PS3Hax Network - Playstation 3 Hacks and Mods - Beware: UMD Passport Program NOT Coming to North America

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Are you planning to buy a PlayStation Vita? Do you live in North America? Do you by any chance have some UMD titles that you'd like transferred to your Vita? Yeah well... Sony says no.

Sony angered many gamers when they announced certain Vita titled will require one of their proprietary memory cards to play. What's worse is now you will not be able to transfer your already-bought UMD titles to the Vita via SEN (previously known as the PlayStation Network).

This is a feature available to Japanese gamers only. No word has been made on whether European gamers will have access to this feature. This is how it works:

Connect your Vita to the SEN
Enter a unique code found on your UMD game
Pay a random fee ranging from $1-$30
Download your game.

What are your thoughts on this?

Quote:

Sony has officially announced that North America will not take part in the UMD Passport program, which allows PlayStation Vita owners to buy digital copies of physical PSP games they already own in order to play them on their Vita.

Japanese gamers have been enjoying the UMD Passport program since the PlayStation Vita launched in Japan. The program lets Vita users punch the unique codes found on the physical copies of their PSP games into a Playstation Network app and pay a fee between ¥100 (US$1.29) to ¥2,400 ($31) for a digital version of the game, which can then be played on their new Vita. While the news that this program won't be available in the U.S. is certainly a downer to prospective Vita buyers, it really isn't terribly surprising. The prices for digital licenses in Japan were inconsistent, with a copy of Gran Turismo costing ¥1000 ($13), while Persona 3 Portable would cost ¥1500 ($19), and Hot Shots Golf 2 was set at 500 yen ($6.40). The Japanese program also offered initial support for just 200 PSP games, with many more available for full price on the PlayStation Network store.

The good news is that most of the digital PSP games available for purchase on the PSN store are sitting at $10 to $20, with a few newer games costing up to $30. Chances are, the prices for new digital games on the PSN store are roughly the same as those you would have paid under the UMD Passport program.

The bad news is that this isn't the first death knell for backwards compatibility; the Xbox 360 and PS3 have done away with extra chips to play games from the last generation of hardware and traded them in for digital copies on their respective online storefronts. The latest Nintendo Wii does not offer any GameCube controller ports, and the release of the DSi meant the end of the GBA slot. Until Sony reverses its decision or announces an alternative, PSP owners won’t be able to transfer their UMD library onto the Vita. Thankfully, those who own digital PSP games should still be able to access and play their games on the North American Vita. The decision to bring the UMD Passport program to Europe is still in the air.

Sony will release the PlayStation Vita on February 22 stateside. Look for PCWorld’s full review in the coming weeks.

SOURCE