Nintendo 3DS replaces traditional audio tour guides at the Louvre museum

After the release of The Legend of Zelda special edition 3DS, there was no question Nintendo's latest handheld was a piece of art.

And now, the 3DS is taking its rightful place in the Louvre museum - albeit, providing a tour guide experience not as an exhibit.

As part of a working partnership between Nintendo and the world's most visited art museum, Nintendo has sent 5,000 modified consoles to the Louvre, loaded with special software packages which visitors can rent as virtual museum tour guides.

You can't play games on them as the cartridge slot has been covered.

The Louvre-Nintendo 3DS Audio Guides have replaced the previously available audio tours that a museum visitor could rent for €6. To help entice curious visitors, the 3DS tour guides are available even cheaper - €5 or €3 for under 18s.

The basic tour will guide you around the key masterpieces in the museum, from the Venus de Milo to the Mona Lisa.

In total, here's over 35 hours of audio content, which is combined with information and 3D images of over 700 artworks and an interactive map to ensure you don't get lost.

All hardware features of the 3DS from the cameras to the touchscreen are be utilised, while visitors with disabilities can access the content as well, thanks to video tours offered in French sign language.

You can find out more from the Louvre website.