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Sony's tale of woe with UMD (Universal Media Disc) movies seems to be reaching a conclusion. Despite a strong initial release, lackluster sales of the expensive releases of movies you probably own on DVD but can't yet play on your PSP because Sony wants to milk more money out of you have plumetted to the point where even Target won't stock them anymore. (And I thought they sold anything!)

But, never fear! Sony is getting the point. Well, not really, but at least they've realized that UMDs have gone the way of the dinosaur. Instead of relying on a physical format, Sony is now selling movies online. But it's complicated--they have a very limited selection of movies no one really wanted to see in the first place, and even though you download all four (yes, only four right now), you can only unlock a single one.

The best part of this deal is that the unlocking process automatically converts the movies to the right format, whereas movie enthusiasts who burn DVDs to watch on their PSP have to convert them to MPEG-4 themselves.

Of course, the natural way to read this scenario is that Sony screwed up with their overpriced UMD format in the first place, and that they're now trying to hang onto the movie market however they can. It's not like movie-to-memory-stick is a new concept for PSP owners! But Sony, the monolithic corporate entity which is never wrong, refutes this suggestion, insisting that they planned this all along, even if the UMD hadn't completely flopped.

Uh huh. Right.

Source: GameSpot

After acquiring several games formerly owned by the game published Acclaim in an auction last year, Toronto-based Throwback Entertainment announced that several of their higher-profile acquisitions would be brought to the next generation.

This announcement included some ofAcclaim's most recognizable titles, such as Vexx, Extreme-G Racing, and Legends of Wrestling. Now that the appropriately-named Throwback owns the rights to these games, they're well-placed to continue to expand the franchises with new, next-generation content.

This makes me wish that a certain other gaming company would auction some of its "throwback" games. It's sad that it takes dissolution to get a company to poop or get off the pot when it comes to out-dated video game franchises that still claim loyal fans.

Source: GameSpot

A new billboard in Holland advertising the white PlayStation Portable has sent a US civil rights group, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), into an uproar. The ad itself boasts a white woman with white hair and matching clothes grasping a black woman's jaw; the text reads, "PlayStation Portable White is Coming."

The San Jose branch of the NAACP issued a statement claiming Rick Callender, chapter president, had referred to what was a recent assertion of racism toward the seemingly innocent PSP game LocoRoco, stating: "The days of blacks being portrayed in minstrel shows ["blackface" music and comedy skits] are long gone, and with good reason. The minstrel show was an awful chapter in history and this ad smacks of that age and time."

Despite currently being exclusive to the Netherlands, Callender refocused his ire on the billboard. "The latest Sony ad conjures up bad memories of when stereotypical and offensive images of people of color were accepted means of selling a product. Sony should immediately apologize and discontinue these archaic advertising tactics." Leland Yee, California's Assembly Speaker, agreed with the comments made by Callender, adding: "I am deeply disappointed in Sony's senseless decision to publish this racially-charged advertisement. I can't begin to determine Sony's motivation but I believe this marketing strategy is unnecessary and is clearly offensive to many in our community."

In response to the NAACP, a Sony spokesperson has insisted that the images are not intended to be racially offensive nor are they meant to be taken as such.

"The marketing campaign for the launch of the White PSP in the Benelux focuses on the contrast between the Black PSP model and the new Ceramic White PSP model. All of the 100 or so images created for the campaign have been designed to show this contrast in colors of the PSPs, and have no other message or purpose."

One must wonder how different the arguement would have turned out had the same ad been for the black PSP instead...

Sources: EuroGamer
GAF - Billboard Images

Japan's Tokyo Game Show, scheduled to be held at the Chiba prefecture's Makuhari Messe from September 22nd through the 24th, should be packed with an alleged record number of participating companies this year. According to a recently updated list, the annual show's organizers are anticipating their largest ever group of 134 exhibitors presenting about 1,702 game related products. Additionally, over 160,000 in attendance are surmised for the 10th anniversary event - a total slightly below last year's.

The three-day show's theme this year, as disclosed by the Tokyo Game Show website, is "new stimulus, new feeling, new era." In the words of the Japanese game industry trade body Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA), "[the theme] is meant to reflect the changing and converging landscape, one in which consumer consoles, online games, mobile games and next-gen are all supported."

As a final note, Nintendo, formerly holding its Space World event each year as a means in which to publicly showcase its upcoming games and systems exclusively, will once again forgo making an appearance at the TGS.

For more information on the Tokyo Game Show, check out the event's official website (in English).

Source: Gamasutra

In a somewhat embarrassing and very costly twist of fate for Nintendo, a shipping container carrying a multitude of DS Lite systems as well as a large assortment of games worth a combined total of over $2.3 million (US) - rumored to have gone missing last week during its delivery to the UK - was publicly confirmed earlier today by GamesIndustry, on behalf of Nintendo, as stolen.

Having begun its trip from China, the metal crate turned up missing in Hong Kong after a brief journey rather shy of its European destination. As such, Hong Kong's police unit is willing to provide a several thousand dollar reward to anyone with helpful information regarding the retrieval of the handhelds.

Nintendo, meanwhile, has worked hastily to replace the stolen game units prior to their release date in Europe on June 23rd: "Nintendo is making every effort to ensure that there [are] enough product[s] available in the UK to meet market demand at launch." And heavy that demand may surely be; after all, the remodeled DS has thus far garnered enormous support all over Japan and throughout the US, where 135,000 systems flew off the shelves within just the first two days.

Not ending price debates, but merely modifying them, Nintendo confirmed today that the price for the Wii upon release will not be any higher than $250 US. In addition, Nintendo also predicts that they will ship more than 6 million units worldwide. Wii's price comes as a big relief to gamers looking to buy a next-generation system without emptying their entire savings account to do so - especially with the recent pricing news of Sony's PS3.

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For me, this only solidifies the decision I had already made to buy a Wii over any other system. A release price of at most $250 is a huge advantage for the system over the PS3 and even the XBox360, though a price drop is expected for the latter upon the release of the Wii.

Source: Pocket Lint