Sony Introduces UMD-to-Digital Program, But It’ll Cost You

I wonder if Lumines will be supported. I figure if they make it easy to get the PSP game on the Vita it could cannibalize sales of the Vita version. If Ubisoft figures this out then they could decide to not support the program.

The good news? I only have one game I would use this for, P3P. The bad news? I'm probably going to lose my save files, aren't I?

that kind of sucks that you have to pay for it actually... but how many psp games will you want to play on the psvita?

I'm glad that this will be possible.

And charging for it was probably the only way Sony could get publishers on board. $20 is a bit high, but I can deal with $5 for the few games I really don't want to worry about losing.

I always wanted to give Sony more money to play games I already bought. This service seems perfect!

Doesn't affect me since I don't have a PSP and am not planning on converting UMD's when I get a Vita.

the price should be free.... fucking clowns

Thank God. I have 12 PSP games that are digital, so they transfer to Vita seamlessly, and only two actual UMDs.Good thing those games won't be left in the dust, still have to beat Daxter.

And people wonder why these assholes get pirated the shit out of them... they are basically making everyone buy their games again at a lower price. It`s disgusting.

@VinceNotVance said:

Not a bad idea. I have a small amount of I'd love to play on a Vita (mostly, Square's stuff like Crisis Core & Dissidia); it'd be nice not to have to dig out my PSP to play some games.

Doubt that one of my all-time favorite games, Chili Con Carnage, will see release through this program though, which kinda sucks.

Dude, that game was IMMENSE. Not perfect by any means but so much fun. Beating my score on each level and just doing crazy shit all the time was such a time killer.

Should it be cheaper? Yes. Is it nice that they offer this? Totally.

Sure, you talk about games, but what about my extensive collection of UMD movies???

Will be interesting to see if Square Enix actually supports this.

What is the one exception, Patrick!

Not a bad idea. I have a small amount of I'd love to play on a Vita (mostly, Square's stuff like Crisis Core & Dissidia); it'd be nice not to have to dig out my PSP to play some games.

Doubt that one of my all-time favorite games, Chili Con Carnage, will see release through this program though, which kinda sucks.

Crap. I thought this would be a way of downloading UMD games to your Vita, instead of the other way around. I know, piracy, but I still want access to the PSP library if I'm getting Vita.

Sure, you talk about games, but what about my extensive collection of UMD movies???

I will pay 6 but 20 is too much

Glad they are doing this for the hardcore PSP users.

@NinjaCommando said:

Yeah I haven't used my psp in a long time too, the last game I got was the Star Ocean Second Story game...?

Me too, lol, same game and all.

Yeah I haven't used my psp in a long time too, the last game I got was the Star Ocean Second Story game...?

I dont think anything could get me to use my psp again.Bought it at launch and used it like 5 times :P

interesting, still haven't used my PSP in ever though.

i guess this is good since all my UMD's plastic body that's holding the disk are broken.

Nevermind, DBZ was still in the PSP.

Sony’s been talking about giving PSP owners a way to turn their physical UMDs into digital games, but after PSP go failed to light the world on fire, Sony shelved the concept. With Vita around the corner, the idea resurfaced, and now it’s happening.

The company is calling this service, at least in Japan, “UMD Passport.” You download a program from the PlayStation Store, insert a UMD featured in Sony’s list, register the game with PlayStation Network, pay a certain amount (it changes per game) to access a digital copy, and download away.

As mentioned, there is not a flat fee to purchase a digital version, and it appears that will be up to individual publishers to determine. Sony’s press release says the prices will be “reasonable,” and with one exception, the price mostly hovers between 500 yen (about $6.50) to 1,500 yen (about $20).

A comparable program has not been announced for anywhere outside of Japan, and it’s unclear how Sony would prevent players from handing a single UMD around, but those details will come later.

Publishers are not forced to participate in the program, either, though Sony’s announcement says major companies like Capcom, Sega, Square Enix and others are making their games available.