Would you pay for ebooks if you could read them on your TV from your PS3?
Apparently Sony thinks a lot of people reading this would say yes.
According to a report on MCV, the service will be called “Storyteller” and it is likely that it will also be available on the more portable Playstation Vita system.
Downloadable books and other content will be available through the Playstation Store, potentially via a brand new dedicated channel in the same way that games and video are currently broken up into different sections within the digital download platform.
According to the report, there will be an emphasis on children’s content, meaning Sony doesn’t necessarily see this as the optimal way for you to read the next Hunger Games book, but rather as perhaps an interactive storybook platform for your children.
Unfortunately for Sony, it doesn’t exactly have a great track record in this space. Even though its Reader ebook device beat the Kindle to the market, it failed to captivate consumers.
And specifically within the Playstation business, Sony launched a digital comic service for the PSP, allowing users to download comic books and read them in between gaming sessions. That service was subsequently shut down due to lack of interest.
This could be one of a handful of brand new Playstation Network services announced at E3 next month. There is also a rumor floating around that Sony might be partnering with a cloud gaming service like OnLive. These rumors will be either confirmed or laid to rest next week.
