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YouTube and the White House have come together to release a 360-degree video of the White House during the holidays. It’s a virtual reality video that can be used with Google Cardboard as well as other virtual reality viewers like the Gear VR. If you’re browsing it on your desktop, you can use the arrows to move around the video, and it feels like you’re really there taking a tour of the White House. This is great for those that have wanted to take a tour of the White House, but can’t fly to Washington D.C. to do so.
Google states that this was filmed “using the Jump platform”. That uses a 16 camera capture rig and assembler for filming and editing virtual reality videos. So users are now able to explore the hallways and famous rooms of the White House as well as all the holiday decorations on display throughout the White House. Additionally, Google says they created “a Google Expedition of the holiday tour, so teachers participating in the Expeditions Pioneer Program can take their students on a virtual field trip to the White House.”
“Filmed using the Jump platform, which includes a 16 camera capture rig and assembler for filming/editing VR videos, users can now explore the hallways and famous rooms of the White House with all the holiday decorations on full display,” Google explains. “We also created a Google Expedition of the holiday tour, so that teachers participating in the Expeditions Pioneer Program can take their students on a virtual field trip to the White House as well.” It’s a really neat video, and even if you don’t have Cardboard, it’s definitely worth a look, seeing many of the rooms that have been in the history books.
For those that might be unaware, Google launched Expeditions earlier this year. It’s a teaching tool that allows students to take virtual tours of some of the most famous places in the world. It’s a great tool, especially with Cardboard being so cheap (you can find it in some places as low as $5), and it’s made of Cardboard. So unlike the HTC Vive, Microsoft HoloLens, Samsung Gear VR or the many other virtual reality viewers out there, it’s much cheaper. Thus making it easier to get a hold of, especially for a school that may not have a ton of funds for things like this.
Cardboard gets better and better everyday. Check out the video below, posted by The White House.