Konami makes good-night stories digital

Serkan Toto

Dr. Serkan Toto is an independent consultant and advisor focusing on Japan’s web, mobile and social gaming industries. Based in Tokyo, he works together with financial institutions and startups worldwide. Serkan has been the Japan contributor for TechCrunch.com since 2008. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. → Learn More

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

In case your kids are bored by passively consuming the stories you read to them, the Tereshibai from Konami [JP] might come to the rescue. Too bad it’s Japanese only at this point but it looks like a cool concept.

The Tereshibai comes in the form of a remote (a little similar to a Wiimote) that just needs to be connected to a TV. Kids can then choose between 10 pre-installed fairy tales (from Japan, Andersen and the Grimm brothers), which are illustrated in anime style on the screen. While the visuals can’t be altered, a parent can read aloud the words displayed on the screen in her or his own voice to actually tell the story (the Tereshibai is equipped with a built-in mic).

If you have an annoying voice (as I do, for example), you can just use the Tereshiba’s voice tuning function. In case your kid gets tired of the pre-programmed contents, users can plug the device into their PC’s USB port and download additional stories from the Konami web site (for $3 each).

The Tereshiba goes on sale tomorrow and costs $49.

Via Trends in Japan

blog comments powered by Disqus