The Bard, Bronte, Austen and Other Literary Classics Heading to the Nintendo DS

Instead of screaming “Heathcliff, Heathcliff!” readers of much loved classic books may soon be screaming “Chiropractor, Chiropractor!” before too long because owners of the Nintendo DS who get a bit of a pain in the neck and shoulders playing their handheld gaming systems will have even more reason to go see a glorified massage therapist. Why do you ask? Because Nintendo and book publisher Harper Collins have joined forces.

Both companies have entered into a deal that will see 100 literary classics made available for reading on the DS where you will turn the pages by brushing your finger across the screen. So, who will gamers or DS owners be reading? Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, Shakespeare, and Charles Dickens just to name a few which should prove interesting to both gadget lovers and their opticians. However, at this point this service is to be made available only in the UK for the time being where the Classic Book Collection will cost £20. If it is a success, Nintendo will expand into other books and hopefully the U.S.

You may recall that Sony released The Sony Reader back in September which holds 160 titles and allows users to download other books from the Watersone Bookseller’s website. Other technology giants are trying to gain the upper hand in the rush towards reading books on screen. The Sony Reader, which can hold about 160 titles, was released in September. Users can choose from thousands of titles to down-load from Waterstones’ website and while that is all well and good, the Nintendo DS costs about £99 less than the Sony Reader and the Nintendo DS already has over two million owners in the UK.

James Honeywell, a Nintendo executive, said: “When you go on holiday, or if you’re a commuter, lugging around a big paper book can be a bit of an inconvenience. Now you’ve got this whole library that you’re taking with you. We hope to encourage people to try books that they wouldn’t go out and purchase themselves.”

Yeah, because paper back books are just so massive that you just cannot fit them in your purse, briefcase, or laptop carrier’s pocket slot. Regardless of the advancements in today’s technology, it is just nice to curl up with a book in bed or on the couch instead of a hard handheld machine despite how cool it sounds. Nevertheless, the 100 Classic Book Collection will be released on December 26 and if it goes over well, expect it to hit the States soon.