Samsung is going big with its latest announcement, the Odyssey Ark, a 55-inch 1000R curved gaming monitor, which will be available locally in the coming months.
Other than its significant size, the upcoming 4K display features a 165Hz refresh rate, Quantum Mini LED lighting and a low-latency 1ms response time. Also, for the first time, Samsung introduced a new way to configure the display experience: the solar-powered Ark Dial, a controller exclusive to 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,” Samsung Electronics executive vice president of visual display business, Hyesung Ha said.
“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.”
Another selling point is the Odyssey Ark’s customisable nature. Users can set the display up in both landscape and portrait orientations, the latter referred to as “Cockpit Mode”. With so much space to work with, Multi View lets users show up to four screens simultaneously in landscape orientation, or three stacked on top of one another in Cockpit Mode. It makes for a multi-monitor experience while only needing one display, an experience Samsung refers to as “your personal gaming theatre”.
Screen size and ratio can be tweaked via the Ark Dial, making it easy to swap between work and gaming screens as needed. This exclusive controller – which can also be charged via USB-C – also enables quick navigation to the Game Bar, the monitor’s in-built tool made for optimising performance. Here, gamers can check how many frames per second they’re running at while accessing HDR and variable refresh rate settings. Additionally, the monitor can rotate, tilt and pivot to suit the available space.
As an added benefit, the Odyssey Ark includes Sound Dome Tech, providing multiple audio features for an in-built surround sound experience. AI Sound Booster and Dolby Atmos support the four speakers located in each corner, in addition to two central woofers. Together, it makes for a 60W 2.2.2 channel audio setup which Samsung says is capable of reaching the lowest 45Hz notes of any screen or soundbar made for gaming.
Exact pricing and launch details for the Odyssey Ark will come soon, continuing Samsung’s recent flurry of announcements like the new Galaxy phones and wearables, plus its range of OLED TVs. Anyone keen on being the first to pre-order the Odyssey Ark gaming monitor can register their interest online.