TGS 2011: Sony Discusses PS Vita Backward Compatibility

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Sony’s PS Vita might be the greatest handheld ever created. Ever since Sony first announced it as the NGP earlier this year, you’ve been awaiting its arrival with bated breath. You’ve supported Sony’s handheld endeavors from the start; you were in line on day one to buy a PSP, and when Sony announced that the PS Vita would sport twin sticks, it was as life changing to you as becoming a parent would be to your average civilian, these non-gamers that we don’t like to talk about around these parts.

So now only one question remains: what happens to my PSP library now – does it become obsolete when the PS Vita arrives? Sony answered that question during their Tokyo game Show Press conference today, and the answer they gave was a big, fat “no!”

Sony says that whatever digital PSP games you bought from the PlayStation Store will be compatible with your PS Vita, meaning that you’ll be able to play 500-600 PSP games on the PS Vita from the moment it launches.

We already knew that, though (or we at least able to assume that would be the case). What about those UMDs? They pretty much become worthless plastic once you make the upgrade to the Vita, right? Well, maybe not, because Sony also said that they’re trying to work out some exchange program that will allow you to trade in those dusty UMDs for digital copies of the games they hold. Nothing is set in stone at the moment, so it may be foolish to get your hopes up, but it definitely sounds like holding onto to those old UMDs might be a good idea just in case.