Nintendo announced that its latest gadget, the DSi XL, will be useful for more than just chasing around in a Mario Kart. You’ll also be able to read books on it.
Bloomberg reports that the first DSi XL e-book offering will be a cartridge containing 100 public domain books, including classics such as Twain and Shakespeare. This means Nintendo is opting for its traditional, cartridge-oriented approach versus launching an online bookstore.
The $190 device, which is basically a blown-up version of its predecessor, DSi, features two 4.2-inch screens, folds like a book, and is about the size of a paperback. All of which could make it an attractive platform for reading (though it’s not the only e-reading device to feature two screens).
Nintendo has sold roughly 130 million DS consoles so far (including DSi and DS Lite), and the global popularity of the DS platform might make Nintendo a serious e-book competitor. But Cammie Dunaway, the executive vice president of sales for North America told Bloomberg that’s not the immediate goal. “It’s just one more way to enjoy your device.?
The DSi XL, which has been available in Japan for months now, will launch in the U.S. on March 28.
Wired’s Chris Kohler reviewed the Nintendo DSi XL recently and concluded it’s not just about it being bigger: “The larger screen isn’t just some frivolous purchase ? it’s completely awesome.”
Nintendo’s move most likely doesn’t represent an aggressive move into the e-book market. Rather, it shows the company is trying to make its gadgets more useful in new ways before a tidal wave of tablets and smartphones chips away at the audience for mobile games.
Photo by Jim Merithew for Wired.com
Full story at http://feeds.wired.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/DN1qpqGH8x8/
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