Samsung has announced a new Odyssey gaming monitor lineup at gamescom that uses eye-tracking technology to convert 2D visuals into glasses-free 3D. The Odyssey 3D is set for a global release “within this year” according to Samsung, and will allow users to “seamlessly switch between 2D and 3D modes” based on preference — which may tempt folks who are curious about 3D gaming, but apprehensive to commit.
Samsung’s new Odyssey monitor lets you play games in glasses-free 3D
The Samsung Odyssey 3D will arrive later this year in 27- and 37-inch size options.
The Samsung Odyssey 3D will arrive later this year in 27- and 37-inch size options.
Image: Samsung
is a news writer focused on creative industries, computing, and internet culture. Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews.
The Odyssey 3D is Samsung’s first 3D gaming monitor, having first teased a concept display at CES earlier this year. It’ll be available in 27- or 37-inch sizes and features a 4K QLED panel with a 165Hz refresh rate, alongside a 1-millisecond response time and support for AMD FreeSync. Both monitors also include a single DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.1 ports for connectivity, and a tilting, height-adjustable stand to ensure you can best position it to experience 3D content.
The glasses-free 3D is achieved by combining a lenticular lens — specialized hardware that can direct different images to each eye — with a built-in eye tracking camera, and view mapping to continuously adjust for depth perception. Acer uses a similar system in its own SpatialLabs laptops and monitors. The resulting Stereoscopic 3D can only be viewed by one person at a time, but that’s hardly an issue for gamers, and my own experiences with the technology have left a good impression: it’s really fun to see things jumping out at you without having to wear special glasses.
One thing that’s missing is the price. We’ve reached out to Samsung to see if pricing information is available, but if Acer’s products (and the historical pricing on Samsung’s Odyssey lineup) are any indication, the Odyssey 3D offerings won’t come cheap.
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