Nintendo signs deal with HarperCollins for Shakespeare, Dickens books

London, Dec 8 (ANI): Japanese video games company Nintendo is signing a deal with publisher HarperCollins to make literary classics available to read on its DS portable games consoles. The deal has been made on the 100 Classic Book Collection, which ranges from Shakespeare and Dickens to Jane Austen and the Bront‰ sisters, priced at 20 pounds and will initially be available only in Britain.The technology allows readers to turn the pages by brushing a finger across the screen, doing away with books.

Nintendo is looking forward to expanding the range of books, if the collection turns out to be a success, and other companies are also trying to get a hand in reading books on screen.

Nintendo's first entry into book publishing provides less choice than Sony and Amazon, but at about 100 pounds the DS costs 99 pounds less than the Sony Reader. Latest industry figures from Chart Track show that two million Nintendo DS machines have been sold in Britain.

"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," Times Online quoted James Honeywell, a Nintendo executive, as saying.

"We hope to encourage people to try books that they wouldn't go out and purchase themselves," he added.

The 100 Classic Book Collection, which will be released on December 26, follows Nintendo's strategy of trying to broaden the audience for its products. (ANI)