PSP rereleases planned for NGP - Report

When Sony unveiled its Next Generation Portable (NGP) last week, it said that downloadable titles for the PSP could be re-downloaded on the new handheld. As for games on the UMD format, the company offered no word on backward compatibility or replacement solutions.

Today, speaking with Japanese blog Gigazine (translated by Andria Sang), the company revealed that it does indeed have plans to rerelease PSP UMD games on the NGP's proprietary flash-based data cards. It did say, however, that rights issues may prevent the rerelease of some games onto the new format.

As for those with large existing libraries of UMDs, Sony told the blog that it is looking into possible solutions. However, it has nothing to announce at this time other than it is trying to get more PSP games onto the PlayStation Store. Sony offered similar statements when it launched the PSP Go in 2009, but ultimately opted not to offer UMD transfers or vouchers. The company also reportedly said that it has no plans to offer a UMD reader device for the NGP.

US Sony reps had not responded to requests for further comment on the Gigazine article as of press time. For more information on the NGP, check out GameSpot's complete NGP coverage and NGP FAQ.