As originally posted on IGN
Our Japanese correspondent warned us that this news was on the way after hearing reports of interest on this side of the business, but it's absolutely official now: Japanese adult video producers will be releasing UMD Video erotica for play on PlayStation Portable. The first company to get the PSP all hot and bothered has already announced five titles for Japan, with more to come.
GLAY'z's official website is currently listing five titles for release in Japan this July on the PSP's video format (and no, we won't pass you the link to that site. All five discs will feature explicit content -- these aren't the softcore AV Idol releases you might expect being released for play on a videogame machine -- and most are uncensored. Titles announced so far include four featuring perhaps-known Japanese porno queens (we won't personally cop to knowing who these starlets are), with the fifth being part of an ongoing series of tapes from the GLAY'z hunting hounds, focusing on certain perversions that can only be summed up by the icky, icky subtitle of the disc: "Premature flesh is the area which became wet hotly."
The full title spread includes the following UMD Video discs scheduled for release in Japan (and nowhere else) so far:
July 8: The Nurse of a Big Breast - Mitsu Amai (3800 yen, uncensored)
Summary:
A UMD Video disc release of the Japanese erotic video release. The material on this UMD is obviously NOT intended for anybody other than mature audiences seeking adult entertainment. Each GLAY'z UMD Video title features approximately two hours of video. The Nurse of a Big Breast features starlet Mitsu Amai -- for more info on this particular title, read the title, look at the cover art, close your eyes, and imagine. Enjoy responsibly. This UMD Video is not a playable game, but instead a portable, widescreen-version of the erotic video. *Despite early reports from some news outlets, this disc is region coded, and will only play on Japanese systems.
July 8: Goku Hong - Riko Tachibana (3800 yen)
July 8: High Grade Class First Soap Lady - Anna Kaneshiro (2800 yen)
July 22: Loli Nanpa 5 (3800 yen, uncensored)
July 22: Erotic Terrorist Beautiful Body - NOA (2800 yen, uncensored)
These dirty discs are officially marked with a Region 2 code for Japanese playback only, making import (unless you also have a Japanese PSP) a fruitless effort. However, while we have not been able to verify this, there have been reports that these discs will not have region restrictions -- we'll get right on that to track down further details ... if you're interested.
Why, might you ask, would Sony Computer Entertainment allow this kind of material for play on its handheld videogame system? Well, for one, Japan is a lot more lenient with allowing adult content to be marketed in ways that American audiences would force SCE's doors shut over (although there have not been official releases with content this extreme carrying an official Seal of Approval, there is a long history of "adult-oriented" videogame releases on major consoles ... in fact, some major publishers have perverted skeletons in their closet with Japanese 'hentai' releases.) Beyond that, the UMD Video format is one that Sony has opened up to all media producers, keeping only the PSP's UMD Game format entirely under lock-and-key. Opening up the format has invited nearly every major publisher in the movie industry (as we reported last week in our article,
Coming Soon To UMD: Every Movie Ever Made, Warner Bros. is the only major hold-out in America), as well as indie producers (including smaller houses like Lion's Gate), specialty producers (including anime producer Geneon and music producer Eagle Rock), and now erotic adult entertainment producers.
If the selection of titles at GLAY'z doesn't stroke your interest (and we're REALLY hoping that's the case for one of those titles in particular) but you are in the market for adult entertainment for play on your PSP, keep your fires burning -- this is likely the first of a slew of Japanese AV releases from various publishers sure to hit the system in due time. We're not sure when or if American adult video producers will get in on the act -- although Hugh Hefner is already ahead of the game with its
PlayBoy Station Portable PSP service -- so stay tuned for more details.