A new monitor on the way for gamers brings TV tech and size to a desktop space, and it may be the most immersive screen yet.
There’s a big new screen on the way, and while it could easily be mistaken for a TV, Samsung’s latest display isn’t about regular TV viewing.
Focused on the world of gamer accessories, Samsung’s latest foray into its Odyssey gaming range is a little bit different from the big and flat displays we normally see. Rather, it’s much bigger and comes with a curve, and that’s not all. While Samsung has already launched an assortment of Odyssey gaming screens this year, there’s yet another coming, and it could be the most interesting yet.
Measuring a staggering 55 inches and coming with a curve, the Odyssey Ark is one of the world’s biggest screens specifically focused on gamers, and it comes with a few tricks.
One is that the Ark is built like Samsung’s high-end TVs, using the Quantum Mini LED technology to pack in lots of little light emitting diodes in the backlighting system to deliver better blacks and lighting tonality, whether in the dark or with plenty of light, something its 2022 TVs include, as well, as did one of the Odyssey models last year.
There’s also a 165Hz refresh rate, making it fast for PC gamers, supporting AMD FreeSync Premium Pro with a 1 millisecond response time on a 4K 3840×2160 resolution.
And then there’s the extra stuff, the story of thing you might not associate with a gaming screen.
For one thing, the screen can switch aspect ratios, jumping between the standard 16:9 to a much wider 21:9 and 32:9, all by controlling a solar powered remote Samsung calls the “Ark Dial”.
The controller can sit on the side, and can be charged like Samsung’s TV remotes using solar energy, or even plugged into a Type C USB connection, for folks who will be using it with a computer, with that remote not only changing the Ark’s aspect ratio, but other settings, as well.
In horizontal mode, you can show up to four inputs, but the Odyssey Ark can rotate, too, making it a tall vertical curved display in what Samsung calls “cockpit mode”, running with three inputs set up and down.
There are also speakers built in, supporting Dolby Atmos and using four speakers, which may be a cut above the typical sound system most monitors come with.
One thing Samsung hasn’t noted is price, though Samsung Australia has said it will launch locally “in the coming months”. Our guess is like most big Mini LED TVs, this one won’t be cheap, and given that it comes with such a strong curve and that neat rotating mode, you might want to start saving now.
