Louvre Ditches Audio Guides, Introduces Nintendo 3DS

The Louvre, the world’s most famous art museum, has partnered with Nintendo to use 3DS units as digital tour guides.

Starting in March, the Louvre will replace it’s audio guides with 3DS consoles as part of a digital overhaul of the museum. While audio guides tend to be extremely informative and educational, only four percent of the museum's 8.5 million annual visitors use them.

"We are the first museum in the world to do this," Agnes Alfandari, museum's head of multimedia told Agence France-Presse (AFP). 

Visitors will be able to use the 3DS as a map, selected from themed tours including one for the kids, and listen to hundreds of recorded guides and commentaries in seven languages as they tour the museum, most famous for being the home of the Mona Lisa.

Nintendo has developed the software, while the Louvre still retains editorial control of the content. Museum officials are hoping the change will appeal to a wider audience of visitors, including those who regularly use consoles at home and will feel more comfortable using a touch screen.

"Digital development has become a strategic issue for museums," the Louvre's director Henri Loyrette, said in a press conference. "People's habits have changed. But that offers us a huge opportunity to extend the museum's territory, and build a lasting relationship with our visitors."

[Source: AFP]