Will PSP Minis compilations on UMD come next?
PSP Minis games will soon be available to PS3 owners, Sony has confirmed.
A PS3 firmware update, set for release on December 17, will install a Minis ‘emulator’ on the console, allowing people to buy and play the sub-100MB games.
“We are working on getting the majority of the current minis ready for the PS3 from the 17th December,” read a company statement.
The news comes after Sony Europe’s head of developer relations Zeno Colaco told Develop that the bite-sized games would likely arrive on PS3 – adding that a selection of Minis could also arrive on UMD compilation discs.
Today, Sony Europe has added that a purchased Minis title can work on both PSP and PS3. Users can re-download the game for free after they’ve made a purchase; thus giving them the chance to own the title on two devices.
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The major problem with releasing any type of game on the PSN is that you have to go through separate approval for SCEJ, SCEE, and SCEA, which, from what I've read, makes it very difficult and time-consuming to get your game distributed in all territories. Whereas with an XBLA game, you go through one approval process and can choose automatically to have your game distributed in Japan, Europe, and the US. Sony has made a conscious decision to not allow better integration between their different branches, which has made the PSN less desirable to developers.
Of course, with the more streamlined QA and approval process for Minis, it just might be worth it. Although you'll always be competing with classic PS1 games like Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, etc, which are priced fairly low as well.
