[1]The White House released a virtual reality video of President Barack Obama touring Yosemite National Park yesterday. Read the full announcement here [2].
But the experience is only available on Facebook [3] and on the Samsung Gear VR [4] headset, with Oculus Rift support coming soon.
Facebook owns Oculus VR which also provides content for the Samsung headset via the Oculus Experience Store for the Gear VR [5].
Facebook launched 360-degree videos a year ago [6], YouTube also supports 360-degree videos but, unlike Facebook, YouTube’s videos can be switched into virtual reality mode and viewed on any Cardboard-compatible virtual reality headset.
Facebook, with its Oculus platform, is in direct competition with Google’s Cardboard platform — now evolving into Daydream. It’s a battle for the future of virtual reality.
It is odd to see the White House picking a side in this by picking one platform and not the other for its first major virtual reality video.
But then again, the White House did post a 360-degree holiday tour last December on YouTube:
The Yosemite National Park video was produced in cooperation with National Geographic, Oculus Studios and Félix & Paul Studios, and was timed to coincide with the centennial of the National Park Service.
In a recent consumer survey by Greenlight VR [7], 74 percent of respondents said that they were interested in using VRÂ for virtual tourism, putting it ahead of live events, education, and gaming.