Inauguration hits XBL, White House gets Wii

Though history and politics were obviously the focus of the news blitz surrounding today's US presidential inauguration, the event did mark two firsts for games. Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony, which officials say attracted over 1 million spectators to Washington, DC, will be the first...

Though history and politics were obviously the focus of the news blitz surrounding today's US presidential inauguration, the event did mark two firsts for games. Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony, which officials say attracted over 1 million spectators to Washington, DC, will be the first presidential inauguration that will be viewable via Xbox Live. Video of Obama's Oath of Office and speech, the rest of the ceremony, and other inaugural events will be available for download via XBL Marketplace for the rest of the week. Microsoft is also offering other Obama-related and presidential-themed content via its 17-million-member online service.

As Microsoft posted video of Obama's inauguration, Nintendo was occupying a place much closer to the 44th president of the United States. As Obama presided over a luncheon in the halls of Congress, a small army of movers began bringing the new First Family's belongings into the White House. Among the belongings arriving at the 216-year-old residence was a Nintendo Wii, which Obama's two daughters, Malia (age 10) and Sasha (age 7), received for Christmas. Australia's Herald-Sun newspaper reports that the console will be connected to the First Television in the mansion's family room, which will see its first young full-time users since then 12-year-old Chelsea Clinton took up residence in 1993.

Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that President Obama had been playing Wii Bowling with his daughters. He can also use the White House's real-life bowling alley to hone his infamously lacking bowling skills...until he acts upon his pledge to replace it with a basketball court. The alley was added by Richard Nixon shortly after he moved into the residence in 1969. (Bottom image credit: GamerCreated.com)

432 Comments

  • dan-rofl-copter

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 10:05 am PT

    If i was in number 10 i would have a basketball court, defiantly

  • iamsoodumb

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 3:24 am PT

    Obama loves basketball. I see the movie , he's great! 1 pass that I cant forget is when he bounce pass( almost invisibly ) to a teammate!

    Obama great at Basketball, so poor at Bowling. He score 37!!

  • Chin3se_Pride

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 5:19 pm PT

    after replacing the bowling court to a basketball court he would then replace the oval room to gangsta room with highdepth stereo with 50 cent album colllection

  • Chin3se_Pride

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 5:16 pm PT

    bush likes bowling, obama likes basketball

  • Sassy-Cc

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 10:22 am PT

    I am sure they have We Cheer & all those stupid kid games that are a waste of developers time (most gamers are 20+) ~ *Finally the Wii is getting a lot more Mature games this year!!! ~ It is so funny how liberal supporters will believe anything the lib media tells them ~ Learn to think on your own!!! ~ OLama is a puppet a stupid freaking puppet & he did mess up when he was speaking the oath ~ He forgot a simple sentence first & when the Justice tried to go back & reread the oath he stepped on his words as well ~ The media got what they were asking for when they blamed Bush for everything under the sun, including things that he shouldn't be responsible for, made up lies & twisted facts to make him look stupid then you get a president that is 10 times dumber than they made Bush look (to their sheep) ~

  • sephiroth1028

    Posted Feb 4, 2009 11:18 pm PT

    yea, because Wii is fit for a bunch of 10 and 7 year olds.

    long live Xbox.

  • mr-weezee

    Posted Feb 3, 2009 8:51 pm PT

    I wonder what obama's wii friend codes are? yay wii!

  • evilkarim2000

    Posted Feb 3, 2009 4:43 pm PT

    YEAA!!!!! see! President Obama is already showing his supreme ability to make the best decisions !

  • jamjammy

    Posted Feb 3, 2009 1:00 pm PT

    AWESOME! Obama got a wii!! nintendo has won the race to the white house, suck on that microsoft AND sony!! is this the first known games console in the white house? Like the Mii.

  • Sonicpower451

    Posted Jan 31, 2009 7:04 pm PT

    WHoo! Best video game news I have ever heard! Obama getting a Wii!

  • N-One

    Posted Jan 30, 2009 2:13 pm PT

    Microsoft joins Obamamania
    Obama joins Wiimania

    Plain & simple. Sorry Microsoft, Nintendo won the race to the White House.

  • IIHitandRunII

    Posted Jan 30, 2009 1:33 am PT

    OBAMA!!!!

  • lilmax25

    Posted Jan 29, 2009 7:06 pm PT

    Obama - Takes the bowling alley out which was a terrible choice
    nintendo won the race to the white house
    wooooo

  • Evilman97 posted Jan 28, 2009 7:22 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Evilman97

    Posted Jan 28, 2009 7:22 pm PT (hide)

    if macain had won he would get the a 360 or a ps3

  • nintendo-naut posted Jan 28, 2009 6:43 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    nintendo-naut

    Posted Jan 28, 2009 6:43 pm PT (hide)

    Hmph. Should be McCain's Wii...

  • black_ice23

    Posted Jan 27, 2009 4:35 pm PT

    OBAMA!! a Wii and Basketball court, can't go wrong with that, brings over other leaders has round smash bros and then a 1 on 1 hoops lol

  • BENBE11

    Posted Jan 27, 2009 3:17 pm PT

    Awesome everything!!!

  • BENBE11

    Posted Jan 27, 2009 3:09 pm PT

    Thats awesome and the fact that nintendo beat microsoft to the white house!!!

  • TheLemonGelati

    Posted Jan 27, 2009 2:57 pm PT

    Heh, didn't have to scroll far to find a political disagreement(even though there is nothing in this article worth arguing about). Obama has purchased a Wii.. the world is not over. Time to load up L4D

  • BlueFlameBat

    Posted Jan 27, 2009 2:46 pm PT

    I want those friend codes!

  • thedeadraptor

    Posted Jan 26, 2009 8:46 pm PT

    How do you like that Bill?!?!?!

  • aikimagicjedi

    Posted Jan 26, 2009 4:41 pm PT

    remember the change from nintendo to supernintendo?
    now imagine the change from wii to superwii ! there wont be a place for xbox

  • Irohazaka

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 4:43 pm PT

    Man I wish I had a basketball court in my house.

  • chappy_man

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 3:12 am PT

    seems everyone has a wii now haha

  • superawsomedman

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 9:49 pm PT

    now that is some good irony. xbl footage of the wii being the first system. lmao. XD

  • canx12

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 8:02 am PT

    cool an obama mii why didnt they create a bush(monkey) mii ;D

  • Mentalized

    Posted Jan 23, 2009 4:02 am PT

    Lol, obama wii mii.

  • matethemouse

    Posted Jan 22, 2009 3:14 pm PT

    I wonder what the people would be thinking when they suddenly meets a mii who looks like Obama, living in DC, with the screen name "The Choosen One" when they playing Mario Kart Online...

  • 24k_Solid_Gold

    Posted Jan 22, 2009 12:08 pm PT

    Lol! I'm a Microsoft fan, but that's just funny!

  • prdroog

    Posted Jan 22, 2009 10:28 am PT

    OBAMA ROCKS!!!

  • GrandRapids2326

    Posted Jan 22, 2009 4:44 am PT

    Sooooo Cute! Love it!

  • xdeiri

    Posted Jan 22, 2009 12:10 am PT

    obama mii lol

  • Chico_Azteca

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 11:07 pm PT

    why are people here trying to explain things here? this "news" were more of a "random fact" thing

    i only see a bunch of butthurt and racist people here

  • lamprey263

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 8:34 pm PT

    @Templar_Bladema - "To every1 bout the Palin-Russia comment. She said that you could walk to the very western tip of Alaska and see Russia, just thought I wanted to clear that up. Though if she put her house there, then she could see Russia from her house"

    well, I think it's the context where people find humor in Palin's comment, because this was her response when questioned about her national security credentials... just in case that one flew over your head

  • drivinggod2005

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 8:18 pm PT

    Barack Obama has a Nintendo Wii. My God, that is the biggest news story of the year by a mile(!)

    (It's sarcasm people. Don't think I actually meant that)

  • MattHopeKids

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 8:08 pm PT

    Macbooks and Nintendo wii's. Both good choices by the new president. It's looking good. Of course all the changes he's making now the bush is out is good too.

  • Paladin_basic

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 4:20 pm PT

    Hahaha it made me laugh just how stereotypical he makes himself by saying he'll replace the bowling alley with a basketball court, someone didn't replace him with Will Smith by any chance did they when no-one was looking?

  • Arkady_Husky

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 4:15 pm PT

    I had to try really hard to avoid seeing any of this non-entity's coronation. Such was the dewy-eyed, fawning adulation. And I live in England. In fact, one way I managed it was to play on my Xbox 360 until it was over. And now I learn that the whole ordeal will be advertised on XBL whenever I log in. What a bummer.

  • thrashunreal

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 4:10 pm PT

    Replacing it with a basketball course. Which is much cooler.

  • FurtherIntel

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 3:53 pm PT

    I am so making an Obama Mii and a Bush Mii. Then I'll have the Mii's fight each other... lol, jk. But why get rid of teh bowling alley? Doesn't Obama wanna get good at Wii Bowling?

  • Templar_Bladema

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 2:55 pm PT

    And to anyone else who wants to argue politics, this is a game website. One metion of Obama owning a Wii and you all flip on each other. Can we try to stay civil for at least... forever?

  • Templar_Bladema

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 2:52 pm PT

    To every1 bout the Palin-Russia comment. She said that you could walk to the very western tip of Alaska and see Russia, just thought I wanted to clear that up. Though if she put her house there, then she could see Russia from her house

  • fougera

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 2:29 pm PT

    @GunGriffin-'I pitty any Republican or Demorcrat who voted for that dumb women, her idea of forign policy was I can see Russia from my house!'
    It was Tina Fey on SNL who said that, Palin said 'You can see Russia from land in Alaska.' Do a bit more research yourself before you make yourself look dumb.

  • Walking_Chaos18

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 2:25 pm PT

    I didnt vote for Obama or Mccain.But whoever is sitting at that chair in the white house i support.
    Im black and have two half black/half white sons,And all i want is this BS in America to change.If obama doesnt change it,then he'll have to live the rest of his life knowing he failed like most of the other presidents nowadays.And if that happens,oh well,bring the next prez up to the plate.

  • King_Jeremy_77

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 2:15 pm PT

    I have a Wii.

  • Units420

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 2:15 pm PT

    to Midgetmen:

    Actually Chief Justice Roberts was the one who fubbed the oath. Obama got it apparently had it memorized

  • VexedLucifer posted Jan 21, 2009 2:07 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    VexedLucifer

    Posted Jan 21, 2009 2:07 pm PT (hide)

    lol @ John McCain and Palin. Oh well who cares if they have a Wii? It's not like this is some earth shattering discovery. The Wii is meant for kids that are his daughter's ages. Overly nosy media.

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