Sony announces UMD solution for PlayStation Vita

November 11, 2011 By Rick Marshall

Owners of UMD media will have to register and re-purchase games "at a reasonable price" to use them on the PlayStation Vita.

Last month, we reported on Sony’s somewhat vague plan for handling UMD-based games with the PlayStation Vita, which doesn’t support the primary media format used by its predecessor, the PlayStation Portable. Today, Sony offered up some concrete details about the company’s plan to handle PSP owners’ transition to Vita’s UMD-less world — and we suspect it’s going to disappoint more than a few PSP loyalists.

The solution is called “UMD Passport,” and will require PSP users to download a free app that will allow them to register their UMD games on their PlayStation Network accounts. Once their UMDs are registered, users will be able to purchase them at a reduced rate as a downloadable game for the Vita.

The UMD Passport service will kick off in Japan next month — specifically, December 6 — and registered games will be available for download once the Vita goes on sale in Japan (December 17). The digital versions of the games will be priced anywhere from $1.29 to $31.

Not all UMD games will be available as digital downloads, though Kotaku has a list of a few UMD titles and their respective prices as digital downloads for the Vita.

More information is likely to become available as we get closer to the Vita’s release date.

The Playstation Vita arrives in North America and Europe next year, on February 22.

Showing 7 comments

tytheteacher at 8:41pm 11th November 2011 From a buck twenty-nine to thirty one dollars? I have a solution... keep your PSP! The Vita seems cool for what it will provide, but that doesn't mean that you're old school PSP will be obsolete. It isn't like the new system is going to magically upgrade the games that you own and love for the previous system.
1. Ian Bell at 10:13pm 11th November 2011 Agreed. And it makes me mad that I bought a game (in UMD format) that should be compatible with the Vita, and I have to pay for it a second time just to be able to play it on the new handheld. No thanks!
  1. bclark at 10:23am 21st November 2011 I'm sure its just a matter of time before you can 'rip' your UMDs to run on the Vita.
    dang206 at 11:37am 21st November 2011 Why does Sony always does backwards stuff like that? Even apple now lets you re-download purchased things.
    bclark at 11:43am 21st November 2011 I boycotted Sony a long time for annoying practices like this. Its frustrating how everything is so proprietary with them.
    dang206 at 2:07pm 21st November 2011 It's why Mini disc failed.
2. Rick Marshall at 6:46am 12th November 2011 Yeah, this was definitely a frustrating piece of news. I considered buying a Vita right at the start, but now I'm probably going to wait. I still like my PSP too much, and I'm not paying for games twice.