Samsung Launches $3,500 'Odyssey Ark' 55-Inch Curved Gaming Display

[MacRumors]

Samsung today announced the launch of the Odyssey Ark, which the company says is the world's first 55-inch 4K curved display with a 165Hz refresh rate for improved gaming performance. Samsung first previewed the monitor at CES, but it is now available to order.

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Priced at $3,500, the Samsung Odyssey Ark features mini-LED technology with 1000R curvature and is rotatable, which Samsung says offers a "new level of immersion." A Cockpit Mode option allows users to rotate the Ark display to a vertical orientation for multitasking or new gaming experiences.

There is a 165Hz maximum refresh rate and a 1ms response time for gaming purposes, and a built-in processor upscales content to 4K resolution and "enhances every visual detail." It supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and there are features that include a Game Bar for display adjustments and a Gaming Hub for finding new content to play. A Multi View feature also allows up to four screens to be displayed at one time.

The display is matte to cut down on glare and reflection, and there are quad speakers (one in each corner) with Dolby Atmos support. The display's position can be adjusted with HAS, tilt, and pivot for a customized gaming setup, and the monitor can be wall mounted if desired with an included VESA mount.

Samsung's Odyssey Ark can be pre-ordered from the Samsung website starting today.

Article Link: Samsung Launches $3,500 'Odyssey Ark' 55-Inch Curved Gaming Display

 

[macsplusmacs]

Ok. neat. If I played games a lot, would be a great add.

But, weeps a little...

Not 5K.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Samsung has been on a roll when it comes to foldable/curved screens. I'm not sure if I'm willing to spend $3500.00 without tax on this tho.

 

[haincha]

I have two Odyssey G7 28" monitors, and they sit pretty close to my face. Sometimes I notice the screen being too big for some games as it is. I don't think I'd be willing to drop this kind of money on a single monitor, let alone a pair, while it has less than 240Hz refresh. My 300Hz screen on my Razer Blade might be one of the prettiest displays I have.

 

[blackcrayon]

Unless I missed it, it doesn't appear to have USB-C or Displayport? Which is going to make it tough for most Macs to get 4K @ >60 Hz, no? Since Apple doesn't believe in HDMI 2.1 at the moment...

 

[Freida]

55" and 4K - that is one wrong combination. The ppi must be super low

 

[macsplusmacs]

Gotta fact in the cost of the most high end GPU. so more $$$.

No way should you buy one of these unless you can match it with the most bad ass GPU imo.

 

[heystu]

Sorry I must've misheard Dan - did he actually say you could only have one HDMI input on screen and the other 2/3rds have to use it's built-in apps when in 'cockpit mode'?

 

[falkon-engine]

waiting to see how long it takes for this thing to drop in value by 50% or more.

 

[asparagus]

4k over 55" is too low res for me. Other than that, the specs are awesome. I wish it was 8k, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

80ppi. if 8k, it'd be 160, and that'd be plenty high. Apple's 220 is super nice, sure, but 160 is plenty. 80, though, is too low for me. Heck, even 6k would put it around 120, and that'd be great. I thought xbox/ps5 supported stuff higher than 4k?

 

[erikkfi]

A 55" display sitting 3-4 feet in front of you sounds like an absurd choice. I guess if the curve is curvy enough, then maybe...?

 

[zach-coleman]

How could that tall mode ever be useful? Sounds like a neck pain. Besides that looks neat but too low of a PPI for me.

 

[PsykX]

The cockpit setup is great for live traders also.

But 80 pixels per inch... really ? For this price ? This has got to be a joke.
I haven't had a monitor like this since the early 2000s. I would never buy this. Especially not after experiencing a Retina Display iMac all day long since the last year.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Ok. neat. If I played games a lot, would be a great add.

But, weeps a little...

Not 5K.

Because 5K is an overpriced gimmick resolution that no one outside of a fringe group of Mac users care about, which is why no one outside of LG and Apple make them.

How could that tall mode ever be useful? Sounds like a neck pain. Besides that looks neat but too low of a PPI for me.

Tall mode is probably for streamers who don't have the width space for multiple monitors, as they can have multiple windows open. The main window being the game, and the other two being their stream chat and stream settings.

 

[BootsWalking]

Not my thing but that vertical orientation setup looks killer.

 

[spinedoc77]

A 55" display sitting 3-4 feet in front of you sounds like an absurd choice. I guess if the curve is curvy enough, then maybe...?

This is my setup in my home office, a 55" LG OLED display and I'm about 4 feet away. Works perfectly for productivity, games, etc. Watching video is good for short stints, but longer movies and I'd probably want to be farther back. But for the "lean in" stuff like productivity and games it's perfect IMO.

The curved screen stuff I never understood, it doesn't seem particularly more immersive and if anything with the really long but narrow aspect ratios seems to lose a sense of immersion. I suppose if it was large enough, but it would have to be massive.

 

[NT1440]

I had a friend in college that played WoW. On move in day he was showing off how smart he was for buying a 50” TV to use as a monitor. I laughed.

Two days he came into our dorm head hung low, “it’s too big too close, I have to turn my head constantly to see what’s going on”.


How could anybody actually use this thing on a desk???

 

[NBAasDOGG]

Apple user don’t play games anyway since Macs are crap from gaming…

 

[chkay]

Not liking this trend with monitors removing all the ports. A few of the Samsung models recently have had pretty poor I/O. I nabbed the M8 which is a fantastic monitor but only has 1x USB-C (with 65w power output) and 1x mini hdmi 2.1.

It's not a space issue, theres ample space on the back of these things to stick some extra ports in, so not sure why they've started doing this when previous models had at least 2 full size HDMI and a USB-C port or two. If you were lucky you'd get Displayport as well.

 

[Berti10]

I can feel the pain in my neck just by looking at those pictures…

 

[russell_314]

Apple user don’t play games anyway since Macs are crap from gaming…

I'll tell you a secret if you don't snitch me out to Tim Cook... You can own a Mac AND a Windows PC. The PC is for gaming and the Mac for pretty much everything else.

Computers are like tools. How silly would it be if you had to decide if you wanted to own a hammer or a screwdriver. I mean I guess you could get away with pounding in screws with a hammer but not ideal 🤣

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Not liking this trend with monitors removing all the ports. A few of the Samsung models recently have had pretty poor I/O. I nabbed the M8 which is a fantastic monitor but only has 1x USB-C (with 65w power output) and 1x mini hdmi 2.1.

It's not a space issue, theres ample space on the back of these things to stick some extra ports in, so not sure why they've started doing this when previous models had at least 2 full size HDMI and a USB-C port or two. If you were lucky you'd get Displayport as well.

Could be an interface issue. There comes a point when you’re throwing so many pixels over a connection at such a high rate, there’s little room for much data transfer other than video.

 

[JosephAW]

Wow that’s more than I paid for my cinema display.

In reality I don’t need 4K, 2K for $1000 would probably be better.

 

[russell_314]

I don't get the whole huge monitor thing. If you sit close like you would on a desk you can't see the whole thing. If you stand back and watch it like a TV I guess it's okay.

I like big televisions but I would like to sit at my desk on the computer.

 

[macmac30]

I've had my Samsung Odyssey G9 49" curved monitor for almost 2 years and can't imagine moving back to a smaller monitor. I always cringe when I open my MBP 16" and whatever app is taking up the entire screen. I find this Ark display interesting because I have often thought that the G9 would be perfect if it was about 12" taller...