14 DAY TRIAL // The PSP always was the Cinderella of the handheld console world, seeing that it can do so many wonderful things, yet Sony didn't go over the top with any of them. The lack of focus was one of the important factors in the UMD's format downfall and subsequently to PSP's movie playing features demise. Yet intriguing news come from PSP-Vault, in a story they followed since day one, about Warner Home Entertainment price cuts for the UMD format in Japan. At only 980 yen ($8.50 USD), additional value is being pumped into the discs as it seems sales are blooming.
Warner Home Video initially announced the UMD-Videos would be available at the new price only for a limited time. It seems that the new price tag was so popular that, last month, they decided the UMD-Videos will be available at the same price indefinitely. What was just speculation became a brilliant marketing move as the company shipped over ten times as many units. This is undoubtedly a victory for the PSP, the UMD format and ultimately the end users. The low price UMD titles include: The Last Samurai, Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, Enter the Dragon, Batman Begins, The Island, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Black Diamond, The Goonies, Tom and Jerry, the Harry Potter movies and The Matrix trilogy.
Just when Sony's UMD format seemed to be dead and buried, Warner Bros. comes along and proves it can be profitable. While the idea that DVDs and UMDs shared the same price stroke fear in the hearts of many PSP owners, at last someone showed there is a market for the format, provided the price is right. Hopefully, word of their success will reach other companies in the industry.