SCE finds pornographic UMDs "utterly undesirable"

TOKYO--Sony's PSP will be getting its first lineup of adult videos in just one month. But while some male PSP owners may be rejoicing, Sony Computer Entertainment is frowning. The company recently told Japanese newspaper Asahi Shinbun that adult UMD videos for the PSP, a gaming device aimed at child audiences, as well as adult ones, are "utterly undesirable, but we cannot stop software makers from selling such videos."

As GameSpot reported earlier, two adult-content publishers, Glay'z and H.M.P., will be releasing a total of seven adult videos on Universal Media Disc for the PSP starting in July. Asahi Shinbun reports that several other companies are ready to follow suit.

Though software releases for the PSP are subject to approval from Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony's gaming division does not hold sway over movies released for the device.

Some consumers are questioning Sony's decision to accept material from adult-content publishers, while others surmise the company has learned from the war between Betamax and VHS that adult-oriented movies can significantly affect the expansion of a new media format. In fact, one of the reasons for the failure of the Betamax format was the explosion of adult movies on VHS, as adult movies were not given production clearance in Sony's Betamax format.

But for Sony Computer Entertainment, adult videos have come to the PSP at a very bad time. Regional Japanese governments are currently keeping a strict eye on extreme content in games ever since the Kanagawa prefecture designated Grand Theft Auto 3 as a "harmful publication" due to its violence. Prefecture officials went on to ban sales of the game to minors. The prefecture of Saitama and prefecture of Osaka--the latter of which ironically happens to be the home of Japan's GTA3 publisher, Capcom--are also considering prohibiting the game's sale to minors. With movements toward gaming restrictions on the rise, a handheld gaming machine that can also play adult content may not be taken too well by regional Japanese governments.