Samsung's 55-inch Odyssey Ark: Taking gaming monitors to a whole new dimension - Engadget

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2022 has been a large twelvemonth for monitors. We’ve already gotten the world’s archetypal QD-OLED show from Alienware with different connected the way from MSI. And earlier this summer, Sony joined the fray with its new Inzone marque of gaming hardware. But now, Samsung is taking things to a full caller level with the Odyssey Ark.

Boasting a immense quantum mini LED sheet with a 1000R curve, the Ark delivers an immersive acquisition with large visuals and amazingly bully sound. Not lone does Samsung assertion that the Ark is the world’s archetypal 55-inch show with a 4K resolution, 165 Hz refresh complaint and a 1ms effect time, you besides get enactment for HDR 10+ and Dolby Atmos audio. And portion the dependable connected galore monitors is often an afterthought (assuming they tin adjacent output thing astatine all), the Ark features a full of six speakers: 1 successful each country and 2 woofers successful back. And erstwhile combined Samsung says the Ark’s speakers were designed to make a dome of sound.

And now, aft getting the accidental to cheque this happening retired successful person, I tin accidental this show is dissimilar thing other connected the market. Even compared to different ultrawide displays, the Ark’s dimensions let it to wrapper astir you similar immoderate benignant of high-tech cocoon. Colors are affluent and, acknowledgment to its matte finish, you don’t person to interest astir reflections ruining your graphics. The show besides supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for VRR, truthful you tin get the champion show careless if you’re gaming connected a console oregon a PC. And portion you won’t spot axenic blacks similar you would with an OLED display, Samsung says the Ark’s opposition is 4 times amended than its previous-gen monitors.

Meanwhile, to marque controlling the Ark easy, Samsung includes not 1 but 2 remotes, some of which person built-in star panels truthful you don’t person to interest astir keeping them charged. The archetypal distant is akin to what you’d get with a TV, but the 1 that feels a spot much peculiar is the wireless Ark Dial. It lets you rapidly alteration video settings, set measurement and power betwixt the monitor's peculiar show modes. It’s ace casual to use, and champion of all, it means you don’t person to scope astir backmost and fumble with hidden buttons oregon a joystick similar you bash with a batch of rival monitors.

Unlike astir   displayers this size, the Odyssey Ark supports representation    orientation, which Samsung calls Cockpit mode.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

The champion happening astir the Ark is each the modes and features Samsung included to assistance you get the astir retired of this elephantine panel. First, there’s Flex Move Screen, which allows you to set the size of your contented and determination it around, you know, successful lawsuit you don’t request the Ark’s afloat 55 inches. There’s besides Samsung’s Gaming Hub which supports crippled streaming platforms similar NVIDIA GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming and Google Stadia natively. You adjacent get RGB lighting connected the back, not that you tin truly spot it with truthful muchscreen betwixt you and the rear of the display.

But my favourite happening is the Multi View mode, which lets you person up to 3 antithetic apps unfastened astatine once, including the quality to determination and resize windows nevertheless you like. That means you tin crippled portion having a movie and societal media connected the side, oregon you tin treble up by having 2 games unfastened positive YouTube, oregon fundamentally thing successful between. And if there’s a layout you peculiarly like, you tin prevention that statement truthful adjacent time, you tin unfastened everything up with a azygous press. The 1 caveat is that owed to a regulation of HDMI, you tin lone show contented from the Ark’s built-in apps and 1 outer instrumentality astatine the aforesaid time. So portion you tin person a console and a PC plugged successful astatine the aforesaid clip acknowledgment to enactment for 4 HDMI ports (all of which are HDMI 2.1), you can’t output contented from some simultaneously.

Gallery: Samsung Odyssey Ark hands-on photos | 12 Photos

Gallery: Samsung Odyssey Ark hands-on photos | 12 Photos

Finally, there’s the Ark’s peculiar move, which is being capable to rotate into representation orientation, oregon arsenic Samsung calls it, Cockpit mode. You inactive get enactment for each of the monitor’s features similar Multi View and Flex Move, but present connected a show that curves up and implicit your head. And you cognize what, it truly does consciousness similar you’re sitting successful the pilot’s spot connected a plane. My lone regret is that I privation I could person installed a sprout ‘em up similar Ikaruga, truthful I could truly instrumentality vantage of the Ark’s verticality successful Cockpit mode. And if you privation a immense caller show but don’t person a ton of table space, Samsung adjacent includes a VESA partition equine successful the box.

That said, starting astatine $3,500, the Odyssey Ark is simply a large fiscal committedness for anyone. But if nary of the different monitors released this twelvemonth are large capable for you, Samsung’s caller flagship gaming show could beryllium the monolithic centerpiece your location conflict presumption needs.

Pre-orders for the Odyssey Ark commencement today, and erstwhile combined with preservation discounts, imaginable customers tin prevention up to $300 earlier income officially spell unrecorded sometime successful aboriginal September.

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