A lot of readers I talk to are divided into two camps. Ebooks on the one hand, paper on the other.

A favourite theme of the pro-paper crowd? Ebooks just don’t feel like real books. Well, thanks to a company called Senseg, the paper vs. ebook divide just got a little smaller.

Senseg’s developed a very cool feature called virtual texture technology. The technical explanation is that it replaces “traditional mechanical haptic feedback . . . with an electrostratic field that creates an attractive force between human tissue and the display’s surface” (that’s from the Globe and Mail‘s writeup on it).

For ebooks, picture this: turning digital pages could actually feel like touching paper. Skimming your finger across an illustration from Pride and Prejudice could mimic the feel of fabric on Elizabeth Bennet’s gown. Magazines on your smartphone or tablet screen could turn into textural playgrounds, adding virtual texture to everything from car ads to news features.

Senseg’s technology likely won’t hit mainstream markets for at least another year, but this CNET video offers a preview of how it works. It offers some exciting possibilities, especially for early-reader books.

What’s your preference when it comes to curling up with a good book? If you’re firmly in the paper-and-ink camp, would virtual texture tempt you to give ebooks a try?