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Samsung offers a wide breadth of gaming monitors under its Odyssey family of products, but without question, the most wild and immersive is the Odyssey Ark.
It launched in August of 2023 with a curved 55-inch Mini LED screen that offers a stunning view in a vertical or horizontal orientation. Now, over 12 months later, Samsung’s new Odyssey Ark is up for order at $3,000, nearly $500 less than the first model, with an identical build and very similar feature set.
While it’s technically the second generation, the only real change is “Multi-View,” which lets you split the screen between four inputs simultaneously. This way, you can work on a spreadsheet or game on a PS5, an Xbox, and another PC.
The second generation is up for order now, but you can save $900 on the first-generation Odyssey Ark, which still provides an excellent experience. It’s just $1,800 at Samsung now, and you’ll score free shipping.
Samsung Odyssey Ark 1st Gen, $1,800 (was $2,700) at Samsung
Both the first and second generations share a lot of similarities. Both feature a 55-inch curved 1000R Quantum Matrix Mini LED display that ensures colors can pop with vibrancy right next to stark contrast points. The Ark itself boasts a wild 1-millisecond response time and a 165Hz refresh rate,
This way, whether you’re gaming competitively or casually, you won’t miss a beat, and content will appear buttery smooth. Not to mention, it’s a massive 55-inch curved screen that will wrap around you. You can also switch it quite effortlessly between a horizontal or vertical orientation.
Samsung also strategically placed speakers around the Odyssey Ark for a “Sound Dome” experience that spatially places sound around you. Specifically, it’s a set of four speakers and two central woofers for a 2.2.2 channel experience. You’ll also find support for the Dolby Atmos audio standard.
The 55-inch Odyssey Ark, either the first or second, can be wall-mounted through the VESA standard, but you’ll likely get more mileage from the included hefty stand. It has a wide base, but on the rear, it also makes it easy to access the mechanism to rotate the screen quickly. Rather than tossing all the ports on the rear of the Ark, Samsung uses its “One Connect” box, which is also used with the Frame TV. Essentially, you’ll have one cable from the Odyssey Ark to this peripheral box to connect external devices. Joining the ethernet port and multiple HDMI 2.1 ports on the second generation is a DisplayPort.
The only other difference between the first and second generation is in software functionality. While you could split the screen in two ways with the original, the new Odyssey Ark features Multi-View for up to four screens. This way, you can split into a grid between several sources and use the traditional remote, or Dial controller, to navigate between them. You can also use just one keyboard and mouse between the different inputs, thanks to KVM support.
Samsung is still integrating a Tizen smart interface and Gaming Hub to access services like Xbox Game Pass, Amazon Luna, and Nvidia GeForce out of the box. The Ark Dial is a neat way to scroll through settings like screen ratio, among other customizations.
Given that it’s a pretty slim upgrade and no change to the hardware, the best route is to opt for the first generation at $900 off if you want an Odyssey Ark. You’ll get a nearly identical experience and, most importantly, can be immersed on a tremendous scale in any visuals.
Or if you’re after Multi View for four inputs, you can get the second generation Odyssey Ark for $3,000 from Samsung here.
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.
