100 Classic Book Collection
I hesitated to post this because it’s kind of a tease for Nintendo DS owners in the United States: You can’t yet get this cartridge in the states, and it’s unclear when, if ever, it will be available. But 100 Classic Book Collection is so darn cool, and ushers in a new era for the DS. Suddenly, your console is a mini eBook reader. It may not be the Kindle, but it’s still pretty cool.
The cartridge, which is Wi-Fi compatible (for downloading future books), includes classics from authors such as Shakespeare, Dickens and Jane Austen. You’d use the stylus to turn pages, and also be able to “bookmark” pages and search the text. On the down side, not a lot of text fits on a DS screen at one time. And you probably shouldn’t read these classics in the bath.
100 Classic Book Collection is scheduled to be released Dec. 26 in the UK at a suggested retail price of 19.99 British pounds, which is almost $30 U.S. dollars. It can be preordered from Amazon UK for 17.99 pounds (about $27). Since DS games are region-free, U.S. readers could choose to import a copy, confident it will work on their system. I was able to log into Amazon’s UK site with my U.S.-based Amazon account and put it in my cart, where the total changed to 35.98 ($53.39 US). The site includes information on Amazon UK’s international shipping rates. Customs fees may also apply, however.