Sony has recently told people how they can expect to get their physical PSP games onto their Vita.  This is an important clarification, as backwards compatibility is a key deciding adoption factors for a lot of gamers.  Myself included.  This is an important clarification to me, as I really would like to know if I can load my copies of games like Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Persona 3 Portable and, most importantly, OutRun 2006: Coast to Coast.

Luckily, the Japanese PlayStation Vita site has the details.  In order to transfer your PSP games to digital PSN titles, you will need to download the UMD Passport System App from the PSN.  You will run the UMDs game by game to register the game, and this will register them to your account.  Then, for a small fee, you will be able to redownload your games.  This actually seems like a great system, and the fees aren't that high at all.  The fees, only revealed in Yen so far, range from 500 Yen for games like Guilty Gear Judgment to roughly 1,500 yen for newer games like Persona 3 Portable.  In American currency, that is roughly between $6 and $19.

The system seems relatively hassle free, though I'm sure some will complain.  I just hope I can continue to play OutRun on the new system when the Vita comes out next year.