Windows and Samsung make for a good team. It has been six months since Samsung’s HMD Odyssey Mixed Reality device was introduced, and we are now getting the upgraded plus version. The Samsung Odyssey+ headset packs more punch hardware-wise, especially in the visuals domain. It also promises to do away with hindrances like dizziness and nausea for good.
Windows was rightly feeling left behind by the Mixed Reality trends at the time. The headsets circling around were nowhere near the quality of, say, Oculus Rift. But then the Samsung Odyssey came along, delivering a Windows MR experience comparable to that of other platforms, albeit at higher price than its competition. Now Samsung is having another crack at it. As of yesterday, Samsung Odyssey+ headset is available around the country. How does it compare to original Odyssey and does it take Windows MR experience up a few notches? In short, yes it does!
Consider the words of YoungGyoo Choi, Samsung Senior Vice President: ‘with industry-leading display technology and an enhanced, premium design, the new Samsung HMD Odyssey+ offers new levels of immersion, improving upon its already brilliant display Resolution for a consumer immersive headset’. Lets unpack his words bit-by-bit.
Samsung HMD Odyssey+ headset sports two AMOLED displays with the 1,440 x 1,600 resolution per each eye. That in itself is nothing groundbreaking, but paired with Samsung’s Anti-SDE technology delivers phenomenal Mixed Reality visuals. Anti-SD, short for Anti-Screen Door Effect, smooths out the lines between pixels to the point of their disappearance. These lines are a pest in many mixed reality headsets out there, often leading to dizziness and nausea if exposed to them over an extended period. Samsung’s display technology whoops the perceived resolution to 1,233 PPI2 and irons the image into immersive MR visuals.
Audio too receives a facelift from the original Odyssey. Purely down to superior AKG technology, the sound is more satisfying compared to previous iteration. The new device makes the most of 3D audio running on built-in 360 sound support.
Gaming-wise, Samsung Odyssey+ headset wins a round too. Courtesy of 6 Degrees of Freedom controller tracking and Inside-Out Positioning, gaming is smooth, precise, and extremely responsive. The display technology lets you enjoy gaming sessions for longer, while built-in Bluetooth allows for an instant plunge into games.
Comfort of use receives special attention with Samsung HMD Odyssey+ Headset. It weighs less than 600g, and sports the unique anti-fog face padding which combined result in a prolonged usage. Just to grasp the lengths Samsung goes to make the MR experience as light as possible: Odyssey+ is mindful of the moment of the Mixed-to-real world transition. Taking the headset off, controllers turn into flashlights to ease users out of Mixed Reality environment.
Samsung has done a lot in the past year. Not only is Samsung Odyssey+ headset a marked improvement over its predecessor, it represents what a worthy successor should be. And that is overall facelift with a focus on something specific (in this case display technology). The Samsung Odyssey+ headset is available starting October 22nd.
