On their way out of the White House, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are treating virtual reality fans to a tour of the White House, featuring nine areas of the residence.
The People’s House: Inside the White House is available for the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR and was produced by VR production house Felix & Paul Studios and Oculus. It’s the second time the Obamas have created a VR experience, following a tour of Yosemite last year.
“Michelle and I always joke, we’re just renters here ... the owners are the American people and all those invested in creating this amazing place with so much history,” President Obama says in the film. “What we want to do is make sure that everybody felt they had access to it ... that as many people as possible could come in and appreciate the place where Lincoln or FDR or Reagan had made decisions that helped to shape America.”
The tour takes viewers to both public and private areas of the White House, including the Oval Office. Oculus has promised that an extended edition of the video, which was shot last year, will be made available soon.
“Every president moves to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with the full awareness that it is a temporary address,” Obama said. “This is where we came to know the talented, devoted, optimistic Americans from every corner of the country and every station in life. Because as beautiful as these buildings are, it’s the people in them and the work that’s done here, the triumphs and tragedies you experience over course of your years here — that’s what imbues a place with meaning.”
