3DS and PDFs

[Aotrs Commander]

Not really sure where to put this, so here seems as good as any (as it's not really a gaming question as such).

I, within the day or so, will be purchasing a 3DS XL. (Mostly for Pokemon...) However, it occurs to me that, given as it has an SD card as such, it might be able to fulfill another purpose, which is to provided a repository for all my RPG documents (i.e. my house rules and the numerous spell lists and feat lists that we use in D&D 3.5Aotrs), which I have in document and, if required, pdf form.

So, does anyone know if there is an app or whathave you to allow the 3DS to display PDFs (etc)?

(If not, my Mum's old Kindle may be eventually pressed into service in that role (or in addition to, come to that).)

[ComposerSuzuran]

To answer your question, not that I know of.

However, I wouldn't advise using your SD card for that purpose. It depends on how exactly you're using the 3DS- if you're primarily using hard copies of games, you'll probably be fine. If you're downloading much from the store (especially full retail games), it's better to keep your 3DS's SD card exclusively for 3DS use and get a separate one as a PDF repository.

[FLHerne]

You could get an OpenPandora (http://openpandora.org/), those can do PDFs (and run Linux and Android, which is kinda awesome), and look/feel rather like a 3DS other than the keyboard.
Expensive though... :smallconfused:

I am not affiliated in any way with OpenPandora GmbH. :smallwink:

[Aotrs Commander]

Well, that's a pain. You'd have though that would have been kinda a no-brainer really, what with making every electronic device trying to be every other electronic device these days...

(Seriously, why the frack is so hard to find a reasonably cheap, portable device that can read pdfs or .doc files?! It's not so much to ask, is it? I've tried about three devices for the job prior, none of which worked... Well, the kindle should work, I imagine - at least my Dad says his does, so...)

SD card space would not, in any case be an issue, since my 3DS XL will be more or less completely exclusively for Pokemon (I've got, like, seven non-main Pokemon games (two or which are Pokemon games) on my DS (which is better than my GBA and Gamecube which have no none-Pokemon games at all...) and they barely get touched now.) I am vanishingly unlikely to be touching anything from any online stores (unless, they, like have a pdf reader...).

[AngelSword]

I think the better way to put it would be, "not yet." There is an applications section in the Nintendo eShop, which is amusingly slim, with things like a calculator, clocks, and notebook-style writers. I'd say that, if there's demand, it'll eventually have a PDF reader.

[GnomeFighter]

Seriously, why the frack is so hard to find a reasonably cheap, portable device that can read pdfs or .doc files?! It's not so much to ask, is it? I've tried about three devices for the job prior, none of which worked... Well, the kindle should work, I imagine - at least my Dad says his does, so...

Because your trying to force a gaming device to be something else?

The cheapest, best way of doing it is with an e-reader or a smart phone. The Kindle will read PDFs. It's a bit funny with .docs at times. It reads them but can be a little difficult to read at times due refresh problems. But they are easy to turn in to an e-book format.

[Aotrs Commander]

Because your trying to force a gaming device to be something else?

If the first device I tried wasn't even a game console, I might have agreed with you. (It was basically an organiser, that even took documents and everything. But it was just too old a design; not only was it basically limited to a very narrow effective page width, the battery life was appalling.)

The second was my PSP, which actually was sorta working, provided I translated into .jpegs, but it was a bit cumbersome to work through.


The cheapest, best way of doing it is with an e-reader or a smart phone. The Kindle will read PDFs. It's a bit funny with .docs at times. It reads them but can be a little difficult to read at times due refresh problems. But they are easy to turn in to an e-book format.

I have been looking for a suitable device for years; e-readers and smart phones (well, I wouldn't consider the phone. I don't have a phone normally, I'm definately not having one just for the sake of using it as a device that may or may not be able to read PDFs...) and kindles have just been out my availble funds. Heck, I'm only getting my 3DS now (it came today in fact), rather than much later in the year because my Grandparents gave everyone in the family some pennies to spend (I knew I was going to need a 3DS for Pokemon X and Y in October that and have been saving for it over the course of the year.

I'd be buying a kindle myself, but as Mum is getting a Kindle White, there's not a lot of point me spending the pennies when I'm going to be acquiring her old one in a bit...

PDFs are fine (converting docs to pdf is trivial), so the kindle will probably (finally) be good enough.

[GnomeFighter]

If the first device I tried wasn't even a game console, I might have agreed with you. (It was basically an organiser, that even took documents and everything. But it was just too old a design; not only was it basically limited to a very narrow effective page width, the battery life was appalling.)

The second was my PSP, which actually was sorta working, provided I translated into .jpegs, but it was a bit cumbersome to work through.

Well, ye... I think you were expecting too much from them.



and kindles have just been out my availble funds.
You can pick up a second hand kindle on ebay for around £20-£30. If your getting given one later, makes sense to wait though.



PDFs are fine (converting docs to pdf is trivial), so the kindle will probably (finally) be good enough.

An ebook format will work better and converting .docs to .epub is just as easy as to .pdf. They don't tend to convert pdf's very well however.

[Aotrs Commander]

Well, ye... I think you were expecting too much from them.

Clearly...!


You can pick up a second hand kindle on ebay for around £20-£30. If your getting given one later, makes sense to wait though.

If it wasn't for the fact that my Mum had planned to give me her old one in the modestly near future, I would have bought one myself anyway (it was on my list of things to get, but in the "next year when I can afford it"), thanks to the windfall my grandparants have given me.

(The real irony is I've spent all year saving up for my 3DS, a new HDD and Win 7 for my machine; and then my Dad's mate has given us his "leavings" ("given" as in "was going to take it to the tip if nobody wanted it") - the PSU went and he wanted to up grade his HDD from 9 to 12 terabytes (!) - which include an I7 processor and umpteen gig of RAM which is already better than anything of mine (as has there was no soundcard and the chap has it for music, we reckon the onboard soundcard is probably better than my old trusty Xfire...) So, aside from getting a new PSU (as my 2-3 year old one is not new enough for the second-hand computer!), I've even got a PC upgrade for next to nothing, which was something else I would have looked at! So now I have more pennies than I immediately know what to do with (as there's not enough for anything big). It is, for me, a novel sensation...!)


An ebook format will work better and converting .docs to .epub is just as easy as to .pdf. They don't tend to convert pdf's very well however.

As and when, I will look into that, then. Ta.

[Rawhide]

Clearly...!



If it wasn't for the fact that my Mum had planned to give me her old one in the modestly near future, I would have bought one myself anyway (it was on my list of things to get, but in the "next year when I can afford it"), thanks to the windfall my grandparants have given me.

(The real irony is I've spent all year saving up for my 3DS, a new HDD and Win 7 for my machine; and then my Dad's mate has given us his "leavings" ("given" as in "was going to take it to the tip if nobody wanted it") - the PSU went and he wanted to up grade his HDD from 9 to 12 terabytes (!) - which include an I7 processor and umpteen gig of RAM which is already better than anything of mine (as has there was no soundcard and the chap has it for music, we reckon the onboard soundcard is probably better than my old trusty Xfire...) So, aside from getting a new PSU (as my 2-3 year old one is not new enough for the second-hand computer!), I've even got a PC upgrade for next to nothing, which was something else I would have looked at! So now I have more pennies than I immediately know what to do with (as there's not enough for anything big). It is, for me, a novel sensation...!)



As and when, I will look into that, then. Ta.

You got given a new Power Supply Unit?

[Aotrs Commander]

You got given a new Power Supply Unit?

No, I got given pretty much everything but. The PSU is the only thing I will have actually had to buy to get what is essentially, an overall upgrade to the PC. HDD, CDROM and graphics card will be the same, I had already bought the new HDD and Win 7 for making the secondary drive anyway; motherboard (with likely an onboard soundcard that will be better than my eight-year-old Xfire), I7 processor, RAM, CDRW (mine is getting a bit dodgy), case are all from the hand-me-down. My (current) PSU was not man enough to handle the motherboard (basically, it needs an eight-pin power cable), so a new one is the only thing I've bought.

Such an upgrade is something I would have looked at getting with my pennies, if my Dad's mate hadn't basically obiviated the need.

[Rawhide]

No, I got given pretty much everything but. The PSU is the only thing I will have actually had to buy to get what is essentially, an overall upgrade to the PC. HDD, CDROM and graphics card will be the same, I had already bought the new HDD and Win 7 for making the secondary drive anyway; motherboard (with likely an onboard soundcard that will be better than my eight-year-old Xfire), I7 processor, RAM, CDRW (mine is getting a bit dodgy), case are all from the hand-me-down. My (current) PSU was not man enough to handle the motherboard (basically, it needs an eight-pin power cable), so a new one is the only thing I've bought.

Such an upgrade is something I would have looked at getting with my pennies, if my Dad's mate hadn't basically obiviated the need.

Ahhh. That makes a lot more sense. Thanks.