The PSP2 is totally on its way. Probably. Whatever happens, it’s creating a bit of a spat between Sony and PSP2 whistle-blower Dave Perry, creator of Earthworm Jim, founder of Shiny Entertainment and currently Chief Creative Officer at Acclaim. Sony man John Koller dismissed Perry’s statements claiming he “didn’t even know who the guy was until a month ago.”
What Koller didn’t say, however, was whether or not the PSP2 would come with a UMD drive. Perry claimed that the “stupid battery-sucking UMD disc drive” would be ousted in the PSP2.
Upon seeing Koller’s response, Perry has returned to his Twitter account to continue to stir the pot.“John Koller is publically questioning my post about PSP 2,” writes Perry. “So I confirmed with Top PSP 2 developers. John, state that PSP 2 WILL have UMD.”
The odds of the PSP2 actually having a UMD drive are basically slim to none. As Perry points out, running the wretched thing severely impacts on the PSP’s battery life. The discs themselves are prone to scratching and though Sony might have wanted its proprietary format to put the PSP in the movie spectrum, Hollywood studios haven’t been thrilled at the poor sales of UMD format movies.
Downloads are clearly the way to go – they’ve conquered music, they’re doing a number on movie formats and they’ve already made their mark in games. Furthermore, downloadable games have a big advantage for game makers; they can’t be traded in, so more money goes into the pockets of publishers and developers, instead of retailers cashing in on the second hand market.
We can understand if Sony isn’t eager to drop that particular bombshell on the retailers – who they will still be asking to stock the PSP2, presumably – months before it even launches.
Out TBA | £TBA | PlayStation (via Destructoid)
