At CES 2022, Samsung announced its giant 'Odyssey Ark' curved gaming monitor with a 55-inch 4K panel and a massive 1000R curvature. Curved gaming monitors have been gaining popularity over the past few years, and Samsung has already launched quite a few smaller ones before coming out with the new device.
One of the main reasons for the increasing popularity of curved gaming monitors is that they're designed to immerse gamers in the content by taking up most of their field of view, thereby helping them feel one with the action. Samsung, however, doesn't see the Odyssey Ark as only a gaming monitor, as it has a few neat tricks that are squarely aimed at multitasking.
The Odyssey Ark features a 55-inch quantum mini-LED 4K display with a 1000R curvature. The device offers a 1ms response time and a 165hz refresh rate. It also has a standard 16:9 aspect ratio rather than 21:9, which is the case with many of the ultra-wide monitors on the market. This is good news for console gamers, as neither PS5 nor Xbox Series X supports ultra-wide monitors officially. One of the highlight features of the new monitor is that it can be switched to a vertical orientation by flipping it 90-degrees on its side, although the curvature might make it a tad impractical for any real usage in portrait mode.
Samsung Odyssey Ark Price & Availability
Coming to more details about the Odyssey Ark, it will have a height-adjustable stand, as well as pivot and tilt functionality (in addition to other design elements aimed at gamers). It will also have a wireless dial controller to manage lighting and the interface. For gaming enthusiasts worried about the scaling, Samsung created the so-called 'Multiview options' that it says will allow users to adjust the Odyssey Ark with a totally adaptable screen size. To further underscore its gaming chops, the monitor will also reportedly pack some lighting hardware, although details about that are still sketchy at the moment.
Samsung is yet to announce a concrete release date for the monitor, but it is said to be coming later in 2022. The price also remains a mystery, but one would imagine that Samsung will announce all this information when the Odyssey Ark is finally launched. However, going by the prices of some of the available curved monitors already available, it can be said with certainty that the Odyssey Ark won't exactly be affordable. For reference, Samsung's own 49-inch Odyssey G9 curved gaming monitor was launched at an astronomical $2,500 last year, and it's less capable than the Ark. In other words, if you want the Odyssey Ark to be your next monitor, you better start saving now.
Source: Samsung