14 DAY TRIAL // Handheld gaming is currently one of the fastest-growing markets, as a lot of people prefer to get a dose of their favorite games on the go, while waiting for a bus or subway. That is why a lot of new companies are trying to give the top two manufacturers, Nintendo and Sony, a run for their money.
But the two Japanese corporations aren't resting on their laurels, as both have launched new iterations of their popular consoles, the PSP and the DS. But while people are already confident in the DS, the lack of blockbuster titles for the PSP made a lot of industry specialists speculate about the fact that Sony will prepare a new version of the console.
But while some rumors hinted to a PSP-4000, a revamped version of the current one, which may or may not sport new features, but most likely employ aesthetic ones, others have said that a completely new PSP2 might come from the Japanese company but that it may not sport the UMD disc system.
Such a detail was confirmed last week by David Perry, a manager at Acclaim, who said that Sony would adopt a digital download service instead of the classic disk system. Now, Sony was quick to reply that the UMD system was very important to it and its retails partners. But while it said that digital downloads were also important, the representative of the company didn't deny anything about the future console.
“We are making a concerted effort for digital distribution,” said Sony's John Koller. “We've talked to developers about increasing their digital download content. There is a delay right now because we want to ensure retail is respected and have their day in the sun. Retail has been concerned about the digital side of game purchases, but that conversation has changed in the past nine to 12 months.”
Currently, publishers can choose whether to release a game on UMD format or directly as a download with the help of the PlayStation Store. Also, Koller said that the company is currently going through the game library of the first PlayStation, which might see some of its titles made for the PSP.