Grim Future for Movies on UMD
But Sony has a back-up plan in the works.
Movies on UMD started out so well and some even sold hundreds of thousands of copies, but with the format now passing its first birthday, it's all crashing down for Sony. Major US retailers are clearing movies formatted for the PSP off their shelves and even Sony is looking for other ways to get movies to owners of its sleek handheld.
Resident Evil was one of the early big hitsSony has been talking to movie studios, giving them what company vice president Peter Dille calls "demographic and psychographic" information, with the idea being that they will be better able to put out on UMD the kinds of movies PSP owners are likely to buy, rather than taking the shotgun approach anyone who's walking into a major entertainment store will be familiar with.
"We are committed to helping the studios better understand our product and our consumer and will continue to educate them as we evolve and enhance the functionality of the PSP," Dille told news service United Press, as reported by Next Generation.
Sony latest jab at making it easier for PSP owners to watch movies on their handheld of choice is a new system whereby movies can be bought and legally transferred to Memory Stick, doing away with the need for the UMD altogether.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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