Despite recent reports of a UMD Movie release slowdown, Sony keep churning them out, among the new releases you can catch the following titles:

There have been reports that Sony is planning to release a new version of the PSP featuring 8GB of NAND flash memory from Samsung.

Original plans to supply the device with a microdrive seem to have disappeared amid speculation of fairly heavy price negotiations between Sony and Samsung over costs for the NAND memory.

Such an increase in capacity would have mixed results in the market.  A larger storage space would do nothing to help falling UMD Movie sales, and also open up the PSP more to piracy.  On the flip side however, more storage would undoubtedly be a perk for any potential PSP owners, especially if the 2nd version has a cost which is easy to swallow above the current PSP prices.

The number of UMD Movie titles to be released for the PSP is set to be slashed due to lower than expected sales on the proprietary format.

Sony and other studios plan to pull back the agressive title rollouts, amid market reports that titles in the comedy genre, sell through much more than others.  Hardly surprising news when you consider the core demographic of the average PSP owner.

The news is disappointing to those who consider the future of the Universal Media Disc format bright, as the recent events come after sales of UMD Movies looked set to beat that of UMD Gaming titles in late 2005, and indeed sales of UMD Videos hit the half million mark in quicker time than the DVD did upon release.

In a move perhaps designed to counteract the news, Sony (SCEA) are promoting a  new adapter which will allow UMD Movies to be viewed via regular TV sets.

Sony has recently announced it plans to release DVD/UMDM combo packages -- meaning the consumer will be able to own both the UMD Video Disc and the DVD of a title for around $30 USD.

The will effectively help to bridge the gap between DVD loyalists and current PSP owners, by giving them the opportunity to own both for little extra than a single copy, and in turn boost the popular of the Sony PSP over mobile DVD players.

Amazon are offering a large selection of Sony UMD movies under a buy 2, get $12 off deal.

Plenty of classic titles are available and offers a great way to bolster your collection.

Enter 'SPHEUMDFEB67' at checkout to qualify for the deal.

Hot on the heels of the annoucement of a mapping application for the Sony PSP, rumours are abound of a hardware GPS product for the mobile device.

Certainly, GPS functionailty, whether home grown in at a Sony Farm or even a 3rd party is welcome and one wonders why such a feature was not incorporated internally from the word go.

The GPS device is purported to sit atop the unit, and be run based on UMD based software (which will also be the medium for updates to to street level detail. All seems a little cumbersome but GPS news is welcome news as far as it concerns the PSP.

Sony PSP owners in Japan will soon be available to browse a fully featured mapping application on the move.

The mapping software allows users browse city locations, and find places of interest such as restaurants and attractions with ease, in addition to being able to add comments on those places which can be exchange via wifi with other PSP users.

The UMD mapping software will retail for just under 4,000 yen / $33 USD.

Many PSP advocates hope this is just a pre-emptive move to an official GPS product being available for the unit.

In a recent press release, Sony has announced sales of 6.2 million PSP units during the busy holiday season.

The figures amount the total sales of the Sony PSP to 15 million worldwide.

The earlier release of the PSP to the European market no doubt has boosted sales in this quarter, however impressive figures and a following which is growing sronger daily, seems to be firmly setting the PSP into the mobile console history books.

Star Wars fansite TheForce.net has reported that there are currently no plans for a UMD release of any of the 6 titles.

TheForce.net noted that the comments from Lucasfilm, did not include a straight "No" therefore it did not rule out future releases. 

Sony Computer Entertainment America have announced the release of 6 brand-new UMD gaming titles, due for release in the first quarter of 2006.

A varied mix of titles, released on the Universal Media Disc (UMD) format, follows unprecedented demand and distribution of the Sony PlayStation POrtable (PSP) unit in the holiday season of 2005.

Online e-tailer Deep Discount DVD has launched a Buy One Get One Free promotion on it's vast selection of Sony UMD movies.

With around 50 Sony UMD titles available - prices start at a reasonable $14.27, with the least expensive UMD movie title yours for free.  A decent deal, when you consider that shipping is free - pay what you see.

Head on over and pick up a bargain.

Amazon.com now boasts a catelogue of over 250 UMD movies, available for immediate delivery, or as pre-order titles.  Universal media disc  Chart toppers at the retail site include Napoleon Dynamite and animated cartoon series Family Guy.

Source: i4u