PS3 Stores Up PSP with PS1 Games

Ever since Sony Computer Entertainment President Kaz Hirai showed the world the original Ridge Racer (make that "Riiiiidge Racer!!!!") from the PS1 running on PSP, handheld gamers have been eagerly awaiting final details of the classic game emulation feature due on PSP. At SCE's Gamers Day, the company finally revealed one big missing piece of the puzzle, which was how those PS1 games would get on PSP's Memory Stick.


The answer to that is surprisingly easy: The PSP can get its games from PlayStation Store debuting on PS3 this November. Instead of building a separate network specifically for PSP or trying to connect PSP up to Sony Corporation's Connect service (both of which were previously assumed prior to SCE's announcement that the PlayStation Store would be ready for the PS3 launch), Sony Computer Entertainment has simplified the process by working inside the PlayStation family. Log onto the PlayStation Store, find your games, buy them, download them, and enjoy them. The PS1 games you buy on the system will be playable both on your PSP and eventually on your PS3 console -- the same compacted file runs on both machines with the right emulation.
For now, this feature seems restricted to PS3, as there is no version of PlayStation Store on PSP. It is possible and highly likely that the PlayStation Store will also be integrated into the PSP in a future PSP firmware update (technically, the store looks to simply be a heavily modified and closed-network website.) That being said, it is unknown exactly when or if that future update is planned -- we assume that if it was ready on PSP, SCE would have done double-announcement duty by telling the press that the PlayStation Store was launching on both PS3 and PSP this November, but the company made no mention of PSP utilizing the feature at the event or prior PlayStation showcases. For now, the console looks to be the means of digital distribution until the PSP gets its hook-up into that same network.

A number of PlayStation 1 games, such as Jet Moto, Twisted Metal, and Syphon Filter were listed on the PlayStation Store already, although the demo store was set up purely for demonstration only and there's no promise that these specific titles will be available for PSP when PS3 launches, if ever. (Frankly, we have no clue how Jet Moto will be brought to PSP ... that game took all 10 fingers and some toes to control, so we don't know how it will cope without some of the needed buttons.) Pricing on the PlayStation Store is expected to not tip over $15 for downloads, so pricing for these game downloads may be in that range (SCE was not clear if it was only referring to PS3 downloadable games in determining that price.)

Update -- 10/20/2006: Speaking to SCE Marketing Vice President Peter Dille, GameDaily BIZ was able to confirm that a "PSP downloads site" was up and running to distribute PSP games without the use of PS3, although this stops short of confirming that the full PlayStation Store will be on PSP as soon as the next PSP update releases.

We plan on taking our PSP shopping as soon as PS3 launches and the PlayStation Store goes up, so we'll give you impressions of PS1 gaming on PSP as soon as the games are available.