What if the next PSP doesn't support UMD?

by Steven Bailey { Jan 10th 2007 at 2:30PM }

Lately there have been rumblings that Sony will release another version of the PSP. Some say it may include a hard drive, an i-Tunes like downloadable games solution or even two analog sticks. These all sound like great additions to Sony's console if they're included, but if they do go all download with their next gen PSP what happens to UMD?

I would personally prefer a downloadable solution as opposed to UMD (assuming the PSP gets a hard drive). Being able to download new PSP games from a PS3, computer or in store kiosk would not just add convenience, but would also reduce load times on the system. This would be important since one of the main gripes about the PSP is in fact the load times. Also, a gamer wouldn't have to swap a physical disc should they choose during their train ride to play a different game.

The only issue with no UMD on the next PSP would only occur if there wasn't any kind of UMD slot on the system. For even if the PSP2 didn't manufacture new games on a UMD, Sony has a heritage in gaming when it comes to backwards compatibility. This would be even worse if Nintendo's next system played both DS and Gameboy games. It would have the potential to alienate the millions of current PSP owners and that's something Sony can not afford to have happen.

Of course what should occur and what will occur can be very different things. Do you want the PSP2 to just use UMD again or would you like it to try either a cartridge or downloadable solution? Would you buy the next PSP if it didn't have a UMD slot at all?

Tags: downloadable content, DownloadableContent, i-Tunes, itunes, next generation psp, next PSP, NextGenerationPsp, NextPsp, no umd, NoUmd, PSP2, UMD

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

PocketGoddess @ Jan 10th 2007 2:38PM

I like the idea of a no-UMD version of the PSP IF it it is done right:

--some sort of program that would allow you to "unlock" or download games that you already own, so there's no loss of your library/investment.

--a big enough hard drive to actually mean something. I have a 4GB stick that is completely full and yes, I will be buying the 8GB stick as soon as it is available. I'm willing to pay a premium price for a premium product.

Arnie @ Jan 10th 2007 2:42PM

Dont be daft.
Since when has sony made a console that wasn't backwards compatable.

It will probably not be a draw but a push in, but it will be there.

wisemanleo @ Jan 10th 2007 2:42PM

If the PSP2 didn't have a UMD slot, it wouldn't be the end of the world. The marriage between the PSP and PS3 has proven to be fruitful, no? If the PSP2 didn't have a UMD slot, Sony could easily make it such that you can transfer your current UMD collection via PSP1 to the PS3, and then transfer over to the PSP2 (wirelessly, or USB). That's the easiest way, should the next portable be without a UMD slot (which I think is unlikely, considering Sony's commitment to backwards compatibility).

Azmodeus @ Jan 10th 2007 2:52PM

How about a non-UMD PSP2 with an external UMD drive that connects via USB. It can be used to load UMD games and movies to the HD, where they can be run without having the external drive.

It would allow backward compatibility while removing a large component from the portable section of the handheld. This would free up more room for a larger HD.

tj @ Jan 10th 2007 3:01PM

For it to be cartridge, it would cost more then the usual price, especially if its flash base. Nintendo's DS cartridge is up to 1GB, If they are going with better graphics (PS2), then the size of it will be much bigger. I would like them to still use UMD. I wouldn't want to only be able to get my games from one source. especially imports. If its download only, they will risk the lost of sells for those without wifi or basic net access.
I hope for them to increse read access times in the future psp.

Pete @ Jan 10th 2007 3:17PM

it would be cool if it had both. that way you can download new games online, or if you a)dont have a computer b) dont have high speed they could sell a small amount in UMD format. but the HD would have to be pretty big. how much does the UMD hold? 1.5 gigs or sometihng? or am i just making that number up? the HD would need to be able to hold many games if it would be useful, like 10 or something. though i dont even have 10 games but id figure people do

Shane Killen @ Jan 10th 2007 3:43PM

There's simply too many people (at least half) who don't take their PSP's online for Sony to give up on half their customer base by doing away with UMD's. If anything it'll probably be an option - you can download games online but at the same time, you can still walk into the local game store and buy a copy.
A download-only service would effectively put places like Gamestop out of business.
Maybe 10 or 15 years from now when the majority of us have access to broadband, yeah possibly.. but now? No way.

JustSomeone @ Jan 10th 2007 4:00PM

You're wrong the cartridge on the DS is limited to only 128 mb ... from wiki "Data size: Up to 1 gigabit ( = 1024 Mb or 128 MB)." i don't think that flash memory is cheap enough to be offered ... a 1gb MS duo cost like 30 - 40, and that's only for the card. I think UMD is ok ... for the graphics that the PSP uses needs a lot of space.

alienclay @ Jan 10th 2007 4:29PM

the psp2 could be far enough away for blue laser drives to be cheap and economical even on that level. and for a portable that may be more powerful than the ps2, (not hard to expect.), than 9-12 gig of media space is needed to match dvd.

universal blu-ray minidisc with 10gig of space anyone?

(the only thing i don't like about umd is that the clear plastic window keeps caving in on me)

Nav @ Jan 10th 2007 5:06PM

Yeah, I think it's much more likely that what we'll see will be a PSP-esque Walkman - i.e. a PSP, without the UMD drive, but with a hard drive - that won't play games. I think that would be a pretty killer bit of gear - but with Apple reinventing the world soon, who knows how successful it will be?

Anthony @ Jan 10th 2007 5:17PM

Well i like the idea of no umd's cause it's a space saver on the psp unit. that space can be used for the HD or for a bigger battery... can fit maybe those new solid state memory chip there up to 16 or 32 gigs.. and then just release games online thru the ps store and hopefully by that time u can connect with the psp or psp2 by wifi... also sony can release the games on memory sticks which can solve the backward compatibility issue for early adopters of psp and still lets videogame stores make money.. so i think that covers every way to please psp,psp2,and also videogames stores... wat does everybody think is this idea possible?

PSP Rocks, admit it or your LAME @ Jan 10th 2007 5:31PM

Just to Clarify the DS can handle a 1Gb carts thats Gigabit boys and girls 128 megs, not Gigabyte

I think the UMD works great, the load times for some games was pretty poor but that is not that fault of the hardware it lies on the developer.

I have 9 games and the only one that takes a bit to load was Star Battlefront II, my others
Ridge Racer
Outrun 2006
Star Trek TA
Medal of Honor
Namco Battle Collection
Midway treasures
Ace Combat X
& Lemmings
They load up really fast

The need to include both UMB and Hard Drive

trev @ Jan 10th 2007 6:06PM

I honestly like UMD... for games. Only for games. It's nice to be able to borrow or loan them without DRM or anything getting in the way. HDD crashes, you lose everything and mobile HDDs love to die. Lots might post that they've "never had any problems" but I've watched a bunch of poeple order new iPods because the drives have been flaking out. Lots of little bumps lead to problems.

I'm ok with backing up save data, or even playing games over again if I was too dumb to back up the save, but if I need to re-download my whole collection of games over again because the drive goes? What a blowful situation.

SuicideNinja @ Jan 10th 2007 6:08PM

In any case, UMD has to go. now. far away. From here.

Kal-El @ Jan 10th 2007 6:34PM

I would actually like for the next psp to not have an UMD drive as long as it does include a hard drive and all of your original psp games could be transfered to the new version of the psp.

PSP Rocks, admit it or your LAME @ Jan 10th 2007 6:50PM

In any case UMD needs to stay close very close
NOW...

TwoLOUD @ Jan 10th 2007 6:52PM

I wont be buying a PSP2 if it doesnt have a umd drive, or the option to get one, I currently like how the PSP is just now, 2 analog sticks would be great and the other things mentioned, why not have a slot for the umd drive and a hard drive, I dont see why do away with the drive, thats just dumb IMO..well scratch that, its a portable device, I dont want any add ons..it should all be in one nice lil lightweight package..but..like said, if they came out with a way to download the games you already have and put them on the hard drive, that would be a interesting idea..

The Clunge @ Jan 10th 2007 9:03PM

Well, we seem to live in an age of dual SKUs, with the 360 and PS3 offering different variants. If Sony offered a cheaper UMD PSP lite for those with large game/movie collections and a more expensive HDD version for those who hate loading times and want to go exclusively the DLC route, they could please everyone. As long as those buying the UMD-less version know they're gimping themselves with regard to their old games there would be no cause for anyone to complain.

Thomas @ Jan 10th 2007 10:33PM

UMD drive isn't mandatory.. however if you're not going to support it then there needs to be a way to transfer UMD games over to the psp, in all honesty, it might be better off without it... or maybe a psp1.5 w/ umd support, and large hard drive, and then when psp2 comes out, no umd drive... a psp1.5 would be great in transitition users over to an all digital media network... also, it's a good practice model for when sony try to be more digitally oriented when the ps4 or 5 drops. little read only flash sticks would be better served for games...

Kat @ Jan 10th 2007 11:07PM

Cartridges or UMDs only please, unless 8GB is going to be big enough to hold every game, ever. Swapping out memory cards is no more convenient than swapping out UMDs.

mike @ Jan 11th 2007 12:40AM

What's the next PSP?

iPhone's bitch. How's that?

sumdum gai @ Jan 11th 2007 1:01AM

It would be nice if UMDs had a dedicated per-unit serial number. Ripping to an HDD will never happen otherwise. Unless Sony forgets about world domination for a second and just declares all old UMD games able to be ripped via an honor code instead of some assbackwards requirement that we all buy an obscenely overpriced download of the game a second time.

I haven't bought a PSP because of the crappy original design (not too friendly for fighting game fans), and went ahead and bought about 8 games. So I'll be royally pissed if a new one comes out without UMD support and I have to piss away money on the original with it's raggedyass d-pad and analog nub. A UMD slot should remain in a future design, even if it makes the system a little chunky on the back. I'll gladly sacrifice pocket room for compatibility.

Kade Storm @ Jan 11th 2007 5:52AM

Hahaha. Sure, like I'm going to bother getting the PS3, or developing a solid dependency on an old computer for the essential operations of my PSP. PSP without UMD is a fuckin' joke, and an ugly one. In case some of you didn't notice, not everyone's in the mood to buy memory sticks upon memory sticks to make do; not to mention, portable hard-drives. Until and unless these games were distributed as ISOs at the same price as the PSone roms, this idealism fails by epic margins.

I am interested in the PSP, not the PS3, or having to store legals ISOs on computers and memory sticks. The UMD is a must! I hope pixelator is right, because the recent idealism-induced ignorance of the gaming community is really starting to concern me.

Bartender Sam @ Jan 11th 2007 8:36AM

Eventually there will come a day when the vide game systems no longer accept a UMD, cartridge, Disc, etc... no more brick and mortar stores, we'll just simply download what we want from home. This is proably going to happen sooner than later so my point is that everyone company will have to make that leap to no longer suppurting backwards compatability.

Alien @ Jan 11th 2007 9:26AM

Well the idea is not bad , if the entire PSP game library would be ready to download . But still , I would like to buy boxed original games , and to be onest I like the UMD fo games , but the movie idea wasnt that greate :?

Kade Storm @ Jan 11th 2007 11:12AM

...and that is a theory irrelevant to the context of the current debate. We're not talking about a next-gen PSP; but rather, a refined current gen handheld.

If in the future, people download games, or regurgitate golden nuggets, then that's fine and dandy. However, if a currently running system is to be refined to such a degree that it completely revolutionises its fundamentals, then we have problems.

Kade Storm @ Jan 11th 2007 11:19AM

This has squat to do with the movies; we're talking about UMDs as hardware medium to carry our games. But since you're all so ditsy about the whole idea of having all your games online (like the pirates haven't already achieved that), how about you buy me all my memory sticks, fund my bandwidth, and my portable hard-drives, then I'll be on board with this bloody asinine delusion.

pixelator @ Jan 11th 2007 11:28AM

There isn't going to be a PSP2 without a UMD drive. I doubt even Sony would alienate all the existing PSP owners like that.

The rumor has been about a revised PSP like the DS Lite, not a PSP2, anyway.

Joako @ Jan 11th 2007 11:56AM

I would like a psp2 with a umd drive, but if it doesnt have it, it could be an accesory that you will buy.
And a psp2 would be better than the new nintendo's portable console if it would have a touch screen and if it would have an accelerometer and a moviment sensor like the one that have the remote control of the wii, and it will be like playing LocoRoco but with the moviment of you hand.=)

TrekCycling @ Jan 11th 2007 12:34PM

Here's a vote for getting rid of UMD, but not stiffing current customers. I'm just now getting ready to buy my PSP. I already have 3 games purchased. I would hate to lose these games in the transition to a hard-drive-based PSP. As long as there's a way for people with game collections to transfer them or otherwise prove they bought them and get a free download, I'm all for an iPod-style way of delivering games.

gregori0 @ Jan 11th 2007 1:20PM

A detachable UMD drive for PSP2 is the way to go. The detahed drive can hook up to PS3 (via USB) and viola with a psp emulator firmware upgrade PS3 owners can play PSP games (& watch UMD movies) on their TVs. SONY marketing should push PS3 sales by bundling PSP, or at least a $100 coupon fr PSP purchase.

Kade Storm @ Jan 11th 2007 3:00PM

Stop forcing your iPod ways down the rest of our throats. I'll say it real slow so the pro-duo-fascists can get the concept: Not. Everybody. Has. The. Resources. To. Manage. Such. A. Setup. You'd need a PSP with unlimited space, or a solid PC with a great connection, and guess what - not everybody has such a luxury at hand.

The ideal solution would be to offer downloads, while -also- allowing the rest of us to purchase our UMDs, thus sparing this bracket of the demographic from having to depend on memory sticks and the pressure of managing the PSP's memory.

gregori0 @ Jan 11th 2007 4:00PM

Gee. Chill out dude. I m not forcing anything down anyone's throat. Why people r so hostle online? I just made a suggestion, a concept, with Sony's perspective in mind.
My suggestion doesn't force people to get a PS3 in order to use a PSP. If you understand my idea you will see I am not sacrisfing PSP's existing functionalities, I just make it more flexible (the ability to lighten the unit by detaching the UMD drive while its not needed), or even replace the slot with extra battery etc. At the same time make that UMD drive part of PS3's add-on as a bonus. One can still enjoy the PSP fully without a PS3. However, I think SONY should integrate PS3/PSP further for the PS franchie future's sake. As a PSP owner I love my toy and hate to see it die. That's all.

Kade Storm @ Jan 11th 2007 4:28PM

That wasn't directed at you, dude. Isn't it obvious? I am talking to the pro-duo-fascists who insist on completely dumping the UMD for a totally iPod-like system, which I am against. You can have both, but constricting to one medium is sure to get on certain nerves, and ustifiably so. Your idea, Gergori0, doesn't take away anything from what I expect from the PSP in this generation, so don't take my scathe as being directed at you.

Cheers.

And yes, I am in a hostile mood, for which I apologise. Sorry. However, I am still behind the essence of my contentions.

h0mi @ Jan 11th 2007 8:00PM

Instead of cartridges, why not yet another Memory stick format that's exclusive to the PSP-2 and is only used for game distribution?

Thomas @ Jan 11th 2007 11:56PM

Do you guys think Sony should release a PSP2 or PSP1.5 first?

I'm thinking that they shouldn't do a PSP2 yet.. just a psp1.5 as a slight redesign of the original... they could improve the d-pad... a second analog stick, 8gb hard drive... (samsung is ready!)