(Pocket-lint) – When Samsung unveiled the Odyssey Arc gaming monitor it regarded somewhat bit just like the endpoint of curved displays – a display so enormous that it will mainly grow to be your total discipline of view if seated at a desk.It’s maximalist in its ethos and sitting down in entrance of it at Gamescom 2022 in Cologne (the place Samsung launched the 990 Pro SSD), we have been equal components impressed and baffled. This is an excellent gaming monitor in some ways, however an absurd one in some key regards.-
Our fast take
The factor about top-class gaming tech is that typically you’ve got to withstand asking “why?” and as an alternative ask “why not?”. That appears to have been Samsung’s method with the Odyssey Ark, and in equity, it is paid off in some key methods.
This is probably the most out-there gaming monitor you possibly can choose up proper now, we might wager, and for individuals who can afford it and need to really feel like they’re in a spaceship whereas they sport, that is an out-of-the-box resolution that may clearly work wonders.
That doesn’t suggest it is for everybody, although, and we do suppose it is acquired some area of interest enchantment. Having sat with it for a quick whereas, we predict it is nice enjoyable, however would warning potential consumers to get a while with one in a retailer earlier than they decide to a hefty buy.
Samsung Odyssey Ark 55-inch monitor
For
Massive real-estate
Cool Ark Dial controller
Hugely immersive in panorama
Against
Vertical mode is baffling
Multiple shows choices are area of interest
It’s wildly costly
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Size matters55-inch show, horizontal or vertical orientations1000R curvatureArk Dial controllerFor many a gaming monitor, design fades into the background compared with specs lists and options, however once you stroll right into a room with the Odyssey Ark in it, the design is just about the foremost factor in your thoughts.This is a large monitor – 55 inches by the diagonal, a dimension that most individuals would discover spectacular in a TV, not to mention when it is sat on a desk, and that makes it instantly interesting to a smaller area of interest of customers than most screens.You’ll want a big desk to accommodate this beast, that is for certain, particularly when you think about that you may have it in portrait or panorama modes and so want the house to permit for the swing between these modes.The curvature is fairly important, too, at 1000R, and between that curve and the display’s sheer dimension, you will discover that sitting a few ft away from it nonetheless leaves you utterly consumed by the Odyssey Ark.Pocket-lintMoving between vertical and horizontal is comparatively straightforward – you simply lengthen the monitor to its most top after which swing it round, though its dimension means there is a little bit of weight to maneuver there. On that subject, although, let’s speak practicalities.Living the vertical life3,840 x 2,160 resolution1,000,000:1 distinction ratioHaving a vertical monitor is nothing loopy, and could be actually helpful for some workflows whereas having the ability to swap between the 2 orientations is even higher. However, when the display is that this large, issues begin to disintegrate somewhat.Sitting in entrance of the Odyssey Ark in vertical mode is like being in a flight simulator or an arcade racing cupboard – the display looms over you due to its curvature, making wanting up at its prime actually a ache within the neck.In this structure the Ark can accommodate three separate monitor areas in a stack, every coming from a supply of your selecting, so multitasking choices are manifestly there, however we simply can’t see how this might be preferable or extra snug than two or three regular displays organized as you need them. Doing that even with high-quality HDMI 2.1 displays would nonetheless virtually actually are available in properly beneath the Ark’s enormous £2,599 or $3,499.99 value.Pocket-lintMoving between these completely different choices on the Ark, choosing your modes and extra is all performed via the Ark Dial, a desktop controller that is pretty glossy and funky, though barely restricted by its dial interface at occasions. It’s an ideal thought to have its controls introduced ahead and accessible, although, in comparison with the nightmare of twiddling with unseen fobs and buttons on the again of the display.Technically proficient165Hz refresh rate1ms response timeQuantum Mini LED displayIf that is a variety of hesitation about whether or not the Odyssey Ark makes financial sense, it is truthful to level out that on the face of it, the technical aspect of the show regarded glorious in our transient time with it.While we weren’t capable of really sport, the Ark has a ok refresh fee to be aggressive at excessive ranges, whereas its Quantum Mini LED backing made for actually brilliant and vibrant picture high quality even in a very difficult lighting scenario.Brightness is a giant a part of that, together with an anti-glare coating that is clearly placing in top-quality work. With HDMI 2.1 on board it is clear that anybody who does choose up the Ark and hooks up both a next-gen console or a strong gaming PC to it would have an absolute whale of a time.We’re fairly satisfied they will achieve this virtually totally in panorama mode, however that is simply our two cents.
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To recap
This is a very cool monitor, and no mistake, however we could not assist questioning who the Odyssey Ark is definitely for – you probably have this a lot cash to spare on a monitor, we guess it might be a enjoyable funding, however for most individuals a brilliant high-quality various might be had for approach much less.
Writing by Max Freeman-Mills. Editing by Britta O’Boyle.
https://www.pocket-lint.com/laptops/reviews/samsung/162441-samsung-odyssey-ark-monitor-review
