Sony has admitted that its UMD Passport program, which allows consumers to bring their previously-purchased UMD games to the upcoming PS Vita handheld, will not be available in the U.S..
UMD Passport allows Japanese PSP owners to download a UMD Registration Application from the PlayStation Store to their PSP, and register old UMD games with the application.
Once registered, digital versions of these games can then be bought from the PlayStation Store for a cut price, ranging from ¥400 ($5.17) to ¥2400 ($31.03).
However, the scheme will not be available to North American PS Vita owners, nor will the UMD Registration Application be available in the North American PSN store, according to a report from Kotaku.
[Update: A spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has told Gamasutra, "We haven't made any announcements regarding the UMD Passport program for SCEE."]
Are monkeys in charge of sony? I mean, they had a rough start japan and instead of trying something to improve the value of the product they don't do a damn thing, I'm so confused, sometimes I wonder if sony's worst enemy is itself O_o'
Agreed, it's like Sony truly doesn't want the Vita to be a success, since they seem to be going out of their way to make having one harder on consumers.
I am not surprised by this move in the least. After Sony reneged on the idea with the PSPGo, I did not expect them to act any different with the Vita.
I think the main concern is that people would trade UMD games in order to get the discount for games the person did not actually own. That alone would have freaked a whole lot of publishers off of the service.
this is true, but the way i see it is that even if someone is still paying a buck or 2 for a game they don't own, its better than $0 the publisher woulda gotten anyway. Not to mention its another reason for people to want a vita (i can finish my back log of psp games on a shiny new device!) and it could build awareness for different IPs.
Something tells me that Mr. Vita is going to do even worse than the Original PSP (but not as bad as the failure Go). I tried out the PSP Vita the other day and the touchscreen was borked. Poor user interface and touch controls are a bad design choice. You should be able to do everything with the D-pad & Buttons.
There was a survey somewhere a few weeks ago, either here or at Gamespot, saying that what users wanted most from the next gen systems was backwards compatibility, by magnitudes. And yet the same survey had data about what people actually thought would be in the next systems, and the expectations for backwards compatibility plunged. And I thought "Why would people think that? Backwards compatibility has been that important since Sega and Hudson made peripherals rather than new systems to avoid losing backwards compatibility. None of the publishers are that blind to the market."
Well you can't get them all right.
EDIT: Actually, Atari did something for backwards compatibility first, didn't they? As consoles go, I mean.
It comes in handy at the start of a console's life when new games are rarer. After a couple of years though, it becomes less of an issue. However, I still have a back catalog of GameCube games I play on the Wii. I also have a back catalog of games on the PS1 and PS2 that I am playing. So ven this far in, it is important for me and many other people. Just not as important as it was 4 years ago.
Right, I use it, too. I think the majority of users don't though, which is why it is not being thrown in anymore as a cost-saving measure. I feel like there was some data backing this up somewhere. Oh well.
Since I own the games I can legally put the ROMs on my Vita and run them, even if I have to create my own software that does so right? Not exactly a lawyer but that is my understanding why ROM sites are allowed to exist; there is a correct way to use them which does not rip off developers)
Sony is going to complain that some users will do this for games they dont own, but I shouldnt have to rebuy games I already own (and purchased recently, Im not talking about Duck Hunt here). Especially the ports (FF tactics for example) since I own two copies of that now.
Modding devices is the future of gaming. Backwards compatibility is too expensive for the manufacturing of a device? No problem, the community will do it for you at no charge :)
Actually looking at recent legislation, modding devices is definitely completely counter to the way things are going. The act of making it possible to be modded is itself an illegal act in many countries for most game systems.
Ah, well this is indeed good info to know... I know that modding for purposes of pirating are illegal but was unaware that modding your own device for legitimate reasons was lumped in the same box... I like adding code to make my PSP and Android phones more useful, was looking forward to seeing what I could do with the Vita. :(
It cant be illegal to put your own custom OS on a device can it? I mean, you own the hardware. I was thinking of making something based on Android for the vita as a pet project. Im a novice coder, still got a semester before I graduate, but I thought it would be a fun project to expand my abilities on. I hope I can do it legally!
Never thought much of backwards compatibility myself. Most true game enthusiasts keep their hardware consoles. I agree 12 months into the life cycle most of the old games are forgotten for new stuff. Having said that they are off to a rocky start to get people enthusiastic you would think Sony would enable the service.
As we have seen on PS3 HD remakes seem to be popular anyway.
Alternatively, at least get PSN to track people's purchases and offer a discounted price in the advent of loss etc.
I keep my consoles too, but there are problems with that. My step dad sold my NES when I was a kid, my house was robbed and my Genesis was stolen. Even beyond stuff like that, my Gameboy games that allowed for saves are corrupted and no longer save, and new Lazer based systems have a much shorter shelf life (PS1 burnt out, Game Gear still works like a charm)
Being able to use a newer system or use a ROM that doesnt corrode over time is really useful!
I think the main concern is that people would trade UMD games in order to get the discount for games the person did not actually own. That alone would have freaked a whole lot of publishers off of the service.
Well you can't get them all right.
EDIT: Actually, Atari did something for backwards compatibility first, didn't they? As consoles go, I mean.
I would prefer it to always be there, myself.
Welp, looks like I won't be purchasing the Vita after all. Way to crush my hopes and dreams.
Sony is going to complain that some users will do this for games they dont own, but I shouldnt have to rebuy games I already own (and purchased recently, Im not talking about Duck Hunt here). Especially the ports (FF tactics for example) since I own two copies of that now.
Modding devices is the future of gaming. Backwards compatibility is too expensive for the manufacturing of a device? No problem, the community will do it for you at no charge :)
It cant be illegal to put your own custom OS on a device can it? I mean, you own the hardware. I was thinking of making something based on Android for the vita as a pet project. Im a novice coder, still got a semester before I graduate, but I thought it would be a fun project to expand my abilities on. I hope I can do it legally!
As we have seen on PS3 HD remakes seem to be popular anyway.
Alternatively, at least get PSN to track people's purchases and offer a discounted price in the advent of loss etc.
Being able to use a newer system or use a ROM that doesnt corrode over time is really useful!