PlayStation Vita UMD Passport program not coming to U.S.

It looks like United States gamers hoping to play their PSP games on their PlayStation Vita will be disappointed as Sony has reportedly told Kotaku that the PSP UMD import program won't be available for American gamers.  This means PS Vita owners in the United States will be unable to play their older PSP games unless paying for it again.

Currently available in Japan, the UMD Passport program lets PS Vita owners download PSP games they already own from the PlayStation Store by inserting the game into the PSP and registering the product online.

All hope isn't lost for backward compatibility, however.  The PS Vita will play will play all PSP games purchased digitally through the PlayStation Store, including Minis and PSOne Classics.

I have to say this is an odd move on Sony's part.  Given the poor sales of the PS Vita in Japan, you'd think they'd be eager to include as many added features as possible with the U.S. version of the Vita to help boost sales.