Come on now, how transparent can they be? GamesIndustry.biz reports that while Sony Computer Entertainment is dismayed that adult content is going to be released for the PSP in its UMD video format, they are powerless to stop it. Didn’t Sony create the UMD format in the first place? And who actually manufactures the disks? This looks like a pretty transparent tactical move to me. The article speculates that one reason the VHS format won out over Sony’s Betamax was the refusal of Sony to allow pornography on Betamax. I’d never heard that one before, but clearly, with respect to competing with Nintendo in the handheld console space, porn is something we will never see allowed on any Nintendo machine. So by giving a wink and nod to porn on the PSP, Sony can score points on a field where Nintendo will never play. Oddly enough, if pornographic movies do happen to boost PSP sales, it will likely encourage the release of more "legitimate" fare in the UMD video format.
American moralists need not get upset yet. Adult movies will only be available for the PSP in Japan. And we all know how much Americans hate to import porn….riiiiiight…