I will be honest… if I were wanting to tour a virtual museum then the Nintendo 3DS would most probably be on the bottom of my list for currently launched consoles to view it on. However in a partnership between Nintendo and the Louvre Museum in Paris, Nintendo have announced the release of Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre through the Nintendo eShop.
Bringing over 600 images of artwork, 30 hours of commentary and more than 400 photos of the museum interior and panoramas, this app is set to give you the experience of being in the Louvre even if you are unable to make it to Paris. Within the 600 images of artwork, users will be able to examine 150 works of art as high resolution 2D images, 3D photos or 3D models using 3D functionality of the Nintendo 3DS. In addition, there is an interactive map of the museum where users can design their own trail around the exhibits.
If you are able to visit the Louvre Museum, you can use the Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre to prepare for your visit before setting off. Once at the museum, by turning on the local wireless on your Nintendo 3DS system, you will be able to access the Visit the Louvre mode which uses location-sensing features to ascertain which room of the museum you are located in. This mode also provides a full interactive map, giving details of the exhibits at your current location in the museum. In addition, you can enjoy the tailor-made interactive trails on offer, such as the Masterpieces Tour featuring the museum’s most famous works of art. Meanwhile for users not able to visit the Louvre Museum, the multimedia guide can be updated by connecting to the Internet and selecting “Update Guide” to receive data on brand new exhibitions or when major changes are made to existing shows, and ensure their interactive tour provides the most up-to-date experience.
This doesn’t come cheap however… and unless you really love artwork you might not be tempted by the $26.00 AUD price point. A packaged version of the game is also available for purchase from the Louvre Museum gift shops.
