UMD conversion will not be offered for PSPgo

Dan Ackerman | Sep 28, 2009

With a sleek new form factor and internal memory instead of an optical UMD drive, Sony's new PSPgo handheld gaming console is a very different animal than the original PlayStation Portable. Naturally, dedicated mobile gamers have been asking what, if anything, could they do with their collections of UMD game and movie discs if they upgrade to the PSPgo.

After initially hinting that current UMD games could be either converted for use on the SSD/Memory Stick-only PSPgo, or physically traded in for a digital download version of the same game, Sony now says that's not in the cards.

"We were evaluating a UMD conversion program, but due to legal and technical reasons we will not be offering the program at this time," a Sony Computer Entertainment of America spokesman told gaming news site Kotaku, which also pointed out that as recently as June's E3 game industry trade show, Sony claimed to have been "looking into programs for owners who have previously purchased UMD titles and want to exchange them for digital versions."

Sony's European arm, however, is at least offering three free PSP Go downloads (from a list of Sony-published titles) to current PSP owners who upgrade to the new model. No similar plan has been announced for US consumers yet, and in fact, Sony told gaming news site IndustryGamers that the company "will not offer a UMD rewards program at this time," owing to what it calls "a dual-platform strategy."

Via CNET Crave

Filed under: Games and Gear
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