Changes Ahead for the PSP

UMD opened up, telephony possible for PSP.

Sony's new handheld, the PSP, has been on sale in Japan for just over a month now and in that time the proprietary Universal Media Disc (UMD) storage format has been used only for games. But that is set to change soon.

The most obvious alternative use for UMDs is for movies. Sony is currently in negotiations with major Hollywood studios to secure their movies. And then there's Square Enix, which already has one movie project in the works. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is a CG film based in the universe of the PlayStation hit Final Fantasy VII.

Sony's president, Ken Kutaragi, announced that the media giant would be opening up the UMD format to other companies. What this means is that other content providers will be able to use UMDs to store anything they want. This could allow for other content to appear on the PSP and also for the UMD to be used as a storage device in other types of hardware.

Since the PSP was announced in 2003, Sony has touted the handheld's multimedia capabilities. Already the Memory Stick is being used for storing everything from MP3s and photos to movies. The opening up of the UMD format could ultimately - if things go according to Sony's plans - lead to the adoption of the disc as a new standard.

And that's not the only change in store for the PSP. In a separate interview, Kutaragi also mentioned that Sony is considering some form of telecommunications functionality for the PSP.

Since the PSP can only connect to networks via WiFi, this would have to use a Voice-Over-IP implementation, which allows for telephone calls to be placed over the Internet.

But first, Sony has one small obstacle - launching the PSP in North America and Europe. While there are no confirmed dates at present, the PSP should be released in both territories by the end of March.

Sony has already confirmed that it will ramp up production from the current rate of 500,000 units per month to more than 2 million per month by the summer. This will go a long way to meeting current demand in Japan and satisfying the buzz that is sure to surround the portable's release in the West.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games