Friday, 27 November 2009

  • The PSP Comics Store is Coming

    Sony has announced that in Japan, PSP owners will be able to download and view comics (mainly manga) on their PSPs starting December 10th.

    The interface on a Japanese PSP Go.

    Prices were announced as ¥50 - ¥150 (USD $0.55 - $1.70) per issue (per chapter for manga, I'm assuming) and collections for ¥420 (USD $4.70). In Japan, manga retails for about $5 US, so there's a slight savings for those who would rather read it on a screen than buy another book to fill their shelves.

    What about comics for those of us on the other side of the Pacific? The store should be available in mid-December.


    What our Comics Store might look like.

    If the prices were the same as the Japanese store, I think that a comics store would have the potential to do pretty well. A single issue comic book costs about $2.50, so paying $1.70 for a digital copy of the same might have a draw for people who like comics.

    If manga were offered (which I think it should be), I don't believe the same prices would hold. Most manga in the US is sold at $10 per book (some more, some less), and a $5 price might actually hurt book sales. However, without the costs of physically printing many books, there may be a higher chance of some niche manga titles being translated and sold as digital only copies in English.

    Are you looking forward to a comics store for the PSP, or one as a possibility for any other system? Would you buy digital copies of comics to read on your handheld or TV?

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