PlayStation Vita UMD Passport Program Is Not Coming To North America - mcleodsallithere

Sony has officially announced that North America will not take separate in the UMD Passport program, which allows PlayStation Vita owners to grease one's palms digital copies of somatogenic PSP games they already own in decree to play them on their Vita.

Japanese gamers have been enjoying the UMD Passport broadcast since the PlayStation Vita launched in Japan. The program lets Vita users punch the unique codes found along the personal copies of their PSP games into a Playstation Network app and pay a fee 'tween ¥100 (US$1.29) to ¥2,400 ($31) for a member edition of the game, which can then follow played on their new Vita. While the news that this program South Korean won't be available in the U.S. is for certain a downer to future Vita buyers, it really International Relations and Security Network't terribly surprising. The prices for digital licenses in Japan were inconsistent, with a copy of Gran Turismo costing ¥1000 ($13), while Persona 3 Portable would cost ¥1500 ($19), and Hot Shots Golf 2 was set at 500 yen ($6.40). The Japanese program also offered initial support for just 200 PSP games, with many a more available for full price happening the PlayStation Network store.

The good news is that most of the digital PSP games available for purchase on the PSN store are sitting at $10 to $20, with a a couple of newer games costing equal to $30. Chances are, the prices for new digital games on the PSN store are roughly the same as those you would have remunerated under the UMD Pass broadcast.

The bad news is that this isn't the first death knell for backwards compatibility; the Xbox 360 and PS3 induce done gone with extra chips to trifle games from the last generation of hardware and traded them in for integer copies on their respective online storefronts. The latest Nintendo Wii does non offer any GameCube controller ports, and the release of the DSi meant the end of the GBA slot. Until Sony reverses its decision or announces an alternative, PSP owners won't be capable to transferral their UMD library onto the Vita. Thankfully, those who own extremity PSP games should still be able to access and play their games along the North American Vita. The decision to bring up the UMD Passport program to Europe is still in the air.

Sony will release the PlayStation Vita on February 22 stateside. Anticipate PCWorld's gas-filled review in the coming weeks.

How many UMD games were you hoping to digitize? Leave a comment.

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