Samsung Odyssey

It could well be the go to headset for sim enthusiasts, and frankly if you're someone who is looking at one of the "mixed reality" headsets, then the Samsung one makes it a bit of a daft decision to go for another brand.

The only thing I'm still not quite convinced about is the range of tracking for those controllers and how it will impact games. Certainly interested in seeing some reviews though.

Specs:

  • Resolution: 2880 x 1600 (dual 1440x1600 screens)
  • Display: OLED
  • Refresh rate: Up to 90Hz
  • Field of view: Up to 110˚
  • Headphones and dual array mics
It's since been confirmed that it uses fresnel lenses, and also appears to have physical IPD adjustment (the other MS-MR headsets don't). SteamVR compatibility is due for "the holiday season".

edit - It's the only one of the new headsets that doesn't have a flip-up visor.
 
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So much for "we won't be getting better VR headsets until ~2019". These look like they will be much better being OLED with much higher res and FOV. If it reviews well it maybe the first VR headset actually worth me buying :D
 
TNA said:
So much for "we won't be getting better VR headsets until ~2019". These look like they will be much better being OLED with much higher res and FOV. If it reviews well it maybe the first VR headset actually worth me buying :D
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I think you are jumping the gun a little here. The specs sound good on paper but I don't think any of the Windows VR headsets will be as good a solution for VR as the Rift or the Vive. According to one review, the tracking is pretty jumpy, there is a noticeable screen door effect and the Rift and Vive both have wider FOV. The display is sharper though, but, it's still based on Fresnel lenses.

To my mind a better VR headset will be one that is an upgrade from the Vive or Rift. These Windows headsets aren't an upgrade.
 
melmac said:
I think you are jumping the gun a little here. The specs sound good on paper but I don't think any of the Windows VR headsets will be as good a solution for VR as the Rift or the Vive. According to one review, the tracking is pretty jumpy, there is a noticeable screen door effect and the Rift and Vive both have wider FOV. The display is sharper though, but, it's still based on Fresnel lenses.

To my mind a better VR headset will be one that is an upgrade from the Vive or Rift. These Windows headsets aren't an upgrade.
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I did say if reviews well :p

If it does not and is jumpy or has screen door effect, my wait will continue.
 
TNA said:
So much for "we won't be getting better VR headsets until ~2019". These look like they will be much better being OLED with much higher res and FOV. If it reviews well it maybe the first VR headset actually worth me buying :D
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Slightly higher res, which will mostly be countered on the increase in FoV ... SDE would still be well noticeable I think. AMOLED though, which means the blacks and colours should be good at least.
 
Shiari said:
Slightly higher res, which will mostly be countered on the increase in FoV ... SDE would still be well noticeable I think. AMOLED though, which means the blacks and colours should be good at least.
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Yeah. Will wait and see how it reviews. If it still has SDE, I will wait. I do not even get enough time to consume all the entertainment available to me now, so I do not feel like I am missing out or anything. Better wait and experience everything available with proper hardware when it comes out.
 
TNA said:
So much for "we won't be getting better VR headsets until ~2019". These look like they will be much better being OLED with much higher res and FOV. If it reviews well it maybe the first VR headset actually worth me buying :D
Click to expand...
The Rift and Vive are already OLED.
 
melmac said:
I think you are jumping the gun a little here. The specs sound good on paper but I don't think any of the Windows VR headsets will be as good a solution for VR as the Rift or the Vive. According to one review, the tracking is pretty jumpy, there is a noticeable screen door effect and the Rift and Vive both have wider FOV. The display is sharper though, but, it's still based on Fresnel lenses.

To my mind a better VR headset will be one that is an upgrade from the Vive or Rift. These Windows headsets aren't an upgrade.
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Careful, the review you refer to is for the Acer HMD and it has only 90 degree FOV. The Samsung, Lenovo and Dell HMDs have 110 degree, which is identical to rift and vive. The increase in resolution with the Samsung Odyssey is quite substantial.

Rift/Vive: 1080x1200 = 1,296,000 pixels per eye
Samsung Odyssey: 1440x1600 = 2,304,000 pixels per eye

80% improved resolution and similar FOV, which means better clarity for text and textures etc. This is definitely a jump to the next level over Rift or Vive as far as resolution and screens are concerned.

Endgadget tested it and had this to say.

"The HMD Odyssey is equipped with dual 3.5-inch AMOLED displays, each of which have a 1,440 x 1,600 resolution with a refresh rate of 90 to 60 hertz. The result is a brilliantly sharp and crisp virtual environment -- when I took a brief Holotour of Machu Picchu, I genuinely felt like I was there, floating above the mountains on a hot air balloon. Color reproduction is fantastic, and there was none of the screendoor effect that so often plagues VR headsets of lesser quality. The 110-degree field of view also contributes to the feeling of immersion, which is especially apparent when viewing 360-degree videos and photos."

https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/03/samsung-hmd-odyssey-hands-on/

Obviously we need to wait for reviews but it is a step up in VR as far as IQ goes.
 
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From that article:

Other specs of the HMD Odyssey include two cameras on the front, each of which give the headset six degrees of freedom.
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That didn't quite come out the way they intended it to, I think :) would be pretty awful if your head was locked on to any axis!
 
Interesting stuff. I don't think I'll be selling my rift on the back of it, but this is an indicator of what we might see from future high end headsets. I'm still a bit dubious of the capabilities of inside out tracking, especially of the controllers, so I'm not sure if I like the idea or whether I'd prefer to keep my sensors hanging on the wall.
 
Shiari said:
That didn't quite come out the way they intended it to, I think :) would be pretty awful if your head was locked on to any axis!
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I think 6DOF refers to being able to move in a combination of any axis and rotate in any combination of any axis. So mobile phone VR headsets for example, or the DK1, only allowed for rotation, no movement in a space. 6DOF allows for full rotation and movement in a 3D space.
 
ICDP said:
Careful, the review you refer to is for the Acer HMD and it has only 90 degree FOV. The Samsung, Lenovo and Dell HMDs have 110 degree, which is identical to rift and vive. The increase in resolution with the Samsung Odyssey is quite substantial.

Rift/Vive: 1080x1200 = 1,296,000 pixels per eye
Samsung Odyssey: 1440x1600 = 2,304,000 pixels per eye

80% improved resolution and similar FOV, which means better clarity for text and textures etc. This is definitely a jump to the next level over Rift or Vive as far as resolution and screens are concerned.

Endgadget tested it and had this to say.

"The HMD Odyssey is equipped with dual 3.5-inch AMOLED displays, each of which have a 1,440 x 1,600 resolution with a refresh rate of 90 to 60 hertz. The result is a brilliantly sharp and crisp virtual environment -- when I took a brief Holotour of Machu Picchu, I genuinely felt like I was there, floating above the mountains on a hot air balloon. Color reproduction is fantastic, and there was none of the screendoor effect that so often plagues VR headsets of lesser quality. The 110-degree field of view also contributes to the feeling of immersion, which is especially apparent when viewing 360-degree videos and photos."

https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/03/samsung-hmd-odyssey-hands-on/

Obviously we need to wait for reviews but it is a step up in VR as far as IQ goes.
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Nope, it's from the Roadtovr hands on preview of the Samsung Odyssey. They say the resolution is sharper but that the FOV isn't as wide as the Rift or Vive despite what the specs on paper say. They also say that there is a noticeable screen door effect despite the resolution.

So I think you have to be careful as I have to wonder did Engadget even use the headset? Their review sounds like more like marketing than an actual test. I think I will actually trust the RoadtoVR preview a little more.
 
melmac said:
Nope, it's from the Roadtovr hands on preview of the Samsung Odyssey. They say the resolution is sharper but that the FOV isn't as wide as the Rift or Vive despite what the specs on paper say. They also say that there is a noticeable screen door effect despite the resolution.

So I think you have to be careful as I have to wonder did Engadget even use the headset? Their review sounds like more like marketing than an actual test. I think I will actually trust the RoadtoVR preview a little more.
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You mean this RoadtoVR hands on with the Odyssey?

https://www.roadtovr.com/samsung-odyssey-windows-vr-mixed-reality-headset-hands-on-preview/

Where they said this re FoV?

"it was immediately apparent that it had a wider field of view than the other Windows VR headsets; the size of the view felt quite close to the Rift and Vive."

While they don't say identical they aren't exactly taking measurements. Odyssey has a 110 degree FoV as does Rift and Vive. While they said they still noticed the SDE despite the resolution, that does not mean worse than Rift or Vive. There is noticeable SDE on Vive and even the Rift has it (I had one and it was always noticeable to me).

Also, Tested have tried the Odyssey and stated it was much better visual fidelity than both Rift and Vive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=7JjiReFuQhs

As someone who would be pure sitting VR for sims, I find the increased resolution of Samsung Odyssey very compelling. At least as far as IQ goes, we are moving forward.

Some more hands on experiences are listed here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/744l61/some_handson_impressions_of_samsung_odyssey_hmd/
 
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Well it will be interesting to see what the final product is like. The increased resolution is welcome, but, I wonder what sort of solution they have in place for gaming? For example, the Rift has ASW. The weight of the headset and the and the quality of the tracking are my main problems with the Odyssey. Still, it's looking good for the next gen Rift/Vive been completely free of wires with pretty high resolution.
 
Main issue with these MR solutions are the poor controller tracking as they are only accurate when visible. Also, the headset tracking can be an issue with blank walls / green screens as the headset constantly requires a point of reference.

Anyone looking to purchase at launch will need to be careful with the minimum specs. These screens need a more powerful graphics card for gaming due to higher resolutions than both the Rift and Vive. This may not be obvious at first due to marketing primarily focusing on mixed reality specific titles at launch.

My gut feeling is that this is Microsoft's attempt to really hook PC VR into the Microsoft store. Games for these headsets will be designed with consoles as the first concern. I personally feel frustrated that we are getting dumbed down games due to consoles already.

The main plus for this inside out system used in these MR headsets is that it will be more portable. But the numbers that will affect will be a tiny fraction of a percent. With a Rift and 1080Ti setup I am more interested in how the Pimax headsets finalise.

Just my two cents :)

Edit: PROJECTIONS, Episode 25: Windows Mixed Reality and Samsung's HMD Odyssey - https://youtu.be/7JjiReFuQhs
 
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I've just backed the Pimax kickstarter to get the 8k headset in Jan, works out at £400. I'd planned a new PC build with a 1080ti toward the end of this year anyway. It's a must now to push all those pixels.
 
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