Sony to release first game-movie hybrid UMD

Often when a movie bombs at the box office, its distributor tries some sort of gimmick to get people to buy it on DVD. Typically, this means a slew of extras, like the feature-length commentary track on Without a Paddle or, in the case of Alexander, a drastically re-edited "director's cut."

However, today Sony announced a new strategy to get home video consumers to pick up a film they shunned in theaters. Today, the company announced the first game-movie hybrid UMD, which will feature both a feature-length film and a playable game on a single disc.

On November 15, Sony will release the military sci-fi film Stealth, which slipped under most summer moviegoers' radar, on UMD. The portable version of the $130-million-budget, $31-million-grossing film will come with the first three levels of the best-selling PSP racing game Wipeout Pure. It will also feature a "Stealth" track not found in the regular version of the game, which will let players race as the advanced fighter jet from Stealth. However, it will still sport the same three modes (single race, zone, and time trial) and speed levels (vector/beginner, venom/intermediate, and flash/expert) as the full game.

Dubbed "Wipeout Pure: Stealth Edition," the truncated game will be on the same UMD as the film, a first for the format. The UMD will also include the PSP 2.0 firmware upgrade, which installs an Internet browser on the portable multimedia device/game deck.

Unfortunately, those hoping to get both Stealth and Wipeout Pure: Stealth Edition at a bargain price are out of luck. The disc will retail for $39.95, which is more than the $19.95-$29.95 MSRP for UMD movies but less than most UMD games, which typically sell for $49.99.