Get some culture! 100 classic novels collection for DS

Jam Warrior · December 2008

I only just found out about this and figured it would be of interest to some.

Coming soon to Europe (surely a no-brainer to go to America before too long) 100 classic (and handily free from copyright) books available in their original versions all on a single DS cart. Includes works by William Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, Jules Verne and Jane Austen.

Full book list here.

So what do you think? Great value in handy format or waste of time and a quick pathway to chronic eye strain?

wildhalcyon · December 2008

I think the format has promise, but I'm not sure this particular collection attracts my eye. I already own a large collection of classics that probably include most on the list, sadly. Come out with something I don't have and we'll talk.

Behemoth · December 2008

Hm. Neat.

Certainly worth the price. I can't believe no one thought of this before.

UncleSporky · December 2008

That is fantastic!

I will buy it for the Sherlock Holmes alone!

Oh man I am pumped by this idea. Screw the Kindle.

Stigma · December 2008

Intriguing. I'm wondering whether the amount of text that fits onto the DS' screen would be tolerable for long reading sessions.

subedii · December 2008

Is it just me who thinks they'd be better off releasing a decent text reading interface that you could download your preferred books to? Like wildhalcyon said, those classics might not really catch anyone's eye, whilst on the other hand, there are thousands of public domain works available in text format from places like Project Gutenberg.

Then again, as far as digital reading on a DS is concerned, yeah I think that would be more than a bit tiring on the eyes after a while.

Einhander · December 2008

UncleSporky wrote: »

Screw the Kindle.

I was wondering how stuff like this would affect the mobile reader market. Why spend $300 or whatever they're charging for those things when you could just use the handheld you probably already have?

If you have a modded PSP there are homebrew document reading programs already available, a huge library of public domain literature, and the ability to position the system vertically and read from a larger, much nicer screen.

So I think what I'm saying is it would be rad if something like that was released legit-style for the PSP. Sell it on PSN for $5 and let the user stash books in whatever format on their memory stick.

chasehatesbears · December 2008

I also heard that the DS has a cook book now.

I have no idea who these people are marketing to.

UncleSporky · December 2008

Einhander wrote: »

UncleSporky wrote: »

Screw the Kindle.

I was wondering how stuff like this would affect the mobile reader market. Why spend $300 or whatever they're charging for those things when you could just use the handheld you probably already have?

If you have a modded PSP there are homebrew document reading programs already available, a huge library of public domain literature, and the ability to position the system vertically and read from a larger, much nicer screen.

So I think what I'm saying is it would be rad if something like that was released legit-style for the PSP. Sell it on PSN for $5 and let the user stash books in whatever format on their memory stick.

To be honest, I do already have homebrew that can do this and much more (a full text editor) and any DS browser could probably use Project Gutenburg. Still, I will pay for the convenience of it simply working, and having all this at my fingertips rather than needing to browse around.

Also makes a neat gift for those without alternative DS reading solutions.

chasehatesbears wrote: »

I also heard that the DS has a cook book now.

I have no idea who these people are marketing to.

The cookbook is actually pretty sweet because it is more than a book; it's a cooking pokedex. You can track your progress and it has nutrition information IIRC, adjusts ingredients based on number of people etc.

Behemoth · December 2008

chasehatesbears wrote: »

I also heard that the DS has a cook book now.

I have no idea who these people are marketing to.

All those people who bought Brain Age.

Jam Warrior · December 2008

chasehatesbears wrote: »

I also heard that the DS has a cook book now.

I have no idea who these people are marketing to.

Anyone and everyone. The DS install base is so huge that these non-game carts can do really well. Especially when produced to a high standard as I hear the cook book is. It has a magnet for sticking it to a handy surface in your kitchen, voice commands so you don't have to touch it with foody fingers. Good stuff.

DarkPrimus · December 2008

They need to bring out some of those cookbooks in the US.

GoodOmens · December 2008

chasehatesbears wrote: »

I also heard that the DS has a cook book now.

I have no idea who these people are marketing to.

People who love awesome things. Because both these ideas are awesome.

Behemoth · December 2008

DarkPrimus wrote: »

They need to bring out some of those cookbooks in the US.

They already have!

DarkPrimus · December 2008

Behemoth wrote: »

DarkPrimus wrote: »

They need to bring out some of those cookbooks in the US.

They already have!

Oh shit!

Lave II · December 2008

With and homebrew cart and project guttenberg this is pretty easy to do yourself.

THough It is still a very good idea.

Rami · December 2008

This is pretty cool but personally I've always struggled to read from a computer screen for prolonged periods of time. That and I like the feel and smell of an actual book.

Rhesus Positive · December 2008

If this allowed you to make annotations with the stylus, it'd be great for studying the books or rehearsing a play.

tsmvengy · December 2008

DarkPrimus wrote: »

Behemoth wrote: »

DarkPrimus wrote: »

They need to bring out some of those cookbooks in the US.

They already have!

Oh shit!

Haven't you seen the commercial with Phoebe from Friends?

Fencingsax · December 2008

Yeah, the only problem I can think of is whether the screens are big enough for lots of text, like the kindle.

Slicer · December 2008

This is an interesting idea but I dislike reading novels on a computer screen, so I can't see myself reading books on an even smaller screen.

Still, I'm sure there's a potential audience that won't mind this, so it would be neat if this sells fairly well.

Einhander · December 2008

Rami wrote: »

This is pretty cool but personally I've always struggled to read from a computer screen for prolonged periods of time. That and I like the feel and smell of an actual book.

I'm sidetracking a little bit here, but I bought an eeePC, and one of the coolest things about it is if you're running XP you can use Ctrl+Alt+Arrow to change the screen's orientation. The eee is small enough that you can switch the screen and then hold the system vertically, pseudo-simulating the act of holding an actual book.

This is awesome for reading digital books, but comes in handy even for reading long articles on webpages:

It's interesting that the DS is getting all of this non-gaming "lifestyle software" that you would normally only see on PDAs and the Mylo and things like that. Hopefully this is something that Nintendo will support when they are designing the sequel system to the DS. Stuff like the DSi's camera seems like they might be moving in that direction, which is cool.

atat23 · December 2008

I've been reading books on my DS for a while now and it's really good. Good for one handed reading where I can press a button with my holding hand to turn the page. I can also just set the DS somewhere and read while I'm doing something else with both hands, stopping only to press a button every once and a while. What would be awesome if you could set it up so pages turn using voice commands.

I don't read many classics though, just finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo on the DS though and for such a long book I hardly notice a difference on my eyes between the DS and a normal book, you can even increase the text size if need be. All round it's just way more conveinient for me to use the DS.

For the people who don't like reading using screens, I think it's just a case of not being use to it. Buy this game and that will soon change

-SPI- · December 2008

I'll throw in my hat with the "This is a cool idea, but I wouldn't want to read a book on the ds" camp.

Orogogus · December 2008

Stigma wrote: »

Intriguing. I'm wondering whether the amount of text that fits onto the DS' screen would be tolerable for long reading sessions.

If that image is a representative screenshot, it really doesn't look acceptable to me. Flipping the page every three seconds doesn't seem conducive to the reading process, and there's at least one word being hyphenated at the wrong point to fit into the margins.

The_Scarab · December 2008

Someone tell me what is wrong with paper books? There is never a situation you will ever be in where not carrying 100 novels around is a convenience. I barely ever carry around more than 1.

Cherrn · December 2008

I do think this is a great idea, based on value and convenience alone. 100 books for £15 is a steal, and it is a really good collection at that.

I don't know how I feel about using the DS to read, but I can't see it being a major hassle. Battery life is probably the only thing I can imagine being a problem. Still, good initiative. I'll try it out for that price :^:

Brainiac 8 · December 2008

I'll be buying this, even importing it if I have to. Many of these books I studied in a classic literature class I took years ago, and I absolutely love some of these stories/authors...especially anything involving the classic Sherlock Holmes stories.

SageinaRage · December 2008

Yeah...this sounds interesting to me, but again, the screen is the sticking point. I'll have to see how it feels to read on the ds screen. That's supposed to be the big selling point of the kindle, is its screen doesn't strain your eyes like most electronic screens.

Cobell · December 2008

What versions of the classics are these though? Who translated these like the Dumas? Are they abridged? I like the idea in concept, but is this information readily available before I buy?

Silvoculous · December 2008

Jam Warrior wrote: »

This looks painful. The price is right, but everything about that screen is not.

Brainiac 8 · December 2008

I'll be keeping an eye on it, I love many of these stories, and for that cheap price, it would make for a fantastic travelling companion.

Graviija · December 2008

Well, it's certainly nice to have so many stories available in one place for so cheap, but I'll stick with the books.

I'd go crazy trying to read from that screen.

Mojo_Jojo · December 2008

Ebooks are a good idea, but the DS is just not a suitable device for such things.

Dangerous · December 2008

Dammit, when I read the title I thought it was going to be an actual game.

I was envisioning a Hamlet fighting game. Hamlet vs. Laertes Duel 1. Heaven or Hell, LET'S ROCK!

Or maybe a Frankenstein survival horror, or a Great Expectations kart racer. So much wasted potential.

UncleSporky · December 2008

Mojo_Jojo wrote: »

Ebooks are a good idea, but the DS is just not a suitable device for such things.

Well I would say you need to try it. We read an awful lot on the DS already in every RPG, that is essentially a graphic novel.

I can attest to it being great for this:

Incenjucar · December 2008

Now this is tempting. Very tempting. Now if only they could get some Eastern Lit on there as well.

Tale of Genji and Journey to the West would be great to carry in my pocket.

Mojo_Jojo · December 2008

There's an important reason as to why eink is a major area of research, if people were happy to squint at a backlight screen displaying a dozen lines of text then nobody would need to work on this. Yes, I am just voicing my own opinion, but I would never try to read a novel on a handheld screen, it would be torture.

Silvoculous · December 2008

Now that is awesome - the ultimate evolution of Choose Your Own Adventure. Tell me more. For a collection of those, I'd buy a new DS.

Dangerous · December 2008

Sweet jesus tits. How did I not know about that?? Oh god, I loved the shit out of the Lone Wolf books. Thank you Sporky, you just made my day.

Brainiac 8 · December 2008

I'm sad that "Of Mice and Men" failed to make the list.

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Get some culture! 100 classic novels collection for DS

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