Yosemite, and President Obama, head into virtual reality

NEW YORK — In a new project with National Geographic, Barack Obama becomes the first sitting U.S. president to project himself into virtual reality — in this case, a 360-degree representation of Yosemite National Park.

The 11-minute VR video , narrated by Obama, is one part paean to the wonders of America's national parks and one part warning of the threat posed by climate change. It's also a testament to how powerful VR can be when done right.

National Geographic joined Facebook's Oculus Studios and VR specialists Felix & Paul Studios to produce the free video, which came out Thursday to mark the centennial of the National Park Service . It's available on Samsung's Gear VR headset and through Facebook's 360-degree video service. It's coming soon to the Oculus Rift headset.

http://www.startribune.com/yosemite-and-president-obama-head-into-virtual-reality/391286851/