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Old News '03: UMD Is The Way To Go

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There's no room for you in the PSPgo, UMD. But, yes, Sony used to say you were awesome. That started six years ago.

You are reading Kotaku's once-weekly (sort of) journey back to yesteryear. This week, I wanted to commemorate the launch of the PSPgo with a look at the piece of technology not being invited to the party. The UMD.

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We go back to May 13, 2003 and Sony is releasing a press release to describe the wonders of the new PSP. The title of the release is "Sony Computer Entertainment Readies for Market Expansion With Creation of a New Handheld Entertainment Platform."

The foundation of this new platform is Universal Media Disc (UMD), which comprises of a 60mm optical disc (1.8 GB) in a cartridge, developed by the Sony Group, utilizing its latest disc technologies. Compared to the out-dated mask ROM cartridge, optical disc has huge advantages such as shorter turn around time for manufacturing, larger data capacity and lower media costs. The latest copy-protection technology will be applied to offer content developers and publishers a safe and copy-protected environment.

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The PSP continues to do better than many thought. But the UMD? Well... Farewell, "out-dated mask ROM cartridge"! Right?