Sony May Re-release UMD Games On NGP Flash Memory [Want All Your UMD Games On The NGP? Looks Like You Get To Rebuy Them On NGP's Flash-based Game Card System, Sony Japan Interview Reveals]

Posted on TFTS by Kevin Schram on Monday, 31. January 2011 under: Computer/Console Gaming

Sony is planning to rerelease games that were already released for the PSP 1 on UMD for the NPG in the new flash-based memory card format that the NGP will use. The NGP will not ship with a UMD drive, partly because the disc format never caught on and partly to save battery life on the handheld. Sony gamers with a big collection of UMD games will be forced to, once again, rebuy all their games again.

Sony went through something similar with the PSPgo. Sony introduced the all-digital PSPgo some time ago, without a UMD reader. While only buying games from the PlayStation Store may be good for new customers, Sony burned all their loyal customers who had large collections of UMD games and movies with no way (legally) to get them for free on the PSPgo (save for a few “UMD-to-Digital” promotions that Sony ran from time to time).

We heard a few days ago that Sony was looking for (begging) developers to port their UMD-based games to digital format. Either way – whether customers have to buy it digitally or but it on the NGP’s flash card format, you’ll be rebuying games you already have.

Granted, it isn’t a god-given right to have your older games work on a new system. But, considering that Sony has always highly promoted the backward compatibility in their PlayStation consoles (PS2 can play PS1 games, earlier PS3s could play PS2 games, etc), it’s a bit odd to see them taking such a hard stance. UMD has become a laughing stock in the gaming community, but if you’re a PSP loyalist with a big UMD library, it’s got to hurt to see Sony ignore your collection with the PSPgo and now again with the NGP.

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