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Sony To Offer UMD Replacement Service For PSP Go
SCEA's director of hardware marketing, John Koller, says that Sony is planning a "good will" scheme to replace UMD games for those who buy the PSP Go.
The service is expected to allow consumers who purchase the UMD-free PSP Go to download digital versions of UMD games they previously bought.
"We're in the midst of putting together a good will program," Koller told Gizmodo. "We'll be unveiling that soon [because] we actually think there's a significant group that will be upgrading from the [PSP] 1000.
“In the past, we've seen a 20-25 percent trade-up factor, and I assume that's going to be the case here. We've modelled that. So we're looking at a good-will program - a short term good-will program that would continue for years afterwards.”
However, the service may not apply to all titles, with Koller saying that Sony’s currently "looking at what kind of games will be offered."
PSP Go, which was officially unveiled at E3, is set to launch on October 1 in the US and Europe, and a month later in Japan.
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"a short term good-will program that would continue for years afterwards"
"Short-term" but "continues for years afterwards"? What?
Knowing Sony, they'll try to charge gamers for the privilege of playing the games they already bought on the new system. I look forward to that greedy scheme failing.
More like PSP Go Fuck Yourself, Sony. For the amount that I'd pay for this shit, I better get ALL of my UMD games for free. And in a matter of years the "PSP 2" will be coming out anyway, so what's the point?
They're giving users the opportunity to re-purchase games they already own? Is there a company that doesn't allow this. God, even movie companies are giving free digital copies on DVD's nowadays. I can't wait to see who buys their old games all over again.ll
In the US, Sony's about to run into an interesting hurdle - which is what prompted digital copies in the first place
Due to a US Supreme Court ruling regarding VHS tapes in the 1980's, people are allowed to make "one" copy of any form of media they own. So as long as customers retain the UMD's in their possesion, they can legally Bit-Torrent the game, & shove it on an M2 Card - free & clear.
I don't think the scheme is that they pay any money for the game they already own, they just download it for free in digital form.
Possibly, but the "purchase" terminology leads me to be skeptical.
Sorry mate but did you actually read the article? The only time purchase was mentioned was in regard to the actual PSPgo itself. Good will was mentioned twice. Which would lead me to believe it's a free service.
Exactly how they will implement this is yet to be seen, I hope they make it as simple as entering in a serial number on the PSN. Therefore it would extend to games that are only available as download to begin with, which is in line with what Koller said.
Good Will is a marketing term we use all the time to make people feel as if we'll take care of them; without making any actual promises. It totally works every time. People eat it up.
The only thing Sony promises is that they want to take care of their customers. It would be different If they had outlined what they intend, but as it stands they promise nothing.
I would love it if the program were free. With all the money they'll make on $250 a "pop" for 5 year old technology, they can certainly afford the servers. We'll see.
double post
At $250, the incentive to rebuy the PsP is ZERO. So that good-will program is useless anyway. Besides, when you are really on a plane, it is best to pack extra batteries to begin with. So the new PSP GO with its internal battery is not that practical.
It's an odd product no matter how you look at it. While the DS increased the screen size, Sony decreases it. The whole thing is more expensive than the Wii, the 360, the DS, and the small iPod touch. At the same time, the games require you to spend long amounts of time. It is hard enough finding the time to play MGS4, how hard is it going to be playing MGS Peacewalker?
I bet if I combine an LCD panel, a 360 and a car battery, I get cheaper mobile gaming.
I look forward to seeing how they solve this thorny problem. I'll buy a GO as soon as they implement this.