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Tour The White House In 3D, Virtual Reality Style

White House
Image via Pixabay

Google Expeditions launched back in September but has kept things relatively low key since – that is, until now. The educational program has released a 360-degree tour of the White House’s holiday setup and while it’s unlikely you’ll catch a glimpse of anything classified or top secret, you will catch an eyeful of holiday decor and an earful of narration as the slideshow-esque video unfolds.

A bit over 5 minutes, the video, which can be played in 2D or 3D, basically plays out like a slideshow displaying 180-degree stills of various rooms throughout the presidential mansion in Washington, D.C.

While the vast estate that is the White House encompasses many rooms, including those used for dining and reception, it also houses the president of the United States as well as the president’s family.

The Oval Office, which is perhaps one of the most well known rooms in the mansion, serves as the president’s office. There are also offices intended for the presidential staff.

While it might play home to current U.S. President Barack Obama and his family, it also doubles as the executive department of the U.S. federal government.

In Google’s virtual tour of the White House, the Obama family’s dog, Bo, makes a brief appearance. At the end of the video, some of the holiday staff signs off by saying, “happy holidays from the people’s house to your house.”

Gizmodo‘s Mario Aguilar related the video’s feel to being a 10-year-old getting “dragged down the corridors by an underpaid tour guide” while noting that it “could have been amazing.”

In order to create the 360-degree video, Google utilized its Jump camera rig’s 16-camera setup and stitched together the footage with the Jump software.

To view the video in all of its intended glory, a mobile virtual reality headset is required. As YouTube doesn’t offer VR support for Apple’s iOS, an Android device is also necessary.

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