Sony officially launches Digital Comics service for PSP

by Stevie Smith - Dec 17 2009, 09:15

After its initial unveiling during this year’s Gamescom event in Koln, Germany, videogame heavyweight Sony Computer Entertainment has this week officially launched its digital comics service for the PlayStation Portable (PSP).

Available via download through Sony’s PlayStation Network (PSN), the comic book service carries the notable support of heavyweight publisher Marvel and draws upon the Digital Comics reader application that was introduced to the PSP through the recent v6.20 firmware update.

“Starting today, you can access hundreds of digital comics on PlayStation Store, directly on the PSP or via MediaGo (on the PC),” enthused PlayStation Store senior manger Grace Chen in an official PlayStation blog post.

Comic fans eager to experience the adventures of their favourite characters while on-the-go (without having to carry physical print copies) can access the Digital Comics application by navigating to the Extras icon on the PSP’s main screen media bar.

And, those with their ears pricked but still somewhat sceptical of the new service – not least given its delivery on the PSP’s relatively small screen – can try before they buy thanks to a selection of free comics offered up for perusal by Sony and its contributing partners Marvel, IDW Publishing and Disney.

“The Digital Comics reader is unique to the PSP system and has an easy to use feature called Autoflow that allows you to zoom in/out and move frame by frame by page through the comic,” outlined Chen.

“It’s so intuitive, you feel as if you are holding and reading the actual comic book,” she added. “There’s also a built-in music player so you can listen to the music on your PSP while reading the digital comics.”

Some of the notable character favourites appearing on Sony’s new platform include the likes of The Amazing Spider-Man, Iron Man, the X-Men, Astro Boy, Judge Dredd, Captain America, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, and G.I. Joe.

Per-issue download prices range between $0.99 USD and $1.99 USD, which appears to largely depend on publication date and popularity. For example, classic editions of Disney’s Donald Duck cost the lower price, while more recent issues of Spider-Man occupy the upper bracket.

Around the Web