Will UMD movies be collectible?

[Blanka789]

I was just wondering about people's opinion here: If the rarest title for the PSP is a movie, would you buy it? Would you put it on a videogame shelf? If indie releases start showing up, we could see this happen. I went into BestBuy and saw very few games and an unbeleivable selection of UMD movies, and was just wondering how you could ever hope to collect all of them?

[Joker T]

No I see more of UMD movies than UMD Games

[ozyr]

No I see more of UMD movies than UMD Games

LOL LOL LOL

That's what I find funny, more movies than games. Sad, but true.

Collectable though, probably in about 15-20 years!

[Damion]

No I see more of UMD movies than UMD Games

LOL LOL LOL

That's what I find funny, more movies than games. Sad, but true.

Collectable though, probably in about 15-20 years!

hey thats about when I'm going to buy my UMD Movie set for a complete PSP collection LOL

[roushimsx]

They'll probably become as collectable as CEDs (http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html)

[kainemaxwell]

No I see more of UMD movies than UMD Games
Totally. The PSP stuff we have in my store is mostly UMD movies with maybe a few games thrown in here and there! @_@

[Slimedog]

Who the hell is buying UMD movies? Twice as much as DVDs, you have to rebuy all of your old movies and a PSP costs way more than a portable DVD player. This hurts my head so much, but I won't deny that they seem to be selling like hotcakes.

[badinsults]

You would be amazed at how many people want UMD movies. I bet you in a year that more people will have bought PSPs for movies than games. I have met several people who wanted a PSP just for movies.

[LiquidX01]

No I see more of UMD movies than UMD Games

LOL LOL LOL

That's what I find funny, more movies than games. Sad, but true.



That's because it's ALOT more easier to stick a movie onto a UMD than it is making a game...No one should be shocked at the rate UMD movies are popping up.

[Slimedog]

You would be amazed at how many people want UMD movies. I bet you in a year that more people will have bought PSPs for movies than games. I have met several people who wanted a PSP just for movies.

It wouldn't amaze me at all. I've seen the shelves and shelves of movies and I'm sure people are buying them. My question is why? If step 1 is walk into a game store (or Wal Mart) and step 3 is walk out with a UMD movie, then WHAT IN GOD"S NAME WAS STEP 2?

I really have to stretch to envision a scenario where buying UMD movies is preforable to playing DVDs on a portable player. Maybe if a person came straight from VHS and didn't ever have any DVDs and wanted to watch movies on the sly at work, thus necessitating the smallest possible movie viewing hardware. Or maybe a hobo suddenly came into a lot of money and wanted to finally see Ghostbusters, but didn't want to lug a TV and DVD player along with him on the boxcar.

The only bit of insight I have on this is my brother in law. He wants a PSP and tells me he would buy movies for it. Because its sexy. Like an iPod. He wants to buy movies he already owns and pay twice as much for them as he did originally so he can watch them on a screen thats about 4 inches wide. Could somebody whose actually buying UMD movies please enlighten me on their motivations? This is keeping me up at night.

[badinsults]

The reasoning? Maybe they aren't gamers?

[Gemini-Phoenix]

Possibly. Just like Betamax movies. But it all depends on how many get released, in what numbers, and what films. If Sony keep it as a unique format to just release their own films, then yes, collectable.

I wonder how long it'll be before we start seeing a little variation. Ie, Dvd' started by looking all the same, but soon after companies started releasing Dvd's in all manner of weird and wonderful style cases. Ie, Cardboard sleeves and box sets Etc...

Wonder if / when stuff like the Lord Of The Ring's box sets will come out?

Also wonder if they will be doing two-disc UMD releases which mimic Dvd's, with a second disc for all bonus's...


I honestly think £20 is far too much though, especially seeing as most these movies can be had for as little as a fiver on Dvd, which most people already own anyway.

This is the very mistake that Sony made with the Mini-Disc ~ They released titles which could be had for half as much on Cd, so people didn't bother. I see the same fate for UD's unless they:

A) Lower the price by at least half
B) Make th format more versatile, Ie, create freestanding units for use on Tv's / PC's
C) Release re-recordable ones, so people can put their own content on blank discs (Like a Cdr or blank Mini-Disc)


Plus, they will have to monitor the quality of the films that get released. So far they have all been pretty decent titles, but it won't be long before all the age old crappy films start to appear ~ Things that you avoid in the bargain bins at HMV and are on Tv like five times a year.

[-hellvin-]

NO

No one hates the UMD movies more than I do. I have to deal with these stupid things at best buy. It takes up a horde of shelf space in the game section and not only is there a ton of them, but they DO NOT sell well AT ALL. With the insane abundance they put out, I don't at all see them becoming "rare". It's also annoying how much we have in the warehouse. The middle section of our warehouse game stock is psp movies, all 7 shelves. That used to have all our ps2 overstock, but now it's overflowing with movies. We hardly have enough cases for other games now because of the stupid movies and they have a umd movie release practically every Tuesday now. Ugh, sorry....I just hate the damn umd movies as I'm sure you can tell.

[Fuku-san]

as collectable as power rangers pogs

[Jasoco]

I'm keeping an eye on these things because eventually Kmart will decide to clearance a few... I hope... time will tell. Then I'll grab a good one or two up. Admittedly, there ARE some movies I'd love to have on my PSP. But yes, $15-$20 for a movie with no features that can only be played on one device is a bit high. But I am glad it's retail price and not what they are supposed to sell for. $30? I've never even seen a normal movie selling at their normal "$30" price in a Retail store. It's always $20 or $22 if it's a Disney movie and is big. (Pirates, which is another UMD I'd love to have.)

[Gemini-Phoenix]

I give it until Xmas, and then I reckon UMD movies will start to go down in price to get rid of them. Either that, or they will have to do something special with them to make them more appealing, like creating special Limited Edition packs maybe with the Dvd included as well.

In the case of something like Advent Children, perhaps a special pack which includes FF7 (The game), Advent Children (The Dvd) and the UMD as well.


Or, they'll have to exclusively release something on UMD and NOT Dvd.


But if you think back to 1999, Dvd's weren't selling until the PS2 got released, by which time they took off like a concord!

But we also have Blu-Ray discs on their way soon as well as other formats. It's going to be a bloody war, adn I can't see people committing to replacing all their favourite films every couple of years when a new format comes out, especially if they have only just finished doing so from Video's to Dvd's, as I have almost done.

People are happy with Dvd's, same as we are happy with Cd's. We don't require change. The only people buying these new formats will be "New" adults who haven't previously owned any othr format, or fanboys who just want every format of their favourite film.


If UMD's are to survive, Sony had better rethink their plans and create a UMD rewriter for PC's that lets people copy their Dvd's and put them onto UMD. Now that REALLY woul be the future of portability.


What get's my goat is, the PSP was initially designed as a handheld games console which happens to double as a film medium, yet people are viewing it as a portable film unit which also plays games... This is the exact reason why the N-Gage failed as it was marketed as a mobile phone that plays games, instead of a games console which doubles as a phone...

[Vectorman0]

I think in the future, when the PSP has lost support, only the really good movies that are scarce will sell for what they retailed at.

[98PaceCar]

I don't understand people buying a PSP for just the movies, but I do understand why the movies are selling. Pure convenience. I travel pretty much one week out of each month and it's damn nice to have a movie or two with me to watch without having to break out a laptop or even one of the portable dvd players. The quality of umd movies is great and the convenience factor is extremely high. Yea, I already own some of the umds on dvd and with a 1gb card I could easily rip and convert the movies to take with me, but that takes a pretty good chunk of time that I'm not always willing to spend. Much easier to grab a umd off the shelf and go!

Now in all fairness, I haven't bought a single umd for what Gamestop or EB sells them for. I've been getting them for around $11-$13, so that makes the decision much easier, at least for me.

[Gamereviewgod]

I give it until Xmas, and then I reckon UMD movies will start to go down in price to get rid of them.

Why would they do that when they're selling like they are at the current price? What were the figures? It was something like 8.9 million movies and 9.6 million games have been sold to date. They're not going to "get rid of them" with sales like that.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

I give it until Xmas, and then I reckon UMD movies will start to go down in price to get rid of them.

Why would they do that when they're selling like they are at the current price? What were the figures? It was something like 8.9 million movies and 9.6 million games have been sold to date. They're not going to "get rid of them" with sales like that.

I can't see where they are getting those figures from. Shops in my town still have a majority of their stocks, and almost all are reporting poor sales of UMD's at £20 a piece.

Only way they said they are managing to shift a load are by bundling them with the consoles, which is probably where half those figures you quoted above are coming from.

Out of everyone I know who now owns a PSP, none of them have bought any UMD's. And everyone I have talked to (Even store managers) have said that they wouldn't buy them at that price, as they ARE clearly overpriced.


Sony do this with new format's though. They ALWAYS release things like this at expensive prices to try and get the maximum revenue from the stupid people with more money than sense. They did it with Mini-Disc's and Dvd's and now they are doing it again. It's a trend that always happens with new gaming software as well.


Example: Spider-Man on Dvd can be bought for as little as £6.99 in most stores now. The 3 disc "Deluxe" edition can be got for under a tenner brand new. Who honestly would then go and pay £20 for the same film on UMD? (And remember, it's JUST the film, no bonus's)

Do you not deny that people who are paying £20 per UMD are stupid idiots knowing this fact?


Bearing in mind that most people will already probably own the film, and have seen it a good many times already.


Besides, say you have a two-three hour train journey ahead of you ~ Why would anyone want to spend that time watching a film they have already seen, when they could be playing games? After all, it IS a game console.

And these are the only people who UMD films are going to appeal to. No one is going to honestly sit in their living room and watch a two hour film on a tiny screen, wneh they can just as easially put it on the Tv.

[Oobgarm]

It all hinges on Sony - if they put a UMD drive in a standard piece of home theater equipment, then I say no.

If the PSP remains as the only piece of equipment that plays UMD, then I say yes, but only for completists or maybe (for lack of a better term)'system whores'. The average collector isn't going to go after them, aside from the few titles that catch their fancy. Hell, I have one UMD movie myself. But I'm certainly not going to go after them all.

Since I've been doing DP's PSP list, I've been tracking UMD as well. If these ever do catch on with collectors, there are some really oddball releases that not every retailer is carrying. Check out www.dvdempire.com to see what I mean.

[Gamereviewgod]

I can't see where they are getting those figures from. Shops in my town still have a majority of their stocks, and almost all are reporting poor sales of UMD's at £20 a piece.

Then your shops suck. Retailers are loving these things. Only a million shipped with the Spidey UMD. The rest are off the shelf. Some retailers plan to expand their UMD sections by Christmas to make room for the new product.

Here's an article for you (Gamespot had the same one):

http://www.tomshardware.com/hardnews/20050831_104644.html


Do you not deny that people who are paying £20 per UMD are stupid idiots knowing this fact?.

I'm not arguing that. I agree.

[allsport11]

UMD's?? I am still buying Laserdiscs. :) Sony better hope they come out with another way to play UMD's. What happens if the PSP doesn't last as long as they hope and everyone is stuck with all these movies that they can't play? They better include a UMD slot on the PS3 or at least a add-on. ;)

[rbudrick]

I went to Wal Mart last week, and went to the PSP section. There was a huge display that normally houses games and UMD movies, but there were NO GAMES in it. In fact, I couldn't find any PSP games anywhere. I asked the clerk where they were and she pointed out a very small selection (4 or 5 games) near the GBA and DS section, which was huge.

WTF!!?? Wal Mart didn't even have empty slots where the games were supposed to go...they just plain didn't have any. They sure had UMD movies up the ass though...

-Rob

[Capybara554321]

the only one i can see anyone getting is stelth only because it comes with the first 3 levels of wipeout pure and you can play as the plane from the movie. that atleast gives you something for wasting your money on a useless format let alone a useless movie. but if more do this then they may sell better.

[Cryomancer]

as collectable as power rangers pogs

You got some? I wouldn't mind picking up some, if you've got some three-hole pog holding sheet to go with it. :D

[goatdan]

UMD movies would only become collectible by an overzealous collector of PSP stuff. I don't think they'll be "mainstream" collectible, like the games or another system... but to those people (like myself) that sometimes go overboard on getting every little revision... yah, someone will do it.

By the way for those arguing about it, they're selling, and they are selling DAMN good. (Also, totally baffling to me too.) I believe that UMDs are on pace to outsell games by the end of the year, and that they are selling at a much higher rate than games at the same time.

[Aussie2B]

Who the hell is buying UMD movies? Twice as much as DVDs, you have to rebuy all of your old movies and a PSP costs way more than a portable DVD player. This hurts my head so much, but I won't deny that they seem to be selling like hotcakes.

While I agree that it's retarded, I can at least explain the reasoning of my brother-in-law. He bought a PSP pretty much right away because he had the money to blow, he bought Metal Gear and Vampire Savior, and I don't think he's bought a game since. He has, however, been buying movies, and talking about buying both DVD and UMD versions of the movies he likes. His main reason for doing this is because he already put down all that money for the PSP itself, so he feels possessed to buy SOMETHING for it, just so he doesn't feel like he wasted his money.

[LiquidX01]

I have to deal with these stupid things at best buy. It takes up a horde of shelf space in the game section and not only is there a ton of them, but they DO NOT sell well AT ALL.

This doesn't surprise me at all considering the outrageous prices Best Buy is charging for them. $30 for Kill Bill, and the majority of the other titles are $20... I wouldn't spend that amount for them and I don't blame consumers for not buying them there neither.

The local Wal-Marts don't have a problem getting rid of UMD movies at all. Then again, The majority of their selection is priced at $14.88...I have also found that Wholesale clubs like BJ's and Sam's Club are selling 99% of their UMD movie's for $13.

These movies are selling in large numbers...I guess people just refuse to buy them at places that overcharge like a mofo...

[DogP]

Personally, I'd never buy UMD movies, but one of my friends has an hour commute everyday downntown on a bus, and he said lots of people have PSPs and watch movies on the bus. I don't understand why someone would buy the UMD movie though, since I think you can just buy a large memory stick and rip your own DVD onto that, but I guess some people probably aren't technical enough to do that.

And I think they probably will make a UMD player for home if the movies end up lasting, but I really doubt it'll sell well except to the people that REALLY make a collection of UMDs... but I think most people buying the movies are just buying one here and there just to have some entertainment when they're on the road, I doubt anyone is buying them, taking them home, and watching them in their recliner :P .

Also, you've gotta remember that people that bought the PSP already must have money to blow considering the system is $250, so $30 for a movie probably doesn't bother them... when the prices drop on PSPs, the cheaper people will pick it up, and the movie sales will probably level off or drop.

DogP

[Blanka789]

Will you need the UMD movies to have a complete PSP collection?

[Cryomancer]

Do you need to own ever CD+G to have a complete Sega CD collection?

UMD is a format, it may eventually end up in things other than PSPs (I've seen one commercial that advertised a movie as being out on DVD AND PSP, pissed me right off), and as such I wouldn't think so. Don't be surprized if you see UMD standalones eventually, or sony players with slots for them. They're just using the PSP as a vehical for them.

[Joker T]

Will you need the UMD movies to have a complete PSP collection?

I would have to say yes only because it is a new format based around the PSP.

[Jasoco]

No, it's a format based on UMD. The PSP is a device based on UMD. I don't believe a PSP collector will ever need to buy a single UMD Movie. Not if it's in the "UMD Video" packaging. Only games count in my book.

[Zing]

The weird thing is that UMD movies are specifically marked as "UMD VIDEO FOR PSP" and all the online retailers I checked have them advertised as "for PSP".

I don't think anyone thinking rationally will expect a complete UMD collection to be required for a complete PSP set.

PS: WHO THE HELL IS ACTUALLY PAYING MONEY FOR THESE THINGS?!?! heh.

[Blanka789]

Do you need to own ever CD+G to have a complete Sega CD collection?

UMD is a format, it may eventually end up in things other than PSPs (I've seen one commercial that advertised a movie as being out on DVD AND PSP, pissed me right off), and as such I wouldn't think so. Don't be surprized if you see UMD standalones eventually, or sony players with slots for them. They're just using the PSP as a vehical for them.

What about collecting the CD-i movies? You wouldn't have to get the CD+G's unless they were liscensed specifically by Sega, which Sony does with UMD's.

[Slimedog]

Would you need the 3DO videos to have a complete 3DO collection? I wouldn't consider video only media to be games and thus would not be necessary to have a complete game collection. However I can understand how others would dissagree.

[Cryomancer]

Do you need to own ever CD+G to have a complete Sega CD collection?

UMD is a format, it may eventually end up in things other than PSPs (I've seen one commercial that advertised a movie as being out on DVD AND PSP, pissed me right off), and as such I wouldn't think so. Don't be surprized if you see UMD standalones eventually, or sony players with slots for them. They're just using the PSP as a vehical for them.

What about collecting the CD-i movies? You wouldn't have to get the CD+G's unless they were liscensed specifically by Sega, which Sony does with UMD's.

Sony does that because it's a format they made up and they want to have complete control over it. They've done this quite a few times now.

[jdc]

UMD movies are the greatest thing to ever come along. I love the things. If you're paying twice as much for a UMD than a DVD.....then the area that you live in has a problem. UMDs are far LESS than the retail price of DVDs everywhere. That's the payoff for shelling out the money for the PSP. The newly released Sin City on DVD....$30. Sin City on UMD....$19.

Why are UMDs great? Portability is a bonus, yes, but for me it isn't the main motivator. It's the fact that I can get a theatre quality picture AND sound without having to spend thousands on a home theatre system that I can't afford. If I want to watch a movie and the television is stuck on the latest episode of Trading Spaces then I have my own private space where I can't hear the tv and they can't hear me....and the PSP's volume is booming.

It isn't just movies. There are concerts in the works as well. Regardless of whether making UMD is cheap....there IS still a cost involved, and I don't think that Sony would have started this ball rolling simply to sell PSPs to non-gamers. There has to be something larger in the works, such as a UMD player for home use. Perhaps the Sony Discman is ready for an overhaul, UMD will be the new format, and the PSP is a test bed. Who knows....but something is going on. It isn't necessarily a negative as most of you have decided. It's exciting and new.

The funniest thing about being a PSP owner is going to Blockbuster and overhearing hardcore movie buffs freaking out over this new UMD format in these skinny cases that they're looking at......but they haven't heard of a PSP yet.

Give it a chance and wait and see before you write it off as a waste of time and money.

[Jasoco]

I would love to know what RETAIL store you have gone to that sells new DVD's for $30! I mean seriously. I keep seeing this, but I have NEVER seen a DVD in the wild at any store for that price.

[Muscelli]

I would love to know what RETAIL store you have gone to that sells new DVD's for $30! I mean seriously. I keep seeing this, but I have NEVER seen a DVD in the wild at any store for that price.

Been to Samgoody or Suncoast lately? A lot of movies are overpriced there..

[Jasoco]

Sorry, I don't consider those kinds of specialty stores "Retail" rather "Ripoff". So no, I don't shop there. I'm talking about regular retail stores.

[petewhitley]

UMD movies are the greatest thing to ever come along. I love the things. If you're paying twice as much for a UMD than a DVD.....then the area that you live in has a problem. UMDs are far LESS than the retail price of DVDs everywhere. That's the payoff for shelling out the money for the PSP. The newly released Sin City on DVD....$30. Sin City on UMD....$19.

Why are UMDs great? Portability is a bonus, yes, but for me it isn't the main motivator. It's the fact that I can get a theatre quality picture AND sound without having to spend thousands on a home theatre system that I can't afford. If I want to watch a movie and the television is stuck on the latest episode of Trading Spaces then I have my own private space where I can't hear the tv and they can't hear me....and the PSP's volume is booming.

It isn't just movies. There are concerts in the works as well. Regardless of whether making UMD is cheap....there IS still a cost involved, and I don't think that Sony would have started this ball rolling simply to sell PSPs to non-gamers. There has to be something larger in the works, such as a UMD player for home use. Perhaps the Sony Discman is ready for an overhaul, UMD will be the new format, and the PSP is a test bed. Who knows....but something is going on. It isn't necessarily a negative as most of you have decided. It's exciting and new.

The funniest thing about being a PSP owner is going to Blockbuster and overhearing hardcore movie buffs freaking out over this new UMD format in these skinny cases that they're looking at......but they haven't heard of a PSP yet.

Give it a chance and wait and see before you write it off as a waste of time and money.

It's nice to hear the opinion of someone who's embraced the format. Thanks for posting that; hopefully it will help others understand the appeal of UMDs.

[McBacon]

When looking at people's game collections, they don't seem to have a problem with DVD collections near there games, so If a fantastic/rare movie comes out on UMD, I'll put it in my DVD collection.