Serving as an extension to Sony’s budget-conscious “Greatest Hits” and “Favorites” PSP software offerings, the new “Dual Pack” line, launching nationwide this week, pairs fan-favorite titles into two-in-one bundles of PSP gaming goodness. Each Dual Pack bundle, retailing for a cool $14.99, will be available as a PSN download from the PlayStation Store as well as boxed retail software on UMDs.

The PSP Dual Pack library kicks off this week with bundles featuring Secret Agent Clank and Daxter; Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow and Killzone Liberation; and Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo.

Not sure what Dual Pack plans Sony has after this initial trio, but here are some combo ideas I’d love to see happen (but probably won’t):

LocoRoco 2 and Patapon 2
Resistance: Retribution and Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Gran Turismo and MotorStorm: Arctic Edge
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
Tomb Raider: Anniversary and Tomb Raider: Legend
Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony and Untold Legends

Have any other Dual Pack ideas?

Introducing: New PSP Dual Packs Available for $15 This Week [PlayStation.Blog]

In what is hopefully an indicator of how most, if not all, PSP titles will be released moving forward, Atlus has confirmed that on September 22nd SMT: Persona will be launching digitally via the PSN store simultaneously with the UMD retail version we’ve already known about. The PSP go doesn’t come out until October, but with the launches fairly close together this clearly seems to be a move on Atlus’ part to be one of the first publishers to please current PSP owners and early adopters of Sony’s digital-download-only device. Atlus always aims to please, after all.

There is one small caveat to this plan, though. When the game launches, the PSN version will carry the exact same $40 price as the UMD version. A UMD, might I remind you, that comes in a Collector’s Edition box set containing a 2-CD soundtrack.

Don’t know about you, but to me $40 seems a tad pricey for the PSN version — if you won’t get the collectible packaging and soundtrack it doesn’t seem fair to pay the same price. When NIS made Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! a PSN-only release the original $30 retail price was cut down to $20, and I would’ve expected something similar here (and in other future releases). If PSN versions are going to sell at the same price as boxed retail copies like this I’m not sure how much of an audience the PSP go is going to attract. Of course, by the time the go launches, Persona will probably be out of stock at most stores and consumers will be stuck with having to find a used copy or settle for the PSN version.