Louvre Says Goodbye to Nintendo 3DS Museum Guides After a Decade

For years, visitors to the Louvre got a little surprise with their museum experience; instead of traditional audio guides, many were handed a Nintendo 3DS. Yes, the same kind of handheld console you might have played Mario Kart on was also used to navigate one of the world’s most prestigious art museums.

It wasn’t just a gimmick. The 3DS helped visitors find their way through the Louvre’s maze-like halls, showing them exactly where they were and offering fascinating details about the art around them. It even gave you a crisp digital look at masterpieces like the Mona Lisa, which comes in handy when the real thing is blocked by crowds with camera phones.

Sadly, that chapter is coming to a close. This September, the museum will officially retire the Nintendo 3DS as its guide system. The decision comes as Nintendo itself winds down support for the aging handheld, which first launched in 2011.

Still, the end of the 3DS doesn’t mean the Louvre is stepping away from tech. Museum officials have already confirmed that a new digital tour system is in the pipeline, though they haven’t spilled the details just yet. Maybe it’ll be something more modern, like an app, or even a new gadget powered by the Nintendo Switch family.

Whatever comes next, it’s worth recognizing how ahead of the curve this idea was. Blending video game tech with classical art might have seemed odd a decade ago, but it made the museum experience more interactive and way more engaging, especially for younger visitors.

So if you happen to visit the Louvre before September, you might still catch a glimpse of that little gray console guiding people through centuries of art. It's not often you see Van Gogh and video games in the same sentence, and that’s exactly what made it special.

(via Nintendo Everything)