Sony’s new PlayStation Vita won’t be supporting the PSP’s UMD format which has made backward’s compatibility a bit of an issue for the handheld. The proposed solution to this sticky issue was to charge gamers a reduced price to download digital copies of their PSP collection – a solution that has only been announced for Japan. Whether or not this is particularly savvy business practice is debatable, but what is sure to spark even further controversy is the absence of some major titles from the transfer program.
The Japanese list of the 262 UMD Passport games has gone live. There’s a good amount of the PSP’s library represented on this list, but upon closer inspection it appears that some major publishers have declined to support the program. Square Enix, Namco Bandai, Konami and Capcom titles are notably absent from the listing. It isn’t known at this time whether these publishers will join the program in the future or if this list is final.
Sony has also not announced any plans to bring a similar service to North America or Europe, perhaps waiting to see how well the Japanese program does before making any further announcements.
This is a pretty big cause for concern for those looking to adopt the new portable to replace their PSP. I for one won't be supporting the Vita until after a price drop....hopefully the Vita's release will drop the price on PSP handhelds low enough that I can snag one and a handful of games on the really cheap. Always loved the PSP, flaws included.
I'm just going to let all of you PixlBit readers know I bought the 3DS at launch and I love it, because it can play my DS games no problem. The fact my PSP UMDs are useless with the Vita is absolutely horrible.
Yes, backward compatibility is that much of a decider for me. I still play old games you know.
On the other side of the coin Matt, I also bought a 3DS at launch and it hasn't gotten play in months and I've mostly played DS games on it when I did play the thing. This doesn't mean that it won't get picked up ever again, but Nintendo dropped the ball with the little 3DS, especially with the launch titles.
The Vital looks to have a rather solid launch line-up (Uncharted, Escape Plan, Gravity Rush, and more) which means much more to me than backwards compatibility. Not saying it doesn't matter, but I'm buying a new system for the future, not the past.