PSP World

Why No UMD Rewards Program in America?

We have been wondering what Sony plans to do about all those old UMD games that will no longer work on the new PSP Go. After all, it doesn't make sense for gamers to upgrade to the new hardware if they will have to buy all their favorite titles again as digital downloads.

We originally thought that a mail-in program or something similar would make a lot of sense. However, Sony proposed a slightly different "PSP Go Rewards" program for European territories. So far this offer has only been announced for Europe. A spokesperson for SCEA said that American gamers are out of luck:

'The SCEA region will not offer a UMD rewards program at this time. We have a dual platform strategy. PSP Go is the latest offering in our portable entertainment products targeted for the digitally savvy and early adopters who are looking for an easy way to experience entertainment and a wide variety of digital content.'

Well thanks a lot, Sony Corp.

In Europe, the offer gives three free game downloads to anyone who registers the new handheld before March 31, 2010. To access these titles, users must first connect their older PSP models with a UMD in the drive to the PlayStation Network, and launch the promotion.

You don't need to own the original UMD to download the digital copy. Any old UMD will give you access to three choices from among the list of 17 games. For many European gamers, this could be the idea opportunity to check out some hits that they might have missed.

The UMD Reward titles are:

Killzone Liberation
Medievil
Wipeout Pure
Buzz Brain Bender
Buzz Master Quiz
SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Everybody's Golf
Resistance: Retribution
Syphon Filter Dark Mirror
Lemmings
LocoRoco
Patapon
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow
Echochrome
Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice
Daxter