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The Louvre is replacing the Nintendo 3DS audio guides after more than a decade of service

The consoles had served as the official audio guide for the most famous museum in the world since 2012

News by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Wed Sep 17 2025

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When you think of the Louvre, chances are the image of the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, or any of the other iconic works of art housed within the most famous museum on the planet comes to mind. However, for more than a decade, you might have learned about those works of art through the power of the Nintendo 3DS thanks to one of the most unusual cultural partnerships in history. Unfortunately, that time has sadly passed as the Louvre confirmed that it would no longer allow patrons to rent a Nintendo 3DS to act as a tour guide.

Back in 2012, the Louvre started this unusual program, where visitors could rent a Nintendo 3DS that would act as a virtual tour guide for the museum. The Audioguide Louvre – Nintendo 3DS software replaced the traditional audio guides that you see at most museums and was loaded with facts about the exhibitions and everything you need to know about the Louvre itself.

After nearly 13 years, the program is coming to an end as the Louvre announced earlier this month that it was discontinuing the partnership with Nintendo and retiring the 3DS consoles to “make way for a new audio guide” system. Until October 21, 2025, there will be no official audio guides available in the Louvre.

This move was inevitable, really. The Nintendo 3DS was discontinued in 2020, which makes replacing the existing consoles troublesome. Still, we’re a little sad to see this unique example of cultural exchange between Japan and France come to an end, even if they’ll never stop us from using our Street Pass in the Louvre.

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