• more about #umd more comments →
    Ursus Maritimus: Sounds like what they did for the PS3 but not allowing it to play PS2 games. Sony is the only company as bad as Apple for crippling and controlling th... more »
    Bokusatsu_Tenshi: O hi thar! Here's a bucket of FAIL! more »
    dougr650: Clearly, there is some group of consumers out there who see the PSPGo as a "good thing" and can't wait to get their hands on it. I would just like to... more »
    Noobs-R-Us: Trading it would be a fair offer. If not people will have everything their firends have, the library has, their neighbors have...etc. Also, old PSPs ... more »
    Monty: With a little perspective, this is a big step in the right direction. Remember the RIAA did not want us to have electronic copies of music at all. I... more »
    weatherman: Well, that does make a little sense - it would prevent a significant amount of cheating the system that way. That said, if I spend $50 on a PSP game,... more »
    Dethzilla: And then sony will dump those UMD's back on the market at a discount and sell them for a second time... Someone at Sony needs a raise because that is.... more »
    ACoBildo: I haven't heard anybody talk about having multiple games. If my memory is full and I want to play something else, will I have to 1) Find a WiFi connec... more »
    ZLevee: Fix the fucking screen! more »
    CrispyAardvark: Wonder what the format for game purchases will be? Large format Sony Memory Stick / Duo? Or more mainstream CF? more »
  • #pspgo

    Converting Old UMDs for the PSPGo Is a No-Go

    A few months back, Sony's John Koller broke to us that PSP owners who wanted a PSPGo would be able to digitally acquire those games for the PSPGo's built-in storage. Now Sony has reneged on that offer. Sort of. More »
  • #gaming

    Sony Not Denying Plans for a PSP 2 Without UMD

    In an MTV interview with John Koller, head of PSP marketing in the US, Sony should have set the record straight on those nasty PSP 2 rumors. But they didn't.
  • #badideas

    Vmedia: Like Mini UMD for Netbooks Covered in Feces, But Worse

    So what exactly is a Vmedia disc? Well, it's pretty much the worst idea ever. More »
  • #psp

    Sony Slowly Backing Away from UMD, Snuggling With Digital Distribution

    The rumors Sony is working on a PSP2? Pure confusion, says Sony exec John Koller. Rumormongers are somehow mistaking its push to digital distribution, away from UMD, as work on PSP2. Uh huh. [SAI]
  • #umd

    Dealzmodo: Buy One UMD, Get the Second Free

    There is an alternate universe where I just rented a Betamax (Casino Royale, of course) from Hollywood Video. On my way home, I pop in a MiniDisc (probably to listen to this year's very successful, non-creepy Michael Jackson album which is, like, sooo good). But when I finally arrive at my place, I realize that I'd, of course, already bought Casino Royale on UMD. Hell, I could probably even dig up a copy recorded from TV on my 8mm Video Walkman, too. How silly! More »
  • #cellphones

    Indian Spice Phone Has Optical Disk Drive For 2.5 Hour Movies

    It's really unlikely that this Movie Phone from the Indian cellphone maker Spice would make it anywhere besides India, but it's an amazing phone because of what it's got on the back: an optical drive. This h.264 optical drive loads into the back of the phone much like UMDs into a PSP, and can fit a 2.5 hour film into one disc. There's going to be 40 movies available in India at launch, which will be followed by 1,000 more movies later. We only have one question, which will probably be the only time anyone on earth ever asks this question: Why didn't they just go with UMDs instead of making a proprietary format? [Tech Digest]
  • #umd

    Sony Stands By UMD, But Not Too Close

    Sony announced last week that, yes, it's still releasing UMDs, baby! Partnering with MTV, PSP owners will soon be able to purchase "Beavis and Butt-Head: The Mike Judge Collection," volumes 2 and 3; "Jackass," volumes 2 and 3; "Wildboyz," volumes 1 and 2; "Viva La Bam," volumes 2-4; and "Aeon Flux: The Complete Animated Collection." While Sony has to know that UMD has become a game-only format, small, thematic releases like these aren't really going to hurt/help the format or the bottom line. It's like gambling on the penny slots after losing for a few hours of $20 blackjack. [reuters]
  • #interview

    Sony's Jack Tretton Talks About UMD, Rips Movie Studios

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  • #sony

    Unconfirmed: PSP Slim to Offer 8GB Internal Flash, Improved Everything

    Ash over at Kotaku has the scoop on a tarted-up PSP supposedly headed our way sometime soon. According to his sources, the new PSP isn't PSP2, but a slimmer, faster version of the original. More »
  • #portablemedia

    Kotaku Confirms Rumor: UMDs Pulled From Target Stores

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  • #homeentertainment

    Rumor: Sony UMD Movies Vanish from Target Store Shelves

    Our pencil-necked gamester in-laws at Kotaku gathered a rumor today, where an employee of the vast retail empire Target noticed that Sony's proprietary UMD movies had suddenly disappeared from his store. Could it be the doomed format's death rattles are beginning to bear their certain, inevitable fruit?
    I work at a local Target store, at the electronics department. I walked in today and noticed something missing, other than my desire to be working, it was the PSP UMD movies section. Thinking it was moved I searched then finally decided to ask around. To my suprise, my boss told me that Target wasn't going to be selling them anymore. Now I'm not sure if its in every store, but I decided to give the other targets a call in my city, and they also said they had pulled them. So, not sure what that means, but with so many people saying the UMD movies are pretty pointless, and sales being sluggish, I cant help but wonder if PSP movies are soon to go the way of the Betamax.
    We saw this coming months ago, as did nearly everyone else. Maybe one of these days Sony will finally realize that every proprietary consumer format it's introduced has tanked. Add one more to it with the UMD, where its absence from Target is probably just the beginning of its one-way trip to the ash heap of history. – Charlie White More »
  • #portablemedia

    UMD: I'm Not Dead Yet

    Ah, but you are, aren't you, UMD. You're fine for the PSP, but we wouldn't want to put you in anything else, nor would anyone else. It seems a poll by NPD found that 40% of PSP users bought the PSP to view UMD content but haven't actually purchased any UMD content. So essentially they're saying that nothing on UMD is worth buying and that Sony should just give up. Or something like that. More »
  • #portablemedia

    UMD Movies Hitting the Skids

    We could have told you this would happen a year ago, but people are just getting it into their heads that UMD movies are failing. While they are fine for video games—who cares what the media looks like?—they're a horrible choice for movies. Movies, on the whole, are purchased once and played at home. Therefore, offering Spiderman on DVD and UMD is a silly idea. If I care that much about Spiderman, I'll rip my DVD and stick it onto my PSP in some other, non-legal manner. Otherwise, I suck it up and watch it while sitting quietly on my couch. More »
  • #portablemedia

    UMD's Slumping Performance

    Another Sony proprietary media has deemed itself a failure. Variety is reporting that many studios cutting down on UMD releases in the future. Studios include Sony Pictures (??), Paramount and Warner. The studios are saying that the UMD is a failing because the amount of "piracy" happening. I like to think it is failing because it is a bad proprietary media format. More »
  • #homeentertainment

    Sony Sets Blu-ray Pricing

    If you've been wondering what a Blu-ray disc is going to cost you once it hits the markets, Sony has deigned to let the world know. As the first studio to put forth a price (as well as a marketing strategy), Sony revealed that it will also bundle formats together for better flexibility. More »
  • #portablemedia

    The First of the PSP Porn Reviews

    Our squirmy brother Fleshbot pointed out this delightful look at some good, old-fashioned PSP porn complete with Custer's Revenge-esque sex antics involving sperm. Called "The Palace of the Virgin," this title features "adventures that involve [said Princess] touching various body parts belonging to some seriously ugly Japanese dudes." Now, thanks to our early colonizing, Christian influence, Japan has outlawed all kinds of full-frontal action, so all the sex is pixellated beyond recognition. I learned this the hard way at a Toyko hotel after paying $20 bucks for "in-room entertainment." So there is no visible junk. More »