The Louvre Museum in Paris has ended its long-running partnership with Nintendo that provided Nintendo 3DS consoles as museum guides. Launched in 2012, the program loaned 5,000 devices to the museum, which visitors could rent for a few euros. The 3DS units featured a multimedia library of over 700 artworks, 30 hours of audio commentary, and geolocation for personalized tours. Nintendo later discontinued the 3DS in 2020, and smartphones have since become the dominant tool for accessing information in museums. The Louvre has not yet announced a replacement.
This matters because it marks the end of a pioneering experiment in museum technology that predated the smartphone era. The partnership was notable for its scale and innovation, blending gaming hardware with cultural education. Its conclusion reflects broader shifts in how museums engage visitors, as institutions increasingly rely on visitors' own smartphones rather than dedicated devices. The story also highlights the rapid obsolescence of even popular technology in the museum context.