????任天堂（Nintendo）的3DS掌上游戲機能否成為一款流行的電子書閱讀器？日本最大的印刷公司大日本印刷株式會社（Dai Nippon Printing）認為很有這個可能。大日本印刷是日本出版業巨頭，它日前宣布，將在今年秋天為年輕讀者推出300本可在任天堂熱賣的3DS掌上游戲機上閱讀的電子書。

????大日本印刷目前已經在通過傳統電子書閱讀器銷售電子書和漫畫，但這個市場已經相當擁擠。漫畫在包括手機在內的所有平臺上都頗受歡迎，但普通的電子書就沒那么暢銷了。身為出版商的大日本印刷表示，特別渴望爭取到年輕讀者。這家公司聲稱，年輕讀者往往無法通過其它平臺看到電子書。通過將這一人群縮小到癡迷游戲的年輕人，大日本印刷希望電子書的銷量最終能夠出現大的起色。“我們估計便攜式游戲設備，特別是任天堂3DS，在日本12歲以下的兒童中很流行，”DNP公司發言人說。“但是，很多孩子都沒有電子書閱讀器以及iPad等，我們開展此項業務正是瞄準了這個群體。

????雖然日本消費者以喜歡新技術而著稱，但電子書在這個國家卻未能流行起來。傳統電子書的銷量堪稱慘淡。雖然電子書在許多發達國家相當暢銷，例如每四個美國人中就有一人擁有電子書，但唯獨日本例外。任天堂3DS目前在日本已售出1,100萬部，它或許能夠有效地擴大電子書的用戶群。目前日本市場的傳統電子書存量僅為100萬部，大日本印刷預計，日本電子書市場有望擴大10倍。

????來自東京的技術顧問Serkan Toto說：“電子書不但能幫助任天堂豐富產品線從而獲取更多收益，更重要的是，它會為3DS帶來新的市場機遇。任天堂可以更容易地向家長推銷3DS，而正是這些人做出決定，購買游戲機給孩子。”

????Serkan Toto認可3DS電子書的銷量極具潛力，因為日本是世界上閱讀氛圍最濃厚的國家。來自日本調研公司Impress Business Media Corp的分析師表示，日本兒童圖書市場目前市值高達7.9億美元。預計到2017年，日本電子書市場有望增長兩倍，達到23億美元。

????不過，不少分析師對此持懷疑態度。一些人指出，書籍、雜志和報紙的讀者數正呈下降趨勢。東京的市場調研公司MM Research Institute發布報告稱，由于電子書價格高企、種類不足以及來自智能手機和平板電腦的競爭，整個電子書設備市場去年表現疲軟，銷量未達預期。這家公司預計，今年電子書銷量仍然不會出現起色。

????大日本印刷將推出面向兒童的電子書服務，具體做法是在3DS上提供一款免費的電子書應用供用戶下載，盡管任天堂女發言人否認該公司正同大日本印刷就此項服務展開合作。大日本印刷進行數字化的書籍將十分適于在這位發言人所說的3DS高清觸摸屏上閱讀。任天堂的這位發言人說：“我們已通過自有平臺發布了腦力訓練、英語學習和電子書等軟件。此外，夏普（Sharp Corp）目前正在日本學校中利用3DS開展項目。”

????Can Nintendo's 3DS handheld become a powerhouse e-reader? Japan's biggest printer, Dai Nippon Printing, thinks so. The company, which is a big player in domestic publishing here, announced it will launch 300 titles for young readers this fall for Nintendo's popular portable console.

????Dai Nippon is already selling e-books and manga through conventional e-readers, a crowded market. Manga on all platforms including mobile phones are popular but regular e-books do less well. The publisher says it is particularly keen to go after young readers who, it claims, often don't have access to e-books on any platform. By narrowing their demographic to a gaming-obsessed youth, the firm hopes e-book sales might finally take off. "We estimated that portable game devices, especially the 3DS, is popular among under twelves in Japan," a DNP spokesman says. "But, there aren't many children that have e-book readers, iPads, and so on, so we started this new business to target them."

????Despite a reputation for being early adopters, Japanese consumers haven't fallen for e-readers. Sales of conventional e-books and e-readers have been comparatively poor. E-Reader adoption, well established in other developed nations -- around 25% of U.S. consumers have one -- is low in Japan. With 11 million 3DS units sold so far in Japan, Nintendo's (NTDOY) gadget could be ideal for creating an e-book audience. As there are only about 1 million dedicated e-readers in circulation in Japan, DNP reckons it stands to multiply possible e-book outlets by a factor of ten.

????"For Nintendo, e-books are a new business that will not only allow them to diversify their product portfolio and create a new revenue stream but also provide a new marketing angle: It will be now easier to sell the 3DS to parents -- who mainly make the purchasing decision for their kids," Tokyo-based technology consultant Serkan Toto says.

????He agrees potential sales could be massive in one of the most bookish nations in the world. The children's books market in Japan is worth about $790 million annually. Meanwhile, the market for e-books in Japan is expected to triple by 2017 to $2.3 billion, according to analysts at Japan's Impress Business Media Corp.

????Some are not so bullish. Critics point to falling readership of books, magazines, and newspapers. Tokyo-based market research firm MM Research Institute reports that e-reader demand was weaker in Japan last year than expected owing to the high price of e-books in Japan, their relative scarcity, and competition with smartphones and tablets. E-reader sales are expected to slow substantially this year.

????DNP's e-book service for children will be implemented through a freely downloadable e-books app for the 3DS, although a Nintendo spokeswoman denied the console maker is collaborating with DNP on this aspect of the service. Books digitized by DNP will be easily readable on the 3DS's high-resolution touchscreens she said. "We already distribute brain training and english learning and e-books through our consoles, while Sharp Corp has a program that uses the 3DS at schools in Japan," she said.