Samsung Odyssey

[melmac]

That's a great Review Vega. Well done.

What surprises me about your conclusions is how little difference visually there is between the two headsets and how good you say the tracking is. It's almost the opposite of what most people were expecting

Thanks for taking the time to post this.

 

[ICDP]

Thanks for the review Vega, very well done.

 

[Vega]

MSMR now working with SteamVR. Going to do some tests with the Odyssey!

 

[Asa]

MSMR now working with SteamVR. Going to do some tests with the Odyssey!

Keep the write-ups coming, it's very useful.

Thanks!

 

[Vega]

Spent a few hours with the Odyssey last night in SteamVR. The tracking was glitchy at first but it turns out it did not like 4x super sampling which was causing it. Lowered resolution down to 1.0x native and it seemed to track much better without any skips. What was odd is that even with 4x super sampling, my Titan-Xp wasn't anywhere near being maxed out.

So in the end state the Odyssey really doesn't do much for me over the Rift. I never realized how much I dislike Pentile pixel matrices. I guess it is only as apparent when the pixels are so large and close to your eyes. Almost completely negates the resolution increase. But Pentile matrices are fake/cheating resolutions anyways, so it makes sense. The device would have been far superior if they used RGB.

The large vinyl pad once again got hot and annoying. That is pretty much the reason no one else uses it.

I'll try and return the Samsung through MS (this outta be fun) and await the Pimax 8K renaissance.

 

[melmac]

Hope the Pimax works out better for you.

 

[nightrider1470]

Spent a few hours with the Odyssey last night in SteamVR. The tracking was glitchy at first but it turns out it did not like 4x super sampling which was causing it. Lowered resolution down to 1.0x native and it seemed to track much better without any skips. What was odd is that even with 4x super sampling, my Titan-Xp wasn't anywhere near being maxed out.

So in the end state the Odyssey really doesn't do much for me over the Rift. I never realized how much I dislike Pentile pixel matrices. I guess it is only as apparent when the pixels are so large and close to your eyes. Almost completely negates the resolution increase. But Pentile matrices are fake/cheating resolutions anyways, so it makes sense. The device would have been far superior if they used RGB.

The large vinyl pad once again got hot and annoying. That is pretty much the reason no one else uses it.

I'll try and return the Samsung through MS (this outta be fun) and await the Pimax 8K renaissance.

Was the rift similar with fov? @Vega

 

[Dicehunter]

I tried this at a workmates place as he imported one and it's good but I couldn't really notice much in the way of improvements over the Rift or Vive, Guess I'll wait for something with higher res.

 

[nightrider1470]

I have the Samsung odyssey on the way to me from the USA.. Will let you know my thoughts if you like, once here

 

[FlakGunna]

Looks like a decent competitor, but the name puts me off.. Samsung.

 

[ICDP]

I now have a Samsung Odyssey as I had to refund my Lenovo as it started refusing to work (thankfully just inside the 21 day no quible refund period). Comapred to Lenovo it has a higher sweetspot, resolution is no real difference but screens and lenses much improved.

Overall a very noticable improvement over my CV1. Anyone who says there is no real improvement in IQ comapring Samsung Odyssey over Vive, or CV1 must be using it with their eyes closed. Sorry if this sounds insulting but I cannot fathom how people claim otherwise and it is in no way subjective because 1440x1600 per eye comapred to 1080x1200 per eye IS noticable when using VR.

• Reduced God Rays
• Reduced SDE
• Higher resolution = sharper text and graphics

Still not perfect because there are still God Rays at extreme edges and in some cases it suffers from fresnel rings but easily the best overall IQ from any existing VR headset.

 

[D3K]

I now have a Samsung Odyssey as I had to refund my Lenovo as it started refusing to work (thankfully just inside the 21 day no quible refund period). Comapred to Lenovo it has a higher sweetspot, resolution is no real difference but screens and lenses much improved.

Overall a very noticable improvement over my CV1. Anyone who says there is no real improvement in IQ comapring Samsung Odyssey over Vive, or CV1 must be using it with their eyes closed. Sorry if this sounds insulting but I cannot fathom how people claim otherwise and it is in no way subjective because 1440x1600 per eye comapred to 1080x1200 per eye IS noticable when using VR.

• Reduced God Rays
• Reduced SDE
• Higher resolution = sharper text and graphics

Still not perfect because there are still God Rays at extreme edges and in some cases it suffers from fresnel rings but easily the best overall IQ from any existing VR headset.

I imagine the pentile setup negates the res increase somewhat.
I will have to try it myself, but I can imagine this looking less impressive than the raw res would suggest

 

[ICDP]

While the SDE pattern does make a difference the increase in resolution means the gap between each pixel is indeed smaller and subsequently less noticeable. So while both go hand in hand, the fact is pixels on a CV1 are more noticeable than on an Odyssey. I can instantly see the SDE when putting on a CV1, no straining, just instantly and constantly there. The SDE on the Odyssey requires me to consciously look for it and it is still there of course, just not as instantly noticeable.

Most mainstream VR sites are consistent in stating Odyssey has reduced SDE and noticeably sharper graphics.

 

[melmac]

I now have a Samsung Odyssey as I had to refund my Lenovo as it started refusing to work (thankfully just inside the 21 day no quible refund period). Comapred to Lenovo it has a higher sweetspot, resolution is no real difference but screens and lenses much improved.

Overall a very noticable improvement over my CV1. Anyone who says there is no real improvement in IQ comapring Samsung Odyssey over Vive, or CV1 must be using it with their eyes closed. Sorry if this sounds insulting but I cannot fathom how people claim otherwise and it is in no way subjective because 1440x1600 per eye comapred to 1080x1200 per eye IS noticable when using VR.

• Reduced God Rays
• Reduced SDE
• Higher resolution = sharper text and graphics

Still not perfect because there are still God Rays at extreme edges and in some cases it suffers from fresnel rings but easily the best overall IQ from any existing VR headset.

I guess it's something to do with the pentile display. Maybe it's like the phosphorus trails that plasma TVs had, some people noticed them, others didn't. I see across the various forums that some people say it's much clearer than the Vive or the Rift. Yet, other people say it's not that much of any upgrade and on some things the Rift/Vive still look better.

 

[Bishie]

I now have a Samsung Odyssey as I had to refund my Lenovo as it started refusing to work (thankfully just inside the 21 day no quible refund period). Comapred to Lenovo it has a higher sweetspot, resolution is no real difference but screens and lenses much improved.

Overall a very noticable improvement over my CV1. Anyone who says there is no real improvement in IQ comapring Samsung Odyssey over Vive, or CV1 must be using it with their eyes closed. Sorry if this sounds insulting but I cannot fathom how people claim otherwise and it is in no way subjective because 1440x1600 per eye comapred to 1080x1200 per eye IS noticable when using VR.

• Reduced God Rays
• Reduced SDE
• Higher resolution = sharper text and graphics

Still not perfect because there are still God Rays at extreme edges and in some cases it suffers from fresnel rings but easily the best overall IQ from any existing VR headset.

You've neglected to tell us how much it cost you! Also, the lack of support from developers is a major drawback, no matter how you swing it! Most games don't support WMR, and if they do, the experience is often sub-par.

 

[ICDP]

You've neglected to tell us how much it cost you! Also, the lack of support from developers is a major drawback, no matter how you swing it! Most games don't support WMR, and if they do, the experience is often sub-par.

Cost is irrelevant to the points I was making, but it cost less than the full price of the Rift and touch controllers when they were in their first 6 months of respective release.

There is no major lack of support, it uses Steam VR and I have multiple steam VR games that have no compatibility issues apart from haptic feedback for the controllers. If it works in Steam VR it works in WMR devices. It is still in early beta but improving all the time.

Regardless of the above you may have missed were I was specifically referring to IQ issues. Though you have aptly demonstrated that when it is pointed out the Samsung Odyssey has demonstrably improved IQ, resolution and reduced SDE that the discussion is quickly "pushed" towards areas the Rift or Vive do better. It's a typical red herring logical fallacy.

Odyssey is not perfect but it has noticeably superior IQ compared to my CV1.

As an overall package for someone almost strictly sitting VR (sims) the Odyssey is a major improvement overall. If you use roomscale then the controllers tracking will possibly be an issue in which case stick with CV1 or Vive.

 

[ICDP]

It is worth pointing out when people make IQ comparisons of ther CV1 to "their buddies Odyssey" they tried for a few mintues, they are not comparing using exact settings. In short it is not a controlled test. To ensure a controlled test everything between tests should be identical.

• Same in game graphical settings
• Supersamping identical (or idealy off) for testing purposes without external controls
• Exact same PC to remove external controls/variables such as GPU control panel or game setting overrides.
• No other 3rd party tools running (Oculus Tray Tools for example)

 

[ICDP]

I guess it's something to do with the pentile display. Maybe it's like the phosphorus trails that plasma TVs had, some people noticed them, others didn't. I see across the various forums that some people say it's much clearer than the Vive or the Rift. Yet, other people say it's not that much of any upgrade and on some things the Rift/Vive still look better.

There are areas were CV1 are better, the lenses have a larger sweetspot for example but from my tests this is only marginal. In all other ares the Odyssey is improved.

 

[melmac]

It is worth pointing out when people make IQ comparisons of ther CV1 to "their buddies Odyssey" they tried for a few mintues, they are not comparing using exact settings. In short it is not a controlled test. To ensure a controlled test everything between tests should be identical.

• Same in game graphical settings
• Supersamping identical (or idealy off) for testing purposes without external controls
• Exact same PC to remove external controls/variables such as GPU control panel or game setting overrides.
• No other 3rd party tools running (Oculus Tray Tools for example)

It's also worth noting that the most of the people who said the difference wasn't that great were people who actually compared both side to side. It's mostly people who were comparing their new Odyssey with Rift/Vive they owned 6 months ago or tried out on demo who are claiming that the difference is massive.

You are saying it's "red herring logical Fallacy" because it doesn't agree with your opinion of the Odyssey.

And I am really sorry, But Vega has proven himself throughout the years for been a meticulous tester of any of his purchases, especially monitors. He somehow manages to maintain objectivity regarding any of his new toys.

Lastly, there are people, Vega included, who have bought Odyssey but have returned it and kept their Rift/Vive. If the difference was that big, there would be no way these people would have returned it and kept the Rift/Vive. And it's nothing to do with tracking as people found the tracking fine on the Odyssey.

I am sure the Odyssey has better image quality and that can be proved without doubt. But, to some, the improvement isn't worth the price of switching because there are still area of the image that look better on the Rift/Vive.

Personally for me, I am only upgrading to a headset that's better in all areas.

 

[nightrider1470]

It was the lack of needed outside tracking why I bought my odyssey..

Doesnt rift and vive have pentile displays?