Sony has announced a bonus scheme for existing PSP owners upgrading to the PSPgo – three FREE games. That’s better than nothing, isn’t it...?

Just to clarify, the ‘PSPgo Rewards’ program applies only to owners of the (now) old-style PSP (1000, 2000 or 3000) who own at least one UMD game and are upgrading to the PSPgo – complete newcomers get precisely zip. Well, other than a slinky new machine that won’t play old UMD-based games and a slightly lighter wallet, of course. But we digress.

There are 17 games in the reward scheme, and upgraders can choose to download any three of them. The process of doing so comprises eight slightly complicated steps, described thus by the Sony PR ‘droid:

1. Unwrap your shiny new PSPgo and start it up
2. Connect to PlayStation Network and activate your new or existing PlayStation Network account for PSPgo Rewards
3. Start up your current PSP and connect to PlayStation Network
4. Login using the same PlayStation Network account , and launch PlayStation Store
5. Pop one of your UMDs into the drive of your current PSP and register on PSPgo Rewards when prompted
6. Download a PSPgo theme
7. Wait for your email voucher for your three free games
8. Choose, download and enjoy!

The full list of games includes some bona-fide corkers, as well as a few oldies but not especially goldies. Take your pick from: Killzone Liberation, MediEvil, Wipeout Pure, Buzz! Brain Bender, Buzz! Master Quiz, SOCOM US Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, Everybody’s Golf, Resistance Retribution, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, Lemmings, LocoRoco, Patapon, Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow, Echochrome, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice, Daxter.

It’s not a bad list, really. Although we’re wondering what its real purpose is? Is this some kind of thank you to the PSP hardcore? If so, great. However, if this is all that’s on offer and Sony doesn’t subsequently devise some way for owners of old PSPs to convert their UMD collections to play on PSPgo... well, three free games doesn’t seem like much of a reward at all.

We await further news on all of that, hopefully sooner rather than later. Meantime the PSPgo Rewards scheme kicks off on October 1st (PSPgo launch day) and runs until March 31st 2010.