Nintendo visits The Louvre, allows you to explore from your home

As much as we’d like, we can’t all just jump on a plane and cross the seas to Europe, which is why we’re always pleased to see technology help out with exploring some of the world’s greatest places.

In this case, that place is the Louvre in France, with Nintendo crafting a new program (it’s not a game) that lets you explore the museum from a Nintendo 3DS, visiting 600 pieces of art, exploring the over 400 photos of the interior of the Louvre, and being able to listen to nearly 30 hours of audio commentary.

Thanks to the console supporting a 3D screen, the exploration will also include 3D models and photos, making the experience a little more interactive than just a slideshow tour guide.

If you do manage to get to the Louvre, however, the 3DS guide will switch over into a different mode, providing an interactive map, and offering details of each piece of art, with the program able to work out which room you’re in and provide information accordingly.

In a way, we’re reminded of the Google Art Project, an project by Google that creates a Street View styled tour of some of the world’s greatest art galleries, recording and capturing the images inside these places so that anyone can view them at any time.

Currently, Google Art Project lets you explore the Palace of Versailles, The White House, Australia’s Art Gallery of NSW, and New York’s Museum of Modern Art also known as MoMA, among others, with hundreds of collections available for people to peruse.

The Louvre isn’t one of the ones selected for Google’s Art Project, however, giving Nintendo a slight edge for this one, and making the actual museum and a 3DS the only places able to explore the museum.

“Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre” is priced at $26 and will be available from Nintendo’s online e-shop this month.