President Obama Takes You on a Virtual Tour of the White House

Obama White House VRYou can now go on a virtual tour of the White House, narrated by the outgoing President Barack Obama. In collaboration with Facebook’s Oculus and Felix & Paul Studios, the President and First Lady Michelle Obama invite the world into the place they have called ‘home’ for the past eight years.

Available through Facebooks 360° video platform, ‘The People’s House’ offers the viewer a chance to explore various rooms in the White House and the West Wing, while also looking back at some of the significant moments that occurred during the Obamas’ residency.

Highlights of the tour include viewers being able to enter the Oval Office, the Situation Room and the Treaty Room. As viewers pass through each part of the White House, they hear the personal reflections of both the President and First Lady on events that occurred in each place.

Speaking in a White House blog post, Kori Schulman, special assistant to the President and deputy CDO, said: “All of this reflects what President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wanted to do when they first step foot in the White House eight years ago.

“In 2009, they made it their particular mission to open wide the doors of this museum of American history to everyone, near and far. They invited the Girl Scouts to camp out on the South Lawn, they opened up the Old Family Dining Room on the White House tour, they got rid of the ban on photography for visitors, and more so the American people could see – and share – what it’s like to live here. Virtual Reality is the latest technology they can use in service of this mission.”

This isn’t the first time 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has made use of mediated reality. In December, the White House used AR to bring one dollar bills to life through smartphones – enabling users to fly around a 3D interactive White House, while witnessing major events.

Array