Samsung has previously tested the limits of monitors with displays like the Odyssey Neo G9, but now the company is pushing boundaries even further with the absolutely gigantic 55-inch Odyssey Ark and its wild “flexible” display.
The Ark is a next-gen gaming monitor with a 16:9 display that can be used either horizontally or vertically. The display’s “multi-view” feature uses an adaptable screen size for watching movies, playing games, or whatever else you need to do.
Samsung’s announcement is light on specs, so we’re still a little unclear as to whether the curved monitor is actually flexible or whether the display is simply based on a flexible panel that helps support what looks to be an encompassing 1000R curved design.
The Ark clearly blurs the lines between gaming monitor size and basically a full-on TV, but it does have some neat gaming-specific features. A height-adjustable stand pivots into a vertical orientation for a “cockpit-style” gaming experience in both landscape and portrait modes. The monitor also comes with a wireless controller that sports a dedicated wheel for adjusting the monitor’s brightness and image quality or navigating the Ark’s on-screen interface.
The Ark isn’t expected to go on sale until the second half of 2022, so it may be a while before we get any information about the Ark’s final specs and price — though you can almost guarantee it will be wildly expensive.
If you liked Samsung’s Odyssey Neo G9 monitor but didn’t like its gigantic 49-inch display or didn’t want to fork over $US2,500 ($3,450), the new 32-inch Odyssey Neo G8 is basically a smaller (and hopefully more affordable) version of the Neo G9.
Like the Neo G9, the Neo G8 sports a similar 1000R curve and 1ms response time, but the Neo G8 offers an even higher resolution. Samsung claims that the Neo G8 is the world’s first screen to feature both a 4K resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate.
To ensure your games look as smooth as possible, the Neo G8 supports both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync Premium, while its 2000-nit peak brightness powered by quantum dot mini-LEDs will make HDR content look incredible. Like the G9, the Neo G8 also comes with Samsung’s Core Sync tech so you can sync its rear-mounted RGB lighting to match what you’re watching.
Unfortunately, Samsung hasn’t released official pricing or availability for the Neo G8 yet either. If you’re planning to upgrade your gaming setup this year, you might want to wait to see how much these monitors cost.