it was Sony themselves that started the whole BC thing as a feature. Now they want to backtrack?!

    Well fine. However they will get left behind. Just one example is the iOS device range. OK not dedicated games machines... however I can run all my iOS apps that I have ever bought on my iPad (except ones specific to the iPhone features which the Apple store intelligently knows won't work on my device and doesn't sync them). Of course I cannot run iPad2 specific stuff but if I bought a newer iPad it would work with all the stuff I bought before.

    Anyhow I guess its difficult for Sony with the PSP as it used UMD disks.. but they seemed to have done it for the JPN market. Also it should be a free upgrade and you should *never* have to pay for content you have bought again.

    Tell you if Apple released a portable gaming console of equal power to the Vita that would run all current iOS games and then ones specific to that device it would completely annihilate Sony's offerings. Hmmm. Watch out Sony you maybe living on borrowed time....
    Edited by CypherQ at 22/02/12 @ 10:46

  • Goffee #98 3 months ago

    Translation: By failing to support the PSP properly in the west, we will screw those loyal fans (once again) by not supporting an effective upgrade policy.

    Cheers Sony.

  • dauglyhamstar #99 3 months ago

    @CypherQ
    Don't get me wrong it would suit sony if they offered the same service here in the west as they do in Japan.

    You don't pay for the content again though. You paid for the game on PSP, people don;t seem to understand that.
    Are you entitled to get a free "betty does everybody" DVD when you bought the VHS years ago?

    By the way probably because of the publishers/copyright holders that sony has to ask a fee for it.

    PS.
    A Apple portable game console sounds kinda interesting :)

  • funkateer #100 3 months ago

    @CypherQ
    "Can you imagine if a BluRay player couldn't play audio CD's? And you had to pay the manufacturer a *fee* to allow you to do that? Crazy crazy Sony.... "

    So you are suggesting that Sony should have included an optical media drive that is compatible with UMD? If not, your analogy doesn't work at all.

  • CypherQ #101 3 months ago

    @dauglyhamstar

    Agree to a point about the VHS/DVD argument. However like I say things have moved on. If you buy content from a certain manufacturer you'd expect it to work on future developed machines. More like the Blu-Ray/DVD argument really. People have that expectation now- as illustrated by the many comments here.

    I guess things are difficult coming from UMD. But hopefully what comes next after Vita should work fully with Vita content. Its a shame that Sony didn't take the opportunity to work something out with PSP/Vita bridge for markets other than Japan. They'll be whining next when the firmware gets cracked on the Vita and the community just port the PSP games and run them themselves - without their blessing. Maybe they are expecting this anyway and that is why they haven't launched a similar service to that in Japan.

    RE:Apple console. Pick one up tomorrow if it was available. In fact if Apple just made a thing similar to Vita would be perfect - essentially an iPod touch with a larger screen and some traditional controls.

  • CypherQ #102 3 months ago

    @funkateer True but there is PSP-Go content and they can simply publish the content of UMD disks onto PSN for people to download. Maybe registering the UMD collection people have via the PSP device itself - so authenticating a digital download.

    There are ways and means around everything. If Sony want to do it! As I mentioned if Sony don't the community will.

    Personally not interested in Vita anyhow but be interested to see how it does when it hits the market. Personally think it's dead in then water after the initial sales. Also be interesting to see what sony do with regards PS3/Vita crossover games...

  • Ryze #103 3 months ago

    @Kami
    Shuhei Yoshida, please, stop. This is EXACTLY the sort of thing that made everything go horribly wrong with the PS3 release. When you don't have good news, you don't draw attention to it weeks after the news has broken and the machine is just about to be launched - this is cutting your nose off to spite your face. It's farcical. It does more harm than good, as the people who will buy it on release are more likely to be the people who will visit sites like this, and read your comments, and think; "I can cancel my pre-order now..."

    In short; you're in enough financial doodies as it is. Stop making your life harder and shut up.
    QFT.

  • globalisateur #104 3 months ago

    But if you analyze the success of some fully backward compatible handhelds console in the past decades....

    Sometimes when you search for something (as a good business strategy), you can't see it cause it is just under your nose.

  • layleeloo #105 3 months ago

    Excellent point. I agree with their thinking.

  • blays #106 3 months ago

    ...seriously, does anybody else feel the PSV is going to hit a very nasty bump soon? I mean, I really wish it could do well, but Sony has done sooo maaany wrooong things so far to discourage just about everyone in investing in it (ludicrous game prices even on PSN, memory cards fiasco, no back-compatibility with PSP,etc.)

  • CypherQ #107 3 months ago

    @blays Yup... after initial sales to the hardcore gamers it's sales will fall completely flat.... until the thing gets hacked and the price drops.

    Personally I think it will ultimately be a commercial failure for Sony. As you mention they have already got a lot of things wrong.

  • Lucodeath #108 3 months ago

    @funkateer Can you imagine if a bluray player couldnt play blurays?
    My ps3 plays them all but my sony stand alone doesnt due to memory shortage. Crap innit.

  • darc #109 3 months ago

    We deliver a better product in Japan because our product is more popular in Japan. Chicken or egg?

  • KongRudi #110 3 months ago

    @Schiraman - It's not Sony's titles to give away.
    Electronic Arts would be angry if Sony just suddenly started to give away older EA-games, just because they were old, and you bought it earlier on a earlier platforms.

    However with PSN store - and digital PSP-titles, Sony have different rules, than when a publisher make a dela with a store like Amazon.

    You're allowed to downlaod the game you bought X times.. Dosn't matter what platform, that's some of the reason why not all PSP-titles is available on PSN, because the publishers want to have better controls of the IP.

    What they are doing in Japan, is a used-games program, trade in your game (yes, the UMD will be rendered useless), and for a small fee you're getting the digital PSN-copy, most likely that fee goes directly to the publisher, and not to the store.

  • mushroomyakuza #111 3 months ago

    This is some BULLSHIT.

  • MightyMetalMonkey #112 3 months ago

    @Tallon4

    It just means that there is less motivation to get a Vita...

  • MightyMetalMonkey #113 3 months ago

    @makeamazing
    And since they are bringing out a cut-price cut-down PSP, buy a couple of spares, or an entire stockpile... depending on funds and level of insanity...