Pocket Gamer has gotten its hands on a confidential approval document for Sony’s new PSP Minis service. According to the document, PSP Minis will have no quality assurance, meaning any game can get approved for sale so long as it works. This is quite different than Apple’s App Store, where games are expected to meet certain standards before being allowed.
The document says that there is “no requirement for content approval” and that the process for getting a game on the PSP is “transparent, trackable and predictable.” Developers can also set their own release dates. The only real requirement is that the game will download properly and be playable. After that, it appears any and all content will automatically be approved.
This can be seen as a case of Sony learning from Apple’s mistakes, providing a downloadable gaming platform where any would-be developer has a chance to make his name and get some fresh content out there with little fuss. It’s a great idea in theory, and one I fully support, but I hope that user ratings are in place to help weed out the bad games, and that Sony is prepared to weather a PR storm if something risqué comes to the platform. Something tells me that this free and easy approval process won’t last beyond the first big controversy.
Those reservations aside, bring it on. PSP Minis is looking really promising to me right now and I have high expecations. Can’t wait for Sony to find a way to let me down.
