Nintendo reinvents the written word

Paper-based books are, like, so last century! Especially with wireless reading devices dragging the printed word kicking and, occasionally, screaming into the modern age. We reckon the Nintendo DS beats them all, though...

Set aside the fact that this humble handheld can already help to improve your foreign language skills, eyesight, calligraphic expertise, fitness, all-round handiness in the kitchen and, in the case of Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training, give the old grey matter a thorough workout. It can also greatly expand your home library, making you look like a well-read student of literature’s finest works into the bargain. We’re talking about the DS software ‘100 Classic Book Collection’, of course.

As far as appropriate titles go this one is right up there with the product that promises to deliver ‘exactly what it say on the tin’. In other words it’s 100 timeless works of fiction of the sort you feel you really should have read but somehow never quite got around to. Now you’ve no such excuse.

Usage itself is a breeze too. Make your selection from a virtual bookshelf which, under normal circumstances, would’ve pulled the wall down under the weight of such literary behemoths. The DS will even pick a title based on your mood, time constraints or user rankings if you’re having trouble making a choice. After that you hold the DS vertically – like a book, funnily enough – and read away at your own pace, adjusting the text size to suit, navigating and turning pages with the DS stylus, bookmarking as necessary and mellowing out to any of the un-banging tunes that tinkle gently in the background. Pips!

Famous author-wise you’re looking at a collection to make your English teacher proud, with selections from Dickens, Shakespeare, Conan Doyle, Jane Austen and others equally illustrious. And once you’ve exhausted that little lot you’ll be able to go online via the DS’ inbuilt Wi-Fi connection and download a further 10 books.

Professional booksellers may weep at such a prospect, but this is the way forward for the written word. Moreover it makes sound spatial and financial sense. Think about it – 100 books on a single DS cartridge that’s around the size of a postage stamp, and all for around £19. Best of all, once you’ve got your bookshelves back you’ll have all that extra space to show off your ace games library. Job’s a good ‘un!

- Visit the official Nintendo site