Headline RePLAY – 2.24.12

Today on Headline RePLAY: Sony explains why the west won’t be seeing the UMD Passport Program, a tree wins a Mass Effect 3 copy and news of a new Pokémon game!


Earlier this month Sony said the PS Vita UMD Passport Program, used to transfer PSP UMDs to the PS Vita, wasn’t coming to the west. Sony Senior V.P Shuhei Yoshida tells Wired the reason boils down to simple economics: demand and pricing.

“The system has been introduced in Japan, where there is a much larger demand for PSP games,” said Yoshida, also noting that new PSP titles are still being released and announced in Japan. “Lots of people who are interested in trying Vita are also interested in playing PSP games that they might purchase before Vita comes out, and will not necessarily choose the digital version.”

“The other point is that when you look at PSP titles sold digitally in the States or Europe, games are sold for a really reasonable price,” he said, citing Final Fantasy Tactics for $10. “That is a great price. There are many, many games that are sold at an affordable price.”

In comparison, Japanese gamers will have to pay a nominal fee of $5 and $10 in addition to possessing the UMD itself to receive a digital copy, which ultimately adds up to a higher cost, Yoshida explained.

Ultimately, the “combination of new titles available, or the lack of, and the price difference” attributed to Sony’s decision to why we won’t see a similar system here in the west.

*Source: Wired


10 copies of Mass Effect 3 were to fly straight into the stratosphere via weather balloons and descend back to Earth into the arms of waiting fans— except one apparently forgot the memo about landing to fans and instead ended up on a 150-foot tree in the San Francisco area.

At daybreak, there were 10 fans onsite attempting to get it down with a rope. When that failed an attempt was made using a baseball tied to a rope and when that was unsuccessful the group is now resorting to use a slingshot armed with marbles.

I cannot imagine this ending well.



Are you excited about the next Pokémon game? Junichi Masuda, the director of Pokémon Black and White, sure is and ready to make “a very important announcement” as soon as this Sunday.

Masuda is making an appearance on TV TOKYO’s “Pokémon Smash!” for the big news. “And, for those of you who can’t watch television on live, I will announce the same information right after the show via Twitter,” he assured. “Everyone, I hope you all enjoy the show!”

Rumors suggest the new title is titled Pokémon Gray, but we’ll see if Masuda surprises us instead!

*Source: GameFreak

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