It's official: no UMD transfers to PSPgo

One of the biggest questions creating a dark cloud over the PSP hardware revamp, the PSPgo (other than, obviously, what on Earth Sony was thinking when it came to pricing the device) is how previous UMD purchases could transfer to the UMD-less console.

Sony has intimated that a program could be put in place to allow PSP game owners to transfer their physical media to the Flash storage of the PSPgo, but speaking to Kotaku, Sony has confirmed this won't be allowed.

"We were evaluating a UMD conversion program, but due to legal and technical reasons we will not be offering the program at this time," Sony officials said.

For newcomers to the platform this isn't likely to have a huge impact on their choice of console (the price tag will be the deciding factor there, most likely) but the news could put a serious crimp on console upgrades.

With a number of retailers around the world refusing to stock the PSPgo due to it encouraging consumers away from the shop shelves, this latest issue could be another strike against the device in many people's eyes.

UMD transfers were probably a long shot anyway, but should existing PSP owners tally up the amount they've spent on UMD games in the past, the cost of a PSPgo will be even harder to justify.