Exhibition collaboration between the Louvre museum and Nintendo's 3DS platform comes to an end after more than ten years.

In a unique collaboration that spanned over a decade, the Louvre museum partnered with Nintendo in 2012 to revolutionise the museum-going experience. The partnership saw the introduction of Nintendo 3DS consoles as museum guides, offering visitors an immersive and interactive tour of the Louvre's vast collection.

Nintendo loaned 5,000 3DS consoles to the Louvre, each carrying a multimedia library that included images, videos, and 3D models of over 700 works. The consoles also had geolocation capabilities, allowing for a personalised tour based on the user's location within the museum.

Visitors could rent the 3DS consoles for a few euros at the Louvre, and the service, which replaced traditional audio guides, was popular when it was launched. The 3DS consoles provided more than 30 hours of audio commentary, making the tour experience engaging and informative.

However, the rise of smartphones significantly impacted the use of the 3DS consoles at the Louvre. As smartphones became the object of choice for most users seeking information about artworks or exhibitions, the popularity of the 3DS consoles declined.

In 2022, after more than a decade, the Louvre announced the end of its partnership with Nintendo. The Louvre, which gave up the Nintendo 3DS after 13 years, also announced that a replacement solution for the 3DS navigation system would be unveiled in 2025.

It is worth noting that the introduction of smartphones was not a factor in the initial Louvre-Nintendo partnership, and the Nintendo Switch was not involved in the Louvre's partnership or the guide system.

The Nintendo 3DS was replaced by the Nintendo Switch in 2017, and Nintendo stopped producing the Nintendo 3DS entirely in 2020. The Louvre's 3DS guide system is no longer in use, but the museum has not yet announced a replacement for this innovative service.

Despite the end of this partnership, the collaboration between the Louvre and Nintendo will always be remembered as a pioneering step in the integration of technology and art, offering visitors a unique and engaging museum experience.

Exhibition collaboration between the Louvre museum and Nintendo's 3DS platform comes to an end after more than ten years.