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Google offers VR tour of Palace of Versailles

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google virtual reality palace of versailles

Google Arts & Culture has joined forces with the Palace of Versailles to offer a private virtual reality (VR) tour of the former home of French royalty.

The new VR app, called ‘Versailles: The Palace is Yours’, is available in French, English and Chinese. Virtual visitors can use their own VR equipment, such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, or Valve Index.

Versailles: The Palace is Yours invites users to discover the tourist attraction and enjoy exclusive cultural and multimedia in an immersive experience.

The virtual tour offers access to more than 150 works of art, commentary from the museum’s teams, and a close look at the palace’s furniture.

‘Versailles: The Palace is Yours’ is a new VR app

The app also includes detailed reconstitution of the rooms, high-definition photos of artworks, and exclusive audio guide content for each room.

One feature of the app lets users remove the chandeliers to see the ceilings in more detail ā€“ all from the comfort of their own home, at any time.

It was built using photogrammetry technology, which uses thousands of photographs to recreate spaces just as they are in real life.

Steam says Versailles: The Palace is Yours offers a “unique visit of the palace built by Louis XIV”.

Users can explore the palace from their own home

It continues: “Alone, and free to discover the works in the most emblematic rooms, immerse yourself fully in the Palace of Versailles.

“Tapestries, paintings, ceilings, sculptures and furniture, everything is within reach of your controller to grant you unlimited and privileged access to the treasures of Versailles.

“For a more intimate experience, switch to night mode and explore the palace by the light of chimney fires.”

Google Arts & Culture previously recreated the Lion of Mosul, an ancient statue destroyed by ISIS in 2015, using crowdsourced photos and 3D printing.

San Franciscoā€™s de Young Museum also collaborated with Google Arts & Culture on Google Lens, which lets visitors discover the stories behind paintings.

Images: Chateau de Versailles

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Bea Mitchell

Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 10 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.

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