PSP to PSP Go! – What About Pre-Existing Games?
- Scribbled on June 9th, 2009 by Jordan Lund
- Filed in Interviews, Sony PSP
The question facing potential PSP Go! users is “What about all my existing PSP games?!” Prior to E3 there was an unconfirmed rumor about in-store kiosks that would allow you to transfer UMDs to digital files. Not a bad idea, but I’m sure someone, somewhere, would try to make a per-game buck off of it – plus I can’t see myself hauling 40 PSP games into a store.
Fortunately Gizmodo had the thought to directly ask this question to John Koller, Director of Sony’s Hardware Marketing.
“We’re in the midst of putting together a good will program. We’ll be unveiling that soon [because] we actually think there’s a significant group that will be upgrading from the 1000…In the past, we’ve seen a 20-25% trade-up factor, and I assume that’s going to be the case here. We’ve modeled that. So we’re looking at a good-will program—a short term good-will program that would continue for years afterward.”
Hmmm, a “short term” program that continues “for years”? Someone needs to explain that one. Since the PSP already connects to your computer or the PlayStation 3 the solution would seem to be self-evident. Current owners of PSP games must already, by default, own a PSP, correct? So connect your PSP to your PC or PS3, then navigate to the Playstation store. Insert the UMD of your choice into the PSP and allow the Playstation store to validate the fact that you are the owner. Then create a digital file containing the game, serial # of your PSP and PSN account. That way if the file gets pirated then they know who to go after. Make it so the digital file can be played on ONE PSP Go! and you’re set to go. Sony gets the protection they want, the gamer gets the digital file they want and privacy is only a concern if the digital files end up being stolen some how.
The actual system probably won’t be that transparent, but one can dream, right?
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