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With a sleek new form factor and internal memory instead of an optical UMD drive, Sony's new PSP Go handheld gaming console is a very different animal than the original PlayStation Portable. Naturally, dedicated mobile gamers have been asking what, if anything, could they do with their collections of UMD game and movie discs if they upgrade to the PSP Go.

After initially hinting that current UMD games could be either converted for use on the SSD/Memory Stick-only PSP Go, or physically traded in for a digital download version of the same game, Sony now says that's not in the cards.

"We were evaluating a UMD conversion program, but due to legal and technical reasons we will not be offering the program at this time," a Sony Computer Entertainment of America spokesman told gaming news site Kotaku, which also points out that as recently as June's E3 game industry trade show, Sony claimed to have been "looking into programs for owners who have previously purchased UMD titles and want to exchange them for digital versions."

Sony's European arm, however, is at least offering three free PSP Go downloads (from a list of Sony-published titles) to current PSP owners who upgrade to the new model. No similar plan has been announced for U.S. consumers yet, and in fact, Sony told gaming news site IndustryGamers that the company "will not offer a UMD rewards program at this time," owning to what it calls "a dual-platform strategy."

The attack on disc-based gaming has begun.

Today, Sony releases a brand-new game for the PSP, and there will be no UMD in sight. Patapon 2, the sequel to last year's well-reviewed rhythm-warfare-strategy game, is the first major-release game to go download-only for Sony's veteran portable. It was a deliberate decision, too: in Asia and Europe, Patapon 2 was released on disc. To get the game in the U.S., you can either download through a PS3 or PC and sync with the PSP or use the PSP's built-in PSN store on May 7, or go to a local store like GameStop today, where you'll get an empty box with a download code inside.

This isn't the PSP's first download-only game--Echochrome and Flow, just to name a few, also went this path. But whereas those games were priced like DLC titles at $9.99, Patapon 2's price point ($19.95) and file size (362MB) are UMD-equivalent. So, consider this Sony's first shot across the bow signaling the beginning of the end of the UMD format. But apart from the UMD-free hype, how does the game play?

Actually, everything about the UMD-free Patapon sequel is as good as, or better than, the UMD original. For the uninitiated, Patapon's a deep-thinking warfare simulator, trapped in a casual game's body. Expect a weird combination of beautiful art from French artist Rolito, trance-like rhythm-based attack minigames, and obsessive character leveling. More character classes, a well-explained evolution tree for the Patapon warriors you bring to life, and a new warning system for when your rhythm attacks begin to fall out of sync are just some of the nice tweaks. However, the load times were surprisingly long--for a disc-free game, that is. A quick-fix start-up mode would be appreciated next time.

Now, for the question we've all been wondering about: is this the beginning of the end for boxed games? All across the game industry, a pattern has been forming: DLC and game stores online for the PS3, 360, and Wii have been pumping out better and better titles, and the iPhone has promoted box-free gaming like no other platform. Now the DSi is also on the download wagon. The PSP Go!, rumored to be announced in just a few weeks at E3, is supposed to ditch UMDs altogether in favor of downloads. While that might piss old-school PSP owners off, the advantages are clear: you can keep many titles on your machine at once, battery life is considerably better, and there's no worry about disc damage or loss, since the PSN store allows free redownloading.

The big negative would be the end of used games, which gamers (and GameStop) might be a little more sad about than game publishers. And, of course, Blu-ray and DVD games can get pretty hefty in size (even Patapon 2 took a good 15 minutes to download). Hard drives aren't big enough yet for gamers to go fully disc-free, and for Triple-A titles, discs seem appropriate. But it makes good sense for a lot of other games to start moving to downloads, both as a cost-saving measure to publishers, and, hopefully, as a means to lower the cost of games for gamers like us.

If download-only games don't offer significantly lower prices, though, there's going to be some 'splaining to do.

It's just a mock-up, but could it be close to the real thing?

(Credit: Eric Jensen)

Thanks to a chatty developer, we recently heard and relayed rumors that the next-generation PSP will have a sliding screen. Well, a second mystery developer, who's allegedly "working with the new hardware," has upped the ante: he or she claims Sony's next-gen portable gaming console will actually have a sliding touch screen along with the much-requested, dual-analog thumbsticks.

This all comes from Pocket Gamer, which doesn't name its "insider" source but says, "The new handheld will arrive before Christmas and will be far more similar to the iPhone than the current device." It also claims the new PSP will be announced in June at E3.

Take the rumor for what it's worth, but all the chatter seems to suggest that a new PSP will be a true PSP 2 and not just another incremental upgrade. Pocket Gamer speculates that Sony accelerated development on the new device after the success of the iPhone and the arrival of the Nintendo DSi. There's also continued talk that the new PSP will forgo UMD and instead rely on an expanded PlayStation Store that rivals Apple's App Store (at least in terms of games).

If this all pans out the way the rumors are pointing, I don't think there's any doubt that the PSP will be a better gaming device than the iPhone. The question is, what else will it be capable of doing? As I've said before, if Sony can integrate some of the features found in its Mylo Communicator, things get very interesting. If not, Pocket Gamer probably won't be able to go around calling the new PSP an "iPhone beater."

What do you think?

Source: Pocket Gamer via Kotaku

(Credit: Sony)

As of Tuesday, the Sony PSP 3000 is officially for sale. The CNET review has been up since late last week, but for those with short attention spans, here's the deal: It's an evolutionary step up from last year's PSP 2000, with a slightly improved screen (better color reproduction, slightly less glare), a built-in microphone (Skype users can now use regular headphones instead of a special headset), and improved video-out support (games can now be displayed on non-HD TVs). Otherwise, it's pretty much the same ol' PSP--which we've always liked.

In other words, it's not a must-have upgrade (unless you're dying for one of those above-mentioned upgrades), but anyone new to the platform will be getting the best PSP to date.

The Sony PSP 3000 Ratchet and Clank Entertainment Pack: this limited-edition $200 bundle includes a silver PSP 3000, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters UMD game, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets UMD movie, 1GB Memory Stick Duo card, and a voucher for Echochrome (a downloadable game available at the online PlayStation Store).