Samsung Electronics Takes Gaming Experiences To The Next Level With Global Launch of Odyssey Ark

[TheLostSwede]

Samsung Electronics today announced the global launch of Odyssey Ark, the world's first 55-inch 1000R curved gaming screen, adding a completely new form factor to the industry-leading Odyssey lineup. The huge display delivers a 165 Hz refresh rate, 1 ms response time (GtG), plus an all new Cockpit Mode and an exclusive controller, the Ark Dial—offering the ultimate window into the world of gaming with unparalleled immersion.

"We are excited to unveil this totally unique, next-generation gaming screen, the Odyssey Ark. This 55-inch 1000R curved gaming screen brings together premium, cinematic picture quality, immersive surround sound and an incredibly flexible interface which gamers increasingly demand," said Hyesung Ha, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. "The gaming community craves new experiences and Odyssey Ark delivers access to a new world of gaming that will raise standards across the entire industry." The groundbreaking Odyssey Ark is built to deliver incredible cinematic experiences, superior gaming performance and an interface that offers completely optimized flexibility. Originally unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, the Odyssey Ark was recognized as a CES Innovation Award Honoree.




A New Cinematic Experience That Appeal to The Senses
The large 55-inch screen wraps around the user's field of view thanks to its 1000R curvature, filling their peripheral vision. This is further emphasized by Cockpit Mode, which enables the screen to rotate with HAS (Height Adjustable Stand), tilt and pivot functionality for an optimal screen environment that creates a new sense of world-blending immersion.

The Odyssey Ark brings Samsung's Quantum Matrix Technology to bear, using Quantum Mini LEDs, which enable ultra-fine and precise control of the densely packed LEDs. With newly added 14-bit processing, a sophisticated lighting control technology, gamers see both dark and bright scenes, including 16,384 black levels for ultra-realistic graphics.

A million-to-one static contrast ratio brings out even the most subtle details with perfect clarity. Plus, the Neural Quantum Processor Ultra takes content quality to new heights by using data generated from 20 neural networks to enhance every visual detail, upscaling content to up to 4K resolution.

For supreme cinematic experience, the Odyssey Ark leverages Samsung's Matte Display and Sound Dome Technology. The Matte Display provides both anti-glare and anti-reflection protection, minimizing distractions and keeps users focused on the content in front of them. The Odyssey Ark introduces magnificent sound with 'Sound Dome Tech' featuring AI Sound Booster and Dolby Atmos to enhance the surround sound experience. Four speakers, one at each corner, and two central woofers result in realistic and rich sound thanks to a 60 W 2.2.2 channel with the lowest 45 Hz notes of any gaming screen or gaming soundbar.

Superior Gaming Performance Optimized for Players
Along with the 165 Hz refresh rate, the Odyssey Ark brings together a 4K (3,840 x 2,160) resolution featuring 1 ms response time (GtG) with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, maximizing on-screen accuracy and giving gamers a competitive edge in fast-moving environments. The Odyssey Ark also delivers powerful gaming performance and enables gamers to experience the best of gaming in one place with Samsung Gaming Hub. Samsung Gaming Hub is an all-in-one game streaming discovery platform, where players can discover and enjoy games they love from partners such as Xbox, NVIDIA GeForce NOW, Google Stadia, Utomik and Amazon Luna.

Samsung Gaming Hub allows instant access to top streaming services, as well as popular console and PC games. With no downloads or storage space requirements, users can explore every corner of the gaming world without limitations.

Flexible Interface To Find The Perfect Settings for Victory
Gamers increasingly expect personalized and customizable gaming experiences. The Odyssey Ark provides a range of innovative features that let gamers adjust screen size, position and even ratio for an optimal gaming setup. First, the solar-powered Ark Dial—the exclusive controller for the Odyssey Ark—can quickly and simply control a variety of settings, including Flex Move Screen, Multi View, Quick Settings and Game Bar.

Flex Move Screen allows users to adjust screen size between 55- and 27-inches, change the screen position and even switch the screen ratio between 16:9, 21:9 and 32:9—all with just one touch of Ark Dial. This freedom is not only horizontal but also vertical position, giving users even more control of the viewing experience. Multi View allows users to use the large screen to its full potential by displaying up to four screens all at once while horizontal, or three while in Cockpit Mode. This eliminates the need for multi-monitor setups, so gamers can enjoy a clutter-free environment.

Game Bar is a powerful tool enabling gamers to quickly and easily view their gaming status and control important settings without ever needing to leave the game screen. From checking FPS (Frames Per Second), HDR (High Dynamic Range) and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), to adjusting settings such as screen ratio, response time and Game Picture mode, Game Bar puts the player in control and on the road to victory.

As well as being equipped with a solar panel, the Ark Dial can also be charged by a USB Type-C connection, eliminating the need for any disposable batteries.

Preorder for Samsung's Odyssey Ark will be available from August 15, 2022.

[Editor's note: Pricing is expected to start around US$3,500]

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[Chaitanya]

its quite huge and will need some serious desk space.

 

[Jimmy_]

its quite huge and will need some serious desk space.

Yes, it needed a special desk space and room to fit itself properly

 

[80251]

It's manufactured of pure unaffordium!

 

[Jimmy_]

But looks pretty awesome and huge as i have a Samsung Odyssey G9 monitor 44" compared to this 55" beast

 

[Crackong]

They should call it the 'Attack Helicopter' mode instead of cockpit

 

[Mussels]

So, SO many memes mocking this on social media this morning


I can see it as vaguely practical since you can treat it as a multimonitor setup, but overall it feels like something Samsung did purely because they could and wanted to be first to market with it, not because it'd have any actual use.

 

[Lionheart]

Be great for Star Citizen, can't wait to experience 30k errors on this beast

 

[Bomby569]

i like it but it's too big.

th4 forth picture says it all, look at that neck. And the recommended distance from screen of 80cm only makes it worst, you need a pretty big (as in depth) desk, it also makes it weird.

 

[Dirt Chip]

i like it but it's too big.

Well, that's what she said.

 

[bogami]

The only information missing here is the DPI and therefore the resolution is too small for the size. I use BDM4037U 40 4K inch philips and for more I would like a higher resolution. 5120x2160 is suitable for 39.7 inch. Be careful before buying, as it requires use from very close range.

 

[Ferrum Master]

3.5K

Who are they trying to fool? Investors?

It costs few used Volvos... Swede could arrange for sure.

 

[Bomby569]

3.5K

Who are they trying to fool? Investors?

It costs few used Volvos... Swede could arrange for sure.

The size, image quality, sound setup inside the thing, refresh rate, the remote, the big box thing, the gigantic stand that wasted as much metal as a small car, they all cost money.

 

[Ferrum Master]

The size, image quality, sound setup inside the thing, refresh rate, the remote, the big box thing, the gigantic stand that wasted as much metal as a small car, they all cost money.

Well, thanks, we have the first buyer here! The ship has sailed.

 

[Valantar]

Samsung is really going in the wrong direction when it comes to monitors IMO. While increasing diversity of options is good, their recent higher end launches are consistently just ... well, kind of weirdly inflexible and niche? They launch two really attractive (if large) MiniLED 16:9 panels, but for some reason both are curved, rather than one curved and one flat. They make a QD-OLED panel for gaming PCs .... in ultrawide only, and at relatively low pixel density - and don't even make their own monitor out of it. Their highest end monitors are ... 32:9 ultrawides? Like, what? Why aren't they targeting an even marginally more diverse grouping than this - people who don't want curved panels, or have multiple monitors, or don't want an ultrawide? Don't get me wrong - if what you're after fits within either the "high end ultrawide" or "miniLED curved 16:9" boxes then they make some excellent options, but ... that's a strangely limited selection. And I really, really doubt this offering adds much to that - it's more for people who have an Odyssey Neo G9, but kind of feel that it isn't tall enough?

Samsung, if you're listening, some of us want better features (miniLED? Yes please! QD-Oled? Yes please!) in regular sizes, with flat panels, and in configurations that are flexible, not that demand to be the centerpiece of the room/your life.

 

[trsttte]

I can see it as vaguely practical since you can treat it as a multimonitor setup, but overall it feels like something Samsung did purely because they could and wanted to be first to market with it, not because it'd have any actual use.

Well nope, it has the same problem as the LG C2 - the multi view only accepts one HDMI input, the others need to be apps from the smart-whatever-os.

What a stupid piece of tech, if only there weren't so many other more realistic and underserved market segments

 

[ZoneDymo]

3.5K

Who are they trying to fool? Investors?

It costs few used Volvos... Swede could arrange for sure.

yeah ok, but who wants a few used volvo's?
heck Jeremy Clarkson once bought a used Volvo for 1 pound....so he could have a whole fleet of used volvo's for the same price as this monitor...but again...who cares? who would want that?

now personally im waiting to see if Panasonics 42 inch Oled is going to be any good.

 

[Bomby569]

Well, thanks, we have the first buyer here! The ship has sailed.

i like the idea, i don't like the size. Anyway no idea of buying it, but you can't expect that much for less, and iphone costs almost half of that.

 

[Ferrum Master]

i like the idea, i don't like the size. Anyway no idea of buying it, but you can't expect that much for less, and iphone costs almost half of that.

It costs a grand more than a 65inch flagship OLED/MiniLED TV smaller ones come even more less.... a grand for a display port input?

So basically just jumping out of the pricing bracket because it is a PC monitor... It is a guaranteed fail... no one asked for this atrocity really. Or this is some Korean thing?

 

[Valantar]

i like the idea, i don't like the size

Isn't the size most of the idea here? Curved gaming displays already exist, monitors with all kinds of (useless or not useless) gimmicky features already exist. By far the main selling point of this seems to be just its sheer hugeness.

 

[Bomby569]

Isn't the size most of the idea here? Curved gaming displays already exist, monitors with all kinds of (useless or not useless) gimmicky features already exist. By far the main selling point of this seems to be just its sheer hugeness.

I think the size is part of the appeal for Samsung and maybe for a lot of people. I just said i personally don't like it, too big. It's not for me.
But i get what your saying, i'm not liking what makes it a thing lol But i was just replying to that other guy

 

[Yrd]

I used a projector as my main display for a couple years. I sat maybe 10 feet away and used the entire wall as my screen. The problem with sitting close to a large screen is having to look around vs just moving your eyes. It is not comfortable to keep moving your head to see the outside corners.

This looks like they intend it to be sat on your desk as a monitor.

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

I'm selling my car, I can't wait to use it solely as a vanity mirror.

 

[80251]

I'm surprised the LTT video stated the MSRP was $2500, which doesn't seem so bad considering how much the top tier videocards required to make use of this behemoth cost...

 

[Valantar]

The problem with sitting close to a large screen is having to look around vs just moving your eyes. It is not comfortable to keep moving your head to see the outside corners.

Exactly this. Though, not only "not comfortable", it also comes with a severe risk of RSI and general joint and ligament injuries that can take years if not decades to work your way out of. Not that sitting in a static position with your head pointed the same way for hours at a time is good either, but it's at least less harmful than this kind of repetitive, limited-but-strenuous movement.