14 DAY TRIAL // Sony's Next Generation Portable console (aka the PSP2) won't rely just on digital downloads as the only way of getting games for the platform, because Sony is pushing a new type of physical distribution, based on memory cards.
The old PlayStation Portable was used by Sony to launch the Universal Media Disc (UMD) format, but it was quickly forgotten with the release of the PSP Go, which dumped the format and went digital only.
Like the UMD, this solution wasn't too well received, especially if you wanted to get new games on the go, since you had to search for wireless networks in order to access the PlayStation Network.
Sony learned its lesson with the Next Generation Portable, which will combine the best of both worlds.
The NGP can be used to access the PlayStation Network, either through regular WiFi or through a 3G mobile network, in order to download games, but will also use a special type of memory card, on which games can be put and sold in retail stores.
"Taking advantage of the flash memory feature, this innovative card can store the full software titles plus add-on game content or the game save data directly on to the card," revealed Sony to CVG.
"By adopting flash memory based card, SCE will be able to provide game cards with higher capacity in the future, allowing developers to store more game data to deliver rich and immersive games."
This is definitely great news for people that travel a lot and want to get a hold of new games without necessarily going online.
The memory card format will also be less clunky than the UMD solution, which was quite noisy and prone to failure, requiring customers to pay for repairs if they wanted to continue playing games.
Sony's Next Generation Portable is slated to appear in "at least one territory" at the end of the year, so expect more details about the memory card-based games in the future.