In America, poor sales of UMDs have led to retailers simply getting rid of the format altogether, or putting them in bargain bins, never to give them another look ever again. In Japan, however, Warner Bros. is trying a new strategy of trying to sell more UMDs. For the past few months, Warner Bros. has released movies at an official price of 980 yen (about $9 US). Surprise! For some reason, UMDs sold a lot better at that price. In fact, according to Gpara.com, it sold 10 times as more than normally.

Haven't we been telling companies for the longest time that if you want us to care about the format, it has to be dirt cheap? Looks like WB finally understood that. But can we hope that the rest of the market stops beating themselves with stupid sticks?

[Via PSP-Vault]

If you're upset that there are no UMD movies being released this week, you might want to head over to Circuit City to take advantage of one of the better PSP deals I've seen lately.

Whether this is an official sale or part of a larger UMD clearance strategy you can grab either The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe or Underworld Evolution for the hot, hot price of $9.99. At this price point, UMDs are viable as either an alternative or a complement to the DVD version of the films. And speaking of the films themselves, they rock.

You can check out the sale in Circuit City's Sunday ad or via their website.

I can't count how many times I've dropped my PSP while driving. It's very easy to lose your grip on the console while swerving to avoid livestock or pedestrians that happen to wander dangerously close to your vehicle. That's why I'm so thankful that somebody has finally released a good PSP car mount, allowing me to keep both hands on the wheel and at least one eye on my favorite UMD movies!

According to the accessory's manufacturer, Talismoon, the new mount is, "Very simple to install. It keeps your PSP at reach while driving or just sitting in the car. With all the applications available and soon coming on PSP, it is a great accessory for the PSP hard core user!"

I'll bet that this thing will be pretty handy when that PSP GPS add-on is released.

[Via GameShout]

Buy.com is now taking pre-orders for the PSP Entertainment Pack. At $250 (the same cost of a Value Pack), it includes a PSP system, 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, sampler UMD, ATV: Offroad Fury game and Lords of Dogtown UMD movie. Is it worth it? Let's find out:

• PSP Core System: $200
• 1GB Memory Stick Duo: $33
• ATV Offroad Fury: $20
• Lords of Dogtown: $26

The total price for all of these things combined is $279, which means you save $29 with the Combo, but honestly, unless you wanted to get all of those things, it's better off to get yourself the Core system and a Memory Stick of your choice.

[Via Playstation.com Forums]

I know how you all love rumors, and a new set of them have been making the rounds the last couple days. A gen[M]ay forum poster supposedly has access to all sorts of Playstation inside information, and he says Sony has huge plans for the future of the PSP and PS3.

Any kind of announcement like this should be met with a high degree of skeptivity, especially since a lot of his post is filled with blatant and hate-filled fanboyism.

Here's what he had to say:

• The PSP's GPS peripheral is currently on hold;
• The PSP PS1 emulator will be included in a firmware upgrade in October;
• The Playstation online store for the PSP and PS3 will launch before Nov. 13;
• A new PSP entertainment pack is coming next month. It will retail for $250 and will include a 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails, and the Lords of Dogtown UMD. No headphones will be included;
• Sony has plans to use the PS3-PSP connectivity similar to the Location Free Player in that you'll be able to see your PS3's screen on your PSP as long as they're both on the same network. However, this feature may not be ready in time for the PS3's launch but should be soon after;
• Sony plans for more than 200 new PSP titles between now and the end of the year; and
  
• The reason for the UMD flop can be blamed on Sony's "hands-off" approach concerning certain UMD stipulations, like pricing and extra content. Because of this, movie studios began releasing less than stellar movies with next to no special features. Sony isn't ready to give up on the UMD and plans to rectify this by instituting a $15 MSRP cap and all future UMDs must have the same features as their DVD equivalent.

Some of the information doesn't sound too far fetched, but unless Willy Wonka has secretly taken over at Sony, I don't think it will be able to push out more than 200 games within a little more than months. Oh well, it's fun to wonder, right? Check out the link for rumors concerning the PS3.

P.S. Can anyone find my very special, made up word of the day?

(Via the gen[M]ay forums)

If, for some reason, you missed out on the earlier buy 1 UMD, get 1 free deal from Deep Discount DVD, then I'm happy to tell you EBgames and Gamestop are offering a similar deal in store.

Some of the titles I suggest are Silent Hill, Starship Troopers, Black Hawk Down, Hellboy and XXX (Just kidding!).

The deal is running from Aug. 16 through 22, so you better hurry if you want to cash in on this deal.

(Via Cheapassgamer - Registration required)

UMDs... dead?! Yeah right! If they were dead, would they be discounted so heavily??? Uh...

Well, a good deal is still a good deal and this offer from Deep Discount DVD might nudge you to support the movie format. With pretty low prices and free shipping, it might be a nice addition to your PSP collection, just in case you want to avoid some really bad in-flight movies. My personal recommendation: get the brilliant Black Hawk Down and the bad, but beautiful, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

[Thanks buzaw0nk]

Can't get enough Sean Connery? Well, not many can, but you can help satiate your desires by picking up The Rock at Overstock for only $12. This movie proves that Connery, even at an elderly age, can still kick ass with the best of 'em.

But I, like many of you, haven't hopped on the UMD bandwagon due to their high price. With most UMDs releasing at the same or higher price as their DVD big brother, I don't see a reason to buy them at their full MSRP. Especially when you can rip the DVD and watch it on your PSP whenever you want. And with the recent announcement of Target discontinuing the sale of UMD movies, things don't bode well for Sony's new proprietary format.

But hopefully, UMD movies will start to see more price cuts, like The Rock, so they'll actually be priced reasonable enough to warrant a purchase.

[Via Cheapassgamer - Registration required]

Looks like Sony is starting to get the picture. Not a single person on this planet wants UMDs. So their solution is to start offering Memory Sticks with films preloaded. The film selection isn't that great in The Grudge, S.W.A.T., Hitch, and XXX: State of the Union, either. Still interested? Well, all you need to do is:

1. Buy the MSX-M1GSTEP or MSX-M2GSEP MemoryStick Entertainment Packs for $60 or $100, respectively at your local retailer.
2. Load up the enclosed DVD into your (Windows-only?) computer and select one of four previously-mentioned movies.
3. Use the enclosed code to unlock one (just one) of these movies, which can then be transferred to your PSP.
4. Figure out how to transfer your movie to the PSP without any included software to do so.
5. En...joy?

[Via Joystiq]

The UMD movies keep on coming but it appears that Target stores simply don't care. GamePro recently got the scoop that UMDs are now discontinued in all Target stores, as of last week. Could this be the beginning of the end of yet another one of Sony's proprietary formats? What will the death of UMD mean for Sony's other format baby, Blu-ray? And more importantly, if UMD does ultimately fail, what lessons will Sony learn? (none?)

I know I haven't bought a UMD movie in ages. Personally, I prefer not to pay an extra $10 for a movie that doesn't come with extras and only plays on a single device. I think a majority of Target customers PSP owners share the same opinion.

With the high price of games today, there's no reason any gamer should have to pay full price, and the CAGs at Cheapassgamer.com continually find some of the best deals around. I've sifted through them, found the very best PSP deals and compiled them to save you, my fellow fanboys, a few bucks. Keep in mind, you need to act fast because some of these deals may expire soon.

$10 UMD movies [CAG]
While I know many of you are holding out for the Hey Verne series to come to UMD, you can pick up some great UMDs while you're waiting for hell to freeze over. The following UMD movies are only $10 at For Your Entertainment (FYE) stores: Batman, The Goonies, Dukes of Hazzard, Spawn, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alien, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Da Ali G Show Season 1, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Version 4, Training Day, Rush Hour 1 and 2, Predator and Ong Bak: Thai Warrior.

1GB SanDisk Pro Duo for $38
The Dell Online Store has the memory stick for only $38. With the recent news of the 2.5/2.6 downgrader, a good-sized memory stick will go a long way in satisfying your homebrew needs. Buy it here.

Prince of Persia: Revelations for $16
Gamestop has dropped the price of Prince of Persia: Revelations to the low price of $18. However, you can get it cheaper by using the PPLAY15 code during checkout to receive 10 percent off, or use the SAVER code for free shipping. Revelations didn't receive the best reviews around - a 68 percent to be exact - but for $16, you can't go wrong. Click here.

Preorder Tekken: Dark Resurrection for $35 shipped [CAG]
Outpost is offering Namco's next-edition fighter for preorder for only $35 shipped. I'll be honest, I soured on this series after Tekken 2, but I know there's a few people out there who spend their nights dreaming of Nina Williams. Preorder it here.

Now, how's that for a slice of fried gold?

[Via CAG]

If you bought your PSP for gaming, it's going to be a slow week fanboys. However, if you're an avid movie watcher, there are actually a couple of decent UMDs headed your way. SHOW ME THE MONEY!

PSP UMD Releases

• Bad Boys 2
• Jerry Maguire
• Judas Priest: Live Vengeance '82
• Men in Black
  

PSP GAME Releases

• No new game releases this week

As always, availability is subject to manufacturer delivery. 

We should see some new games next week.

After all of last week's doom-and-gloom regarding the complete collapse of the PSP's UMD movie market, you certainly wouldn't expect to see too many releases going forward. That's why were so surprised at this week's substantial release list.

PSP UMD Releases

• Dude, Where's My CAr?
• 50 First Dates
• The Girl Next Door
• Heat
• Life on the Murder Scene
• Morrissey
• Scooby Doo: The Movie
• Shallow Hal

PSP GAME Releases

• Bust a Move Deluxe
• Cabela's Dangerous Hunts
• From Russia with Love
• Ultimate Challenge

Expect the UND release to begin ramping down over the next several months. As always, availability is subject to manufacturer delivery.

It was revealed early today that movies on Universal Media Discs--the oft-referred to bane of the PSPs existence--would probably not last much longer on the open market. While popular at its debut last year, subsequently weak UMD sales since then have forced many movie studios to cut back if not eliminate the availability of their films on the format.

While it's still strictly hearsay at the moment, Reuters reports that one of the country's biggest retailers, Wal-Mart, often considered the ultimate big honking pinnacle of retail sales, might wipe UMD movies off their shelves altogether.

Sony's previous announcement of a first-party PSP-to-TV adapter may have initially signaled a move towards increasing the adaptability of movie UMDs, however everything up to this point regarding the success or failure of the format have been little more than wild speculation and fanboy/fangirl chatter. There's no telling if Sony's late attention to the playability of UMDs on living room sets will help boost the popularity of UMDs, but until we find out we're keeping our eyes open for any crazy sales. $3 a disc, perhaps? Hey, we can dream.

[Via PSP Home. Thanks, Luke]

The tables are turning. Video releases this week are down to the lowest level seen yet with a single new entrant. Meanwhile the games ramp-up as we get another decent handful of mobile mayhem.

UMD Video Releases

• Epitaph Presents: Epitaph Tour 2005

PSP Game Releases

• Go Sudoku
• Kao Challengers
• Me and My Katamari
• Splinter Cell Essentials
• Capcom Classics
• Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble
• Worms: Open Warfare
  

Can't wait for Splinter Cell Essentials, personally. As always, availability is subject to manufacturer delivery.

[Updated: Added 3 releases that we missed as they hit after 3/21, but within the same week. Our release list has been reprimanded and threatened with shredding.]