BIGGER IS BETTER: Samsung Odyssey Ark
I just purchased a monitor for my home office/corner of the living room, and in an effort to conduct as much research as possible, I looked into the option of purchasing a curved display. Why on earth someone would need a curved display for anything eluded me. They have extreme width and height. The curved shape appeared to be a pointless gimmick that was distracting. After purchasing a flat-screen monitor, I stopped looking back.
The Samsung Odyssey Ark UHD gaming monitor, that is, until I came upon it.
It may occupy the majority, if not the entire, of your field of view thanks to its size of 55 inches, which makes it enormous, brilliant, and gorgeous. There is screen, screen, and more screen everywhere you turn. There is no end to it. I had the impression that some type of deity was encircling me in its curving arms while I was seated at its altar. The amount of land is nearly extravagant. Someone shouldn't have so much screen real estate, it seems. However, it's quite simple to adapt to and, as I soon discovered, even a little bit addicting.
The game experience is undoubtedly the biggest draw.
I played the first-person shooter game Far Cry 6, which has horrifyingly awkward language and a lot of unneeded vulgarity. The 1000R curvature of the screen expanded the environment around me, making for a stunningly immersive experience. I didn't need to turn my head once since I could feel the entire head and body movement of my character. I was afraid of my enemies. The beatings I endured were so intense they were nearly terrifying. Viewing was flawlessly smooth (the monitor features Quantum Matrix Technology with Quantum Mini LED, as well as a 165hz refresh rate, 1ms response time and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro). Even with sunlight entering the room, there was no glare and no reflection.
Although the Xbox controller I was using jerked the screen side to side much too rapidly and was frequently quite jarring, it wasn't the monitor's fault. That can become a problem with a display this huge, and you might need to change how you play a game. You could also be immune to that type of whiplash.
I sat back in the Secretlab TITAN Evo 2022 Series Gaming Chair that was given, placed my head on the limited-edition Odyssey Magnetic Head Pillow, and lost myself in a world of weapons and useless storyline.
Every pre-order from Samsung's website made before October 23, 2022, includes a free chair, cushion, and Samsung 980 PRO NVMe SSD.
Regarding audio quality, Samsung's 60W 2.2.2 channel speaker system with AI Sound Booster and Dolby Atmos offers sufficient sound that you might not want to invest in additional speakers.
Although I bought this monitor primarily for the top-notch gaming experience, it also functions well as a general workspace screen. The sheer size of the screen is astounding. A typical workday may have me running six to ten distinct programmes, some of which will have many windows open. With very little head movement, I could see all of these programmes at once on the Ark. The curvature also made it simple for me to reach applications that were hidden in the corners of the monitor.
The Ark's Multi View feature, which simulates many displays, is very helpful from a productivity standpoint. You may continue to use one to run your PC, one to run YouTube, one to run Samsung Smart TV+ (Samsung's smart TV entertainment software), one to run a gaming app, and one to stream a movie (I watched a bit of Jaws and it looked incredible). If you're not a TV executive or something, I'm not sure you'd want to take in that much action at once, but it's there if you want it.
Its vertical "Cockpit Mode" is among the monitor's most intriguing features. Although I didn't have a chance to try it out for myself, I could see how playing a flight simulator would be amazing. Rotating the monitor was simple. If you tilt the screen all the way while reclining, it will be virtually on top of you. Other than that, I didn't really find the vertical position beneficial. It was uncomfortable to have to strain my neck in Multi View to see up at the upper screens.
The solar-powered Ark Dial is one of the two remote devices that may be used to access and customise the Ark's extensive capabilities. Even under ideal conditions, setting up a monitor may be challenging and unpleasant, especially if you're not familiar with the settings. But the buttons on conventional monitors typically wind up under the screen's frame or in some other godforsaken location, whereas the Ark Dial places them in a gadget that fits conveniently next to your keyboard and mouse.
It took me some time to get used to it, but that would be the case with practically any monitor, especially one with this much versatility. You may customise the image (Quick Settings), the screen size and location (Flex Move Screen), and game controls using the Ark Dial (Game Bar).
VERDICT
The Odyssey Ark costs a heart-stopping $4,500. (though those pre-order deals certainly sweeten the deal). However, I didn't view it as merely a monitor. It resembled television considerably more and nearly caused an existential audio-visual catastrophe. I couldn't possibly watch a movie or play a game on the couch again.
Naturally, I managed to survive without the completely immersive experience provided by the Ark. But I still find myself thinking about it. 9/10