Andre Yoskowitz
7 Feb 2012 23:18
Sony has confirmed today that it will not be making the UMD import program for the PS Vita available to North American fans of the handheld.
The UMD Passport Service, available in Japan, allows users to transfer their PSP games to the Vita and into their SEN accounts, for a fee ranging from $6 to $31. The only problem with the system is that many big name games from developers like Capcom and Square Enix were not made available and were likely never going to be made available.
Regardless, the news should be sad for many gamers, especially those that owned the PSP and large game collections on the now defunct UMD disc standard. Without repaying fully for their games through the PSN Store, most Vita owners will not get a chance to play their old collections on the new device.
Sony's PS Vita will reach North American shores on February 22nd, priced at $250.
Current lifetime sales are at just 535,000 units in Japan, and sales appear to be weakening by the week.