In a move geared at encouraging PSP owners to trade up for the upcoming PSPgo, Sony will offer three free games from a list of 17 popular titles to users who upgrade.
The PSPgo eliminates the disc-based UMD model in favor of a download-only solution, although Sony has stated plans to support both disc and digital formats for all its PSP games going forward.
However, the issue of how to address current PSP owners who want to buy a PSPgo but have already invested in a library of discs has remained a question mark ahead of the handheld's October launch.
PSPgo purchasers who log into PlayStation Network with their old model can receive an email voucher for the free games, to be used with their new PSPgo. The promotion period will last from October 1 through March 2010, and any user who owns a prior-gen PSP and at leas one UMD disc can participate, so long as they register their PSPgo within the alloted period.
The voucher program has only been announced thus far for the UK, but it's likely Sony will implement a similar initiative for other regions. According to
UK news site Eurogamer, the full list of titles from which users can choose three free downloads is as follows:
Buzz!: Brain Bender
Buzz!: Master Quiz
Daxter
Echochrome
Everybody's Golf PSP
Killzone: Liberation
Lemmings PSP
LocoRoco
MediEvil
Patapon
Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Resistance: Retribution
SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow
WipEout