Sony Reveals UMD-to-Vita Transfer Plan For Japan

Sony already revealed that the PlayStation Vita would be compatible with digital download versions of PSP titles. Have you been crossing your fingers, waiting for Sony to admit that it would allow owners of UMD titles to download Vita-compatible versions off the PlayStation Store? Then your day has come. Sony has announced the UMD Passport program… for Japan. There is no mention of an American or European version of the program yet.

The program works in four steps:

Download the UMD Registration application to your PSP
Load it up with the UMD in question loaded in your PSP
Register the UMD with your PlayStation Network account
Download the download-only version at a discounted price

That discounted price varies from ¥500 to ¥2400, so publishers are probably the ones setting the price. A forum member over at NeoGAF translated the current list of titles eligible for the program.

Guilty Gear Judgment (Arc System Works) 500 yen
Carnage Heart Exa (Artdink) 500 yen
Pachipara Slot: Pachislot Super Sea Story in Okinawa (Irem) 1000 yen
Akiba’s Trip (Acquire) 1000 yen
Last Promise Story (Image Epoch) 1000 yen
Persona 3 Portable (Atlus) 1500 yen
Metal Slug Complete (SNK Playmore) 500 yen
Higurashi Daybreak Portable Me, Mega Edition (Create) 500 yen
Atelier Viorate: Alchemist of Gramnad 2 (Gust) 1000 yen
Shutokou Battle (Genki) 1000 yen
Dynasty Warriors (Koei-Tecmo) 500 yen
Dead or Alive Paradise (Koei-Tecmo) 1000 yen
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 (Codemasters) 1000 yen
Ever17: the out of infinity (Cyberfront) 500 yen
Nanatama: Chronicle of Dungeon Maker (Gae) 500 yen
Ginsei Shogi Portable (Silver Star Japan) 1000 yen
Kuru-kuru Chameleon (Starfish SD) 500 yen
Hot Shots Golf Portable 2 (Sony) 500 yen
Patapon 3 (Sony) 1000 yen
Gran Turismo PSP (Sony) 1000 yen
Nano Diver (Takara-Tomy) 1000 yen
Princess Days Portable (Takuyo) 740 yen
Secret Room Sacrifice (D3 Publisher) 1000 yen
Promise This Blue Sky: Paradise in Hand (TGR) 100 yen
Everybody Read: Masterpiece & Mystery & Horror & Literature (Dorasu) 500 yen
Disgaea 2 Portable (NIS) 500 yen
Phantom Kingdom Portable (NIS) 1000 yen
Tsuyokisu 2 Semester Portable (Netrevo) 500 yen
Pachislot Simulator, Secret Treasure Edition: Sealed Goddess Portable (Paon) 2400 yen
The Convenience Store Portable (Hamster) 1000 yen
Unchain Blaze Rex (FuRyu) 1050 yen
Neon Genesis Evangelion Battle Orchestra Portable (Broccoli) 1000 yen
Kanon (Prototype) 1000 yen
I Conquer the Path I Believe In (From Software) TBA
Harvest Moon: Boy & Girl (Marvelous AQL) 500 yen
Maikomi Best: Mahjong Champion Portable: Mahjong Club Battle (My Navi) 530 yen
Memories Off (5pb.) 500 yen
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (Ubisoft) 1000 yen
Tenshin Ranman: Happy-Go-Lucky!! (Russel) 1000 yen

I admit, I’ve been watching the price of PSP titles in preparation for Sony’s eventual admission that it would allow owners of UMD titles the ability to download digital copies on the PlayStation Store. Atlus’ Persona 3 Portable still commands a premium price of $39.99 for instance. For some consumers it may still be cheaper to purchase a title through Craigslist or Ebay, register the title, and then resell it.

What do you think of Sony’s UMD workaround?

[Via IndustryGamers]