Sony Corp. will begin selling its PlayStation TV set-top box next month, with almost 700 games available, including Angry Birds.

The product, which makes its debut on Oct. 14, will cost $100, or $140 with a wireless controller, Tokyo-based Sony said today on its PlayStation blog.

PlayStation TV will allow users to download classic PlayStation games and also stream PlayStation 3 titles over the Internet, through the company's PS Now service.

But it will also let consumers rent or buy movies and "hundreds of major-network TV shows," according to Sony's site.

Sony is also building a pay-TV service that will deliver signals over the web instead of typical coaxial cables or satellite tramsissions. It said this month that it had struck a deal with Viacom that will let it carr 22 Viacom channels at the start, including MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central.

The PlayStation TV box joins a crowd of similar devices such as Roku and Apple TV, although Sony hopes its games will help it gain a quick foothold.

~ Bloomberg News with Ad Age staff ~