Nintendo 3DS Audio Guide - Musée du Louvre

Press release
Multimedia
From April 11, 2012
The Louvre - Nintendo 3DS
audio guide
Musée du Louvre Nintendo
Communication Department Press contact : Marion Benaiteau Please contact your local
Anne-Laure Béatrix marion.benaiteau@louvre.fr Nintendo representative
Adel Ziane Tél. + 33 1 40 20 67 10
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Press release page 3
Contents page 5
Innovations page 6
Getting started page 7
Summary
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Press release
Multimedia
From April 11, 2012
© 2012 musée du Louvre / Olivier Ouadah
The Louvre-Nintendo 3DS audio guide has
been developed thanks to NINTENDO’s
support. The initial content has received
sponsorship from KOREAN AIR.
Visitor information
Opening hours
Open daily except Tuesdays from 9 a.m.
to 5:45 p.m., until 9:45 p.m. on
Wednesdays and Fridays, until 7:45 p.m
on Saturdays and Sundays.
Admission fees
Permanent collections:10 €. Free for
under-18s, people under 26 years of
age residing in the EEC, teachers in
possession of an education pass, the
unemployed, cardholders, and free for
everyone on the first Sunday of the
month.
Audio guide Louvre - Nintendo 3DS
Full price: 5€ / Reduced price: 3€
More information
Tel: +331-40 20 53 17 - www.louvre.fr/en
The Louvre - Nintendo 3DS
audio guide
As part of a new partnership with Nintendo, the Louvre
museum has launched an unusual tour guide using Nintendo
3DS TM . Constantly looking for ways to stimulate and entertain
its 8.9 million annual visitors, the Louvre remains committed to
its digital ventures: interactive and original, the Louvre -
Nintendo 3DS audio guide offers museum visitors the best
possible experience.
Equipped with new functions including 3D images and animation,
the guide includes an interactive map that allows visitors to see
exactly where they are in the museum. It also offers over 700
commentaries about the artworks, providing a fresh perspective on
the Louvre’s collections and the story behind the building itself. The
versatile guide can be tailored to individual tastes and really brings
the artwork to life, thanks to commentaries by the museum’s
curators and lecturers.
A new partnership
The partnership between Nintendo and the Louvre museum unites
two worlds that ostensibly appear very different but in fact
complement each other nicely. Nintendo brings with it more than 35
years of experience in the video game industry, including breaking
the “serious games” market which has an informative or educational
role. Drawing on the expertise of Shigeru Miyamoto, head of
development and production at Nintendo, and creator of famous
characters such as Donkey Kong, Mario Bros and Zelda, the new
audio guide is a valuable tool that makes a visit to the Louvre a
dynamic and enriching experience.
Getting closer to visitors
Over the past few years the Louvre has made a conscious effort to
develop its digital, and, utilising its multimedia tools, has
specifically targeted those people who do not usually visit museums.
The aim is to combine its rich heritage with the creative world of
interactive entertainment. The Nintendo 3DS console is - for many
visitors – a natural fit in its accessibility and ease of use.
The audio guide has been designed to guide visitors who want to
visit the museum by themselves, as well as to enrich their
Musée du Louvre Nintendo
Communication Department Press contact : Marion Benaiteau Please contact your local
Anne-Laure Béatrix marion.benaiteau@louvre.fr Nintendo representative
Adel Ziane Tél. + 33 1 40 20 67 10
3

© 2012 musée du Louvre / Olivier Ouadah
The must-sees © All rights reserved
Nintendo 3DS is a trademark of Nintendo
© 2012 Nintendo
knowledge of the works of art on display. It was decided that the
museum’s curators and lecturers should talk to the visitor, with
lively, conversational commentaries.
To allow visitors to navigate their way round the huge museum
more easily, the Louvre made the development of a localisation
feature a top priority. The function is at the heart of its mission to
welcome and guide all visitors, and complements the
communication tools already in place for before, during, and after
their visit.
Available in seven languages, the audio guide offers commentary
for individual visits and tours of various lengths through the
collections. In the future it will also include creative features
designed especially for handicapped visitors, including audio
descriptions of the works and video presentations in French Sign
Language.
Our objectives
�� Help the public orientate themselves in the museum by
offering tools (a choice of visits, real-time localisation) and
content about both the works of art and the history and
architecture of the museum.
�� Address the needs of a large and diverse public – both
young people who are familiar with the Nintendo 3DS and
those less used to the device. Do this using a simple interface
which offers direct access to the traditional functions of an
audio guide. The audio guide is available in seven languages
(English, German, Korean, Spanish, French, Italian and
Japanese), and is soon to be offered in French Sign Language
and audio description.
�� Encourage visitors to discover the richness of the
collections by leading them to areas that are seen less often.
Invite them to learn about some of the museum’s most
important pieces, not just the most well-known.
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The main menu © All rights reserved
Self-guided visit © All rights reserved
Contents
The Louvre– Nintendo 3DS audio guide caters to each museum
visitor (adults, children, French speakers, foreign visitors and
those with sensory impairment). Once visitors receive their
Louvre – Nintendo 3DS audio guide at the pick-up counter,
they can choose to listen to commentaries based on their own
itinerary, or follow a tour based on the museums’ key works
and collections.
Self-guided visit
Over 700 audio commentaries and photos, many in high definition.
With simple and engaging explanations, specialists from the
Louvre give visitors background information to help them
understand the works on display.
The must-sees
This is a selection of major works of art highlighted on the
interactive map, to ensure that visitors do not miss the museum’s
most important pieces. Visitors can create their own itinerary
through the museum to discover the pieces they want to see.
Tours to discover the museum
There is a choice of two themed tours, specially devised for those
visiting the Louvre for the first time. Each tour lasts approximately
45 minutes:
• the “Masterpieces” tour
This tour allows visitors to discover or rediscover the museum’s
most famous pieces such as the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci,
the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, guided
step by step through some of the Louvre’s most prestigious rooms.
the family tour “The Egyptians” (coming soon)
Humorous and informative, this tour brings to life the Egyptian
people and the area around the River Nile, the work of the peasants
and craftsmen and the power of the pharaohs. Visitors are
encouraged to observe in more detail and make sense of the objects
on display. To test their knowledge they are quizzed with
multimedia games throughout the visit.
Adapted tour (coming soon)
Commentaries accessible to handicapped visitors: the hearing
impaired can access a video-guided tour in French sign language
which focuses on the Louvre’s major works. Visitors with visual
impairment are able to visit the special touch gallery.
Audio guide for the temporary exhibition
Up until June 25, 2012, discover the mysterious secrets revealed in
the exhibition “The Saint Anne, Leonardo da Vinci’s Ultimate
Masterpiece”, with explanations by Vincent Delieuvin, curator of
the exhibition, Department of Paintings, musée du Louvre.
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Real-time localisation © All rights reserved
The Vénus de Milo in 3D © All rights reserved
Innovations
One of the principal innovations of the Louvre - Nintendo 3DS
audio guide is to offer visitors to the museum a means of
locating their current position.
An innovative localisation feature
Housed in a huge building, with collections spread over three wings
and four floors, finding your way in the museum can be daunting
for some visitors. With the locator technology jointly developed by
teams from the Louvre and Nintendo, you no longer have an excuse
for getting lost in one of the world’s largest museums!
The new audio guide allows visitors to see where they are at any
moment on the museum map. With the two Nintendo 3DS screens,
you can visualise the main map of the floor you are on, and your
exact position.
New functions
The existing content has been expanded to include new functions:
3D without glasses
Interactive animations, 3D models of major works, 3D images of
the museum galleries… Perhaps you’d love to be able to see the
back of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, but can’t get round the
statue because it’s placed against a wall. With 3D technology,
admire the works of art from every angle!
HD photos
Many high definition photos accompany the commentaries, helping
you identify each object and access additional information.
Use the HD zoom and see the rich detail of each piece: investigate
the landscape behind the Mona Lisa, attempt to recognize the
characters portrayed in The Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon
(by Jacques-Louis David), and admire the architecture shown in
The Wedding Feast at Cana (by Veronese).
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© 2012 musée du Louvre / Thierry Ollivier
Renting the Louvre - Nintendo 3DS audio guide
► You can rent the Louvre audio guide at the museum’s ticket
windows and automatic vending machines.
You will be given a voucher to exchange for an audio guide at the
audio guide pick-up counters.
► Four counters are available for picking up your audio guide:
under the Pyramid, near the group reception area (“Accueil des
groupes”), and on the mezzanines at the top of the escalators leading
to the three main entrances of the museum (Denon, Sully, and
Richelieu).
► Lower prices:
Full rate: 5 € (compared to 6€ for the previous audio guide)
Under-18s: 3 €
Handicapped, unemployed, minimum income visitors: 3 €
Special offer on Fridays from 6pm onwards for visitors aged
18-25: an extra guide for each one rented.
These rates give access to commentaries for both the main
collections and the temporary exhibition.
► Over 5,000 consoles gradually being put into service.
► Available in seven languages: French, English, German, Korean,
Spanish, Italian, Japanese. A version in French sign language will
also be available soon.
Technical details for the console
�� Two screens:
Lower tactile screen
Upper screen with glass-free 3D
�� Weight and dimensions of the console when closed:
8 oz., 13.5 cm x 7.5 cm x 2 cm
�� Battery duration: almost 4 hours
Getting started
• Special remarks: the cartridge and SD card ports are
disabled. The Louvre - Nintendo 3DS audio guide does not accept
game cartridges and cannot be used outside the museum.
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