Samsung is making the most of Gamescom 2023, with the announcement of two new high-end gaming monitors that could potentially up your gaming prowess and get you to the top of the leader board - if you don’t mind their somewhat goofy size and shape.
The Odyssey Neo G9 57-inch and the Odyssey Ark 55-inch are both on display at the huge European computer and video game event. I’m not there in person, so while we may have to wait a few days to get a proper look and feel for the massive monitors, we do at least have some information about what they look like, and what could separate these new Odyssey gaming monitors from the competition.
Odyssey Neo G9
The Odyssey Neo G9 is touted as being the first ‘Dual UHD’ monitor on the market. Sitting at a staggering 57-inches and with a 1000R curvature, the gaming monitor will definitely be a conversation starter when propped up on your gaming desk.
In truth, the display can be seen as a bit of overkill when it comes to the sheer size of this absolute unit, and while I was incredibly skeptical at first, I do think there are gamers out there who would truly benefit. The 1,000 nit brightness and Quantum Mini LED panel would - in combination with the curved design - provide a wrap-around immersive experience that gamers, particularly streamers, could greatly enjoy.
With a monitor this size, however, you could potentially clear up your desk and have just one big, snazzy display - rather than a staggered collection of two or three smaller monitors that you work on simultaneously.
In terms of connectivity, the Odyssey Neo G9 is packing some future-proof features. Display Port 2.1 will support video playback and resolution up to, and even greater than 8K. Obviously, most of us currently don’t have any need for that kind of powerful display capacity, but it is very cool that you could potentially already have a monitor that will breeze through higher-resolution gameplay and thus hold onto your display for a lot longer, when the time comes.
Odyssey Ark 55-inch
The Odyssey Ark 55-inch monitor is the second Gamescom offering from Samsung, an upgrade to the existing model. Besides general upgrades to picture quality and form factor, the funky display will now offer some new features.
Samsung Multi View will let users see up to four inputs on the screen at once, again another great feature for streamers who want to have the game they're playing, their streaming software, and more content displayed simultaneously on a big screen all at once. You can even see input from three different HDMI ports!
One upgrade I am excited to see is the new Cockpit mode, which will allow gamers to put the monitor in a vertical orientation and unlock new perspectives. Perfect for doom scrolling on a massive scale - or, more realistically, swapping into coding, working, or reading modes.
It seems like Samsung has taken the time to make thoughtful improvements to the monitor that will enhance the user experience, rather than just upgrading the device for the sake of it. The Odyssey Ark was originally quite popular when it first hit the scene, and no doubt having a new and improved version will entice more people to give it a go.
