First PSone games now downloadable to PSP

A couple of weeks ago we told you Sony America had revealed its pricing structure for the planned downloadable PSone releases. Now, the company has launched the service with five titles.

The first wave of games include Cool Boarders, Crash Bandicoot, Hot Shots Golf 2, Syphon Filter and Tekken 2.

Talk about an odd bunch. We fully understand they represent some of the most popular franchises on PS, but other than Crash Bandicoot, the other experiences are effectively already available on Sony's handheld – and, arguably, in better form – notably in the shape of SSX On Tour, Everybody's Golf, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Tekken: Dark Resurrection.

So unless we've missed something, the selection seems poorly thought out and more than a little redundant.

Still, for those that want them, the games are available from the PlayStation Store for $5.99 (£3.13) each but currently must be downloaded on to PlayStation 3 before being transferred to PSP (Sony claims a straight-to-Memory-Stick service will eventually surface).

Of course, further titles, from both first- and third-party developers, are to be added on an ongoing basis

And the sooner the better, in our view. There is a genuine chance to use this service as a way of bolstering the PSP's position as an attractive handheld system offering an uncommonly broad range of gaming experiences by opening up the vast catalogue of PSone titles. But careful – yet regular – selection is crucial.

While there is no official news as to when UK players can expect the service to be made available to them (and, crucially, how much they can expect to pay per title), common sense obviously suggests it should closely follow the PlayStation 3's European release, currently penciled in for March next year.

As ever, we'll keep you informed should anything turn up in the meantime. Hopefully the initial line-up of titles on this side of the pond proves both better considered and hence more appealing.