Sony of America will not be carrying the UMD Passport program that let Japanese gamers transfer their PSP collection to Vita.
But Sony US has told Kotaku that it will provide the service for US Vita owners when the console launches on February 22, but offered no reason for its decision. It's also unclear what SCEE's plans are for Europe, but it's not looking good.
As it stands, then, Western gamers will have to repurchase any PSP games they own via PSN - hundreds of which are available digitally - if they wish to see them on Vita's new 5 inch screen.
Comments
30 comments so far...
B_G_G on 8 Feb '12 said:
Uh guys, you missed out "not"
Sort of an important word. Changes the article a bit.
A harsh decision by Sony but only because Japan got something that no-one else will.
Nintendo do this every time a new console is released after all.
billysastard on 8 Feb '12 said:
really? i could swear that my gb/ gbc games played perfectly on my gba and gba sp and that my gba games played perfectly on my ds / ds lite and that right now my ds / dsi games play just fine on my 3ds. could you be letting fanboyism cloud your judgement a little?
sbradley88 on 8 Feb '12 said:
That's a load of Crap that is. Unless they come up with a new free service. This was one of the reasons I was getting a vita. What bulls**t.
sbradley88 on 8 Feb '12 said:
Billy he was arguing saying that Nintendo do it so Sony should
shogunreaper on 8 Feb '12 said:
Just another reason people will want to hack it.
billysastard on 8 Feb '12 said:
if thats true then i apologise, i must have misread it as i thought he was saying that not allowing last games to play without rebuying them was something nintendo do, maybe its my fanboyism thats showing a little, well that or i'm just so used to people commenting about rebuying vc games that its now automatic.
snake2011 on 8 Feb '12 said:
surely it can play my betamax tapes & my TDKS?
Lsnake on 8 Feb '12 said:
I can't see Sony helping themselves to sell Vita with this. Now I definitely won't bother to get one, considering I had several PSP games on UMD. Yeah yeah it's all about the new games but it wouldn't hurt them to do this. It would be a bigger incentive to buy one.
Dimpee on 8 Feb '12 said:
OH NO! I can't play PSP games on my Vita! Oh wait, i have a f**king PSP.
MONGnotmii on 8 Feb '12 said:
FANBOYISM MUCH!!!!!! (and whos using the term fanboyism without wiiboys clearance considering he invented the term)LOL
facts vs fanboys FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE SADO SONY DOES NO WRONG OF POST 1....
every single time Nintendo have stated backward compatibility they have delivered you lying little sod ,so take your fantasy elsewhere!!!!!!!!!!!
ps3 promised ps2 backward play WHAT HAPPENED ps vita promised backward play via a down load of a existing umd game that you have BOTH WERE TAKEN AWAY BY THIS LYING ON ITS KNEES NEAR BANKRUPTED BY A LITTLE Wii s**t fest samsung own yo azz apple kicked walkmen in touch WALKING DEAD CORPORATION
see it any other way YO IS A FANBOY
laslowoodbine on 8 Feb '12 said:
My thoughts exactly, PSP games on the Vita? Why would you really want too.
WHERESMYMONKEY on 8 Feb '12 said:
From what i'veheard its already been done. Well the portion that plays PSP games has been accessed. Probably been patched out by now though. Still if they can get in once they will again, It's only a matter of time really.
Terranova1 on 8 Feb '12 said:
you have completely not understood what he wrote and engaged in a fanboy rant of your own, he wasn't defending Sony he was stating that Nintendo have BC for all their Systems so why can't Sony do the same, maybe next time it would be better to read and understand what was written before posting because this just makes you look rather foolish.
FixBeatGames on 8 Feb '12 said:
lol stop chatting breeze, you mean you wasn't going to buy one anyway. if you have loadsa psp games, you must still have your psp. so play them on that. the games for vita will be MUCH better.
but then, i've never got the backwards compatibility issues people have anyway. when i got the ps3, i wanted to play ps3 games on it, ps2 games are quite pants in comparison.
sure, i like playing 'old-school' games, but games that harp back alot further than simply the previous generation, but playing just the previous generation is abit pointless imo.
MONGnotmii on 8 Feb '12 said:
it has no 3d it has no dual screen it has a dumb laggy phone screen not a tight precise mouse like lag free touch screen
IT HAS A LAPTOP TOUCH PAD THINGY ON ITS AZZ END WHY WOULDS A SANE PERSON BUY THIS CONTRAPTION
Barry316 on 8 Feb '12 said:
Wiigodboy - the single best advert for abortion the world has ever seen.
theideal on 8 Feb '12 said:
Considering that A) Hardly any publishers signed up to it, B) The ones that did charged anywhere from 3 to 15 quid for the service, and C) No one really bothered with it in the region where PSP was most successful, it's harldy surprising news that they don't want to bother with the effort and expense of rolling it out elsewhere.
FixBeatGames on 8 Feb '12 said:
if you're comparing this to the 3ds then lol. the 3d is a gimmick at best, a head-ache inducing eye-sore at worst. the touch screen is the same generation as the DS, no multi-touch, LOL @ you saying it's less laggy that iphone / vita's (have you used it, go into GAME and try the screen on vita then tell me it's less responsive than the 3ds lol). it has motion sensors built in, 3G built in, real twin analogue sticks, can remote play your ps3 games and vice versa, stream movies / music via the cloud to it from the ps3.
sorry, but to question why people might buy 'this contraption' when you clearly know nothing about it yourself, is abit, well, weird.
TheDragonDoji on 8 Feb '12 said:
As long as the COD version runs at 60FPS the Yanks will lap it up
laslowoodbine on 8 Feb '12 said:
seconded
Toasted_PSP on 8 Feb '12 said:
This just seems stupid, after all as part of the passport program you still have to rebuy all your UMD games but discounted, surely a scheme like this is good for both Sony and Gamers.
Sony get some addition cash to convert your UMD games.
Gamers with UMD games get a cheap way to transfer those games over to Vita.
Win Win.
martinawatson on 8 Feb '12 said:
I had written a pithy response and semi-clever analogy, but ive just deleated it and to Sony in regards to this matter i'd like to say "oh just f**k off"
me4pd on 8 Feb '12 said:
Woah there! They weren't that crud were they?
But seriously. A lot of people will want to play old games but won't want to carry 2 psps about. But that's life I guess...
TheBusterMan on 8 Feb '12 said:
I'm still annoyed you can't play original PS1 games on it niether.No Front Mission 3,or Final Fantasy games.My PSP broke last year and I was holding on for the Vita,but after all this baloney,I bought a 2nd hand PSP instead.Would have been nice to have the UMD passport thing,and to play PS1 games on that Vita screen,but I guess they're just wanting to push the Vita games.None of the games excite me.Uncharted has no MP,and though I love the SP on Uncharted(though the 3rd was a bit of a let down),I don't wanna pay that much for a 7-8 hour campaign.Got Wipeout on PS3,and that does me.With no GTA,or meaty RPGs out for it,I can't see it interesting me.Hopefully that will change later in the year.
Sleepaphobic on 8 Feb '12 said:
laslowoodbine on 8 Feb '12 said:
It wasn't just standard backwards like the original PS3 compatibility though. I mean people were going to have to re-purchase at a reduced cost anyway so for me it wasn't and isn't a big miss.
Windowlicker79 on 8 Feb '12 said:
Why does everyone bitch about backwards compatibility so much? Once you've got the console and a memory card you will have spent nearly £300 on a new console. Why would you want to use it to play games with PS2 graphics and broken 1 stick controls? PSP was s**t when it came out and it will look even more s**t when you compare it with what the Vita can do.
I can't play my LPs on my CD player.
I can't play my tapes on my iPod.
I can't play my VHS tapes on my DVD player.
It doesn't matter!
Leave the old technology to die and embrace the new.
me4pd on 8 Feb '12 said:
I watched Star Wars: EP 1 on vhs the other day. True fact.
People DO want to use their old stuff. I don't want to be take for a ride and I'm not so shallow as to think 'I musn't ever use my old stuff again' because 'it's old'. What a moronic idea.
gmcb007 on 8 Feb '12 said:
Oh dear, how did wiigodboy get back onto this site?
Anyways, it's a rip off scheme anyways. Just play it on the original PSP.
Windowlicker79 on 9 Feb '12 said:
Its not really a matter of being shallow, its about embracing new technology. I'm not talking about never using old stuff just because its old, I'm talking about how relevant backwards compatibility really is.
Can you honestly, truthfully say that if you had a Vita you would really be that bothered about playing your old PSP games? Especially when you consider that most of the games are probably franchises that will receive vastly improved versions on the Vita?