Another positive aftereffect of the new PSP Go is that it seems to have finally forced Sony into making more PS1 classics available for download on the PlayStation Store for both PSP and PS3 users to enjoy. Owners of both platforms have been vehemently demanding more downloadable PS1 titles for a while now, and have angrily watched PlayStation Store updates go by week after week with rarely a PS1 game to be found. But now there are no more excuses, and Sony knows it.
By the end of 2009, Sony says over 60 PS1 classics will be added to the PSN storefront. I haven’t checked the current tally, but I know there haven’t been 60 PS1 classics released on PSN since the service started in 2007 (at least not in the US). Now we’re going to get over that amount in half a year’s time!
This PS1 push has already begun, too, with two titles being added to the PS1 classic library as of Tuesday evening. Those games are, drum roll, please…Final Fantasy VII and the original Medal of Honor! FFVII is priced at $9.99, MoH even cheaper at $5.99. Great prices for two true classics.
What’s more, Sony has also put a lofty number on the quantity of PSP games that will be available digitally for use on the PSP Go. Beginning this fall, somewhere around 300 PSP games will be available via PSN for on-the-go gaming enthusiasts to choose from. That number will include brand new games that launch later this year on UMD and PSN, and presumably a wide selection of older UMD titles made PSN-ready.
So whether you choose to adopt the PSP Go or stick with your trusty PSP-1000/2000/3000 (or use neither and simply crave more PS1 classics for your PS3), you’re in for a digital content boom over the coming months and beyond.
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I grabbed both FF VII and MoH this morning, and am thinking – together they are ~2GB, so the 16GB PSP Go won’t fit too much of that. FF VII is >1.3GB alone!
I’m honestly surprised that the game is that large … and had honestly hoped that we would get a game that used more than 2/3 of the screen – to me that is the biggest disappointment of the PSOne games … aside from the lousy showing to date.
Also, I think they will have to keep updating the store interface if we’ll be wadign through >300 PSP games soon …
Well, FFVII was a three-disc game and is definitely one of the larger PS1 games. Don’t think there’ll be too many other games quite as large.
But yeah, the PSP Go’s flash drive is going to fill up in a hurry with all these games coming.
By the way, played either game yet? Just curious to see what you think of how they play on the PSP. I imagine MoH may be kinda tough. Its controls are fairly stiff to begin with even playing with a standard controller.
I’ve still got my disc copies of both games 🙂
I wanted to get a chance to play them over lunch today, but the slow PSP WiFi was still chugging on FF VII when I left for work this morning … so I’ll let you know tomorrow!
I didn’t realize FF VII was so large it spanned 3 CD’s … makes sense that it is 1.3GB then!
I’d still like a specific list though.
Sony definitely needs to somehow let potential PSP Go buyers know which games will be available. A list would be very helpful, but I doubt we’ll get one any time soon.
There is some other good PSP Go news though. Apparently Sony is working on a method of providing current PSP users the ability to trade-in or convert any UMD games they have for a digital copy.
It will be interesting to see what they do – none of the system makers have ever been very good about this – Nintendo and Sony have constantly looked to get you to spend again to buy the same game.
All the verbage seems to indicate ‘select games’ meaning that we won’t see something universal, probably just enough to appease folks but something that will be like backwards compatibility on the PS3 – for show to shut people up.
One rumored method I’ve heard about as a possibility is in-store kiosks that would let you return UMDs for digital copies. So I guess you’d just pop in a UMD and receive a voucher or something in return.
I would love to see that, Matt … but I still wonder … think of the cost associated with it – putting in all of the kiosks, how would you ID the games except with some sort of UMD reader … which means maintenance … and then it would be a *free* exchange? Maybe I have a very cynical view of Sony, I just don’t see them doing anything that isn’t easily connected to short term profit or at least significant mid-term profit.
Knowing Sony (and any of these big game companies), it’ll never be as simple as taking in a UMD and instantly getting a voucher. I’d love to see it too, but as you point out there are a lot of factors that will make it difficult to pull off. And if these kiosks ever do come to fruition I’m sure there would be some type of fee involved. But still, it’d be better than having to buy the game full price again. As much as they’ve overpriced the Go they better do something on the software side to get consumers to bite.
We’ll see what Sony comes up with!
Well, here’s an official quote from Sony regarding a “goodwill program” they’re working on for early Go adopters: http://e3.gamespot.com/story/6211751/psp-trophies-axed-umd-goodwill-program-planned-reports
“We’re in the midst of putting together a goodwill program,” Koller told the blog. “We’ll be unveiling that soon [since] we actually think there’s a significant group that will be upgrading. … In the past, we’ve seen a 20 to 25 percent trade-up factor, and I assume that’s going to be the case here. We’ve modeled that. So we’re looking at a goodwill program–a short-term goodwill program that would continue for years afterward.”
So, from the part at the end about it being a short-term goodwill program that’ll continue for years thereafter, I’m going to guess that that’ll mean for a short time you’ll be able to trade UMDs for digital copies without paying, but down the road there’ll probably be a fee or some other catch to make it stricter.
Related to your last comment, Michael Pachter said that Sony are ‘ripping off consumers’ with the PSP Go pricing.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/09/pachter-says-sony-is-ripping-off-consumers-with-psp-go/
Well, I don’t really care much about what crap Pachter (or any of those analyst types) says lol. I certainly agree that $250 is overpriced, but I don’t think it’s a total ripoff. $200 would’ve been a good launch sweet spot, but $50 more isn’t going to scare away the early adopter techies Sony is aiming the device at initially, especially if this so-called “goodwill program” pans out. If it were the only PSP model on the market I’d cry foul at the top of my lungs, but since the PSP 3000 is sticking around as the base SKU I wouldn’t say that’s ripping folks off.
I think he has a point, though – the $250 is going to be a major barrier to adoption even amongst the faithful.
*UNLESS*, as you say, there is an amazing UMD deal offered.
Also, it would be interesting if they offered not only an amazing UMD deal but also an aggressive PSP-1/2/3000 trade-in deal to go with it ..