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Yoshida: No UMD Passport program in the west because of pricing, demand
The reason for the PlayStation Vita UMD Passport program's absence in the west boils down to pricing and demand, according to Sony senior VP Shuhei Yoshida. In a recent interview with Wired -- the same one in which he gave a progress report on The Last Guardian -- Yoshida explained that the market for PSP titles is much different in Japan.In Japan, said Yoshida, the PSP is still doing well. Many customers who might pick up a Vita are "also interested in playing PSP games that they might purchase before Vita comes out," he noted, adding that many such customers may not choose the (Vita compatible) digital versions.Furthermore, digital PSP releases in the west are available for "a really reasonable price." He mentioned Final Fantasy Tactics as an example, which is a $10 download in the US (cheaper than the iOS release!). Yoshida states that PSP games are much more expensive in Japan, so paying between $5 and $10 for a digital copy in addition to the UMD is a better value. "But when the games are already sold at a lower price in the U.S.," he said, "we see less value in introducing that kind of system."
Vita 'UMD Passport' won't be offered in US
It will not be possible to get discounted Vita downloads of the disc-based UMD games you bought for PSP in the US. A Sony representative told Kotaku that the "UMD Passport" service will not be available to American Vita owners.Of course, you'll still be able to buy any digitally-distributed PSP games through the Vita's PlayStation Store and play them on the new hardware -- and you'll be able to play the PSN games you already bought on your PSP. But those UMD games will be of no use unless you keep your PSP.
Vita's 'UMD Passport' offers less-than-complete set of games in Japan
If you expected the Vita's "UMD Passport" program to be comprehensive, allowing you access to downloads of all your UMD-based PSP games at launch, you weren't paying attention to the last console generation. Sony posted the list of games available at launch in Japan, including 262 games from publishers like Atlus, Nippon Ichi, Acquire, Kaga Create, Alchemist, Tecmo Koei, and SNK. As of now, no games from major publishers like Square Enix, Capcom, EA, Namco Bandai, Sega, or Konami are available for download. Sony does say elsewhere that other publishers, including all those, are "planning" to support the program. The "discounted" prices for UMD owners to get Vita-playable downloads of their games range from ¥500 ($6.44) to ¥1,500 ($19.38), with one pachislot title as a ¥2,400 ($31) outlier.
'UMD Passport' application moves UMD-based PSP games to the Vita (for a price)
Sony realizes that you, Japanese PlayStation Portable owner, want to keep playing your UMD version of Nano Diver when the PlayStation Vita launches on December 17. The Japanese electronics giant last night announced its "UMD Passport" program, wherein PSP owners can download a free application to register their UMD games and receive a discount on repurchases of said games through the Vita's digital distribution store. The repurchase price varies from game to game, but it averages between 500 and 1,000 yen ($6 to $13), going as high as ¥2,400 ($31). And to get a jump on the conversion process, Sony will be releasing the PSP app on December 6. It's unclear whether the Passport program will arrive Stateside or in Europe when the Vita launches early next year in other territories, but we expect Sony will reveal as much in the coming months. The initial titles included in the program are detailed by Sony here, and the company apparently intends on expanding it to approximately 200 games.
