The Odyssey Arc: A Gaming Monitor That Demands Your Attention

Gaming at a desk with a monitor the size of a living room TV is an experience like no other. The Odyssey Arc, with its massive 49-inch curved display, completely envelops your vision, giving heavy VR vibes. However, this behemoth of a monitor also presents some unexpected challenges. Enemies and characters in games can appear life-sized, which may be disorienting for some users. Nevertheless, the 4K resolution keeps images sharp and clear, even from close proximity.

One cannot help but feel fully hooked to a game when using the Odyssey Arc. The monitor demands all of your attention, much like a narcissistic partner. It's as if you're under its spell, with no escape from its gigantic presence. This is not to say that it's a bad thing; in fact, it's a testament to the monitor's exceptional capabilities.

Gaming on this level requires a different mindset than what most gamers are accustomed to. The Odyssey Arc is designed to be an immersive experience, where you're completely absorbed in the game world. The monitor's 165Hz refresh rate and 1 millisecond response time ensure smooth gameplay with no ghosting or tearing. The backlights using Samsung's Quantum mini LEDs create a stunning image with great contrast and black levels.

The local dimming is also noteworthy, allowing for precise control over brightness levels. While it may cause some minor blooming on brighter objects, it's hardly noticeable. The monitor supports HDR10+ and can display an impressive range of colors. When paired with a 4K gaming machine, the Odyssey Arc will transport you to another world.

One notable feature is the multitasking capabilities of this monitor. It's perfect for users who need to keep multiple apps open simultaneously. However, when using external inputs, there may be some limitations. The monitor can output up to 1920x1080 at 120Hz from each external input, which is still quite impressive.

The sound system on the Odyssey Arc is another notable aspect of this monitor. The four corner speakers and two central woofers create a 60W 2.1.2 channel that delivers surprisingly good sounding bass. While it may not be suitable for users who prefer to bring their own audio, it's a welcome feature nonetheless.

However, there are some drawbacks to consider when using the Odyssey Arc. The monitor is massive and requires a large desk to accommodate its size. It also weighs nearly 100 pounds, making it incredibly heavy even with a stand. Setting up the monitor by yourself is not recommended, as it can be hazardous. Users will need someone to assist them in unboxing and installing this behemoth of a display.

In conclusion, the Odyssey Arc is an exceptional gaming monitor that demands your attention. While its massive size and weight may be intimidating, they're also a testament to its capabilities. If you're willing to take advantage of its multitasking potential or pair it with a 4K gaming machine, this monitor will transport you to another world.

In terms of value, the Odyssey Arc is a premium product that comes at a price tag that reflects its exceptional quality. Whether or not it's worth the investment depends on your specific needs and preferences. If you're looking for an immersive gaming experience with top-notch capabilities, then the Odyssey Arc may be the monitor for you.

Ultimately, the Odyssey Arc is a one-of-a-kind product that pushes the boundaries of what a gaming monitor can do. It's not for everyone, but for those who dare to take on its challenges, it will provide an unparalleled gaming experience.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is arguably the most outrageous gaming monitor on the market right now it supports four external inputs that can be viewed at the same time has a built-in kbm switch that lets you control all those devices with a single keyboard and mouse and it has a 55 in curved 4K 165 HZ panel that I've been gaming on for the last week and boy am I ready to let this thing ruin my life but the question is does that make the new Samsung Odyssey Arc a great display it's a tough call since this video is sponsored by Samsung making it impossible and unethical to provide an entire L impartial opinion nonetheless I will delve into the monitor's capabilities and by the end of the video determine the target audience for this absolute unit when the first gen Odyssey Arc debuted last year some said it was Overkill and impractical While others saw it as a jumping off point with loads of potential and technically both sides are right depending on who's sitting in front of the Monitor and as expected Samsung has aligned with the latter mindset and given the second gen model some massive updates like the new and improved multiv view for first gen owners cover your ears you're not going to like this the Odyssey Arc now supports up to four external inputs that can be displayed simultaneously versus Just One external input on the 2022 model quite frankly the multitasking potential here is a bit overwhelming for me I can hardly blink with both eyes at the same time let alone handle four devices at once but that didn't stop me from trying being a bit of a computer guy myself I connected The Odyssey Arc to a gaming PC a streaming PC to stream my gameplay to YouTube a laptop for video streaming and an X box just in case my imaginary friend got bored the end result was insane I I felt like I was mission control or something it's just crazy being able to view and have quick access to literally everything from one screen without a doubt this is the most efficient way to let people watch me suck at video games obviously this is a pretty Niche scenario but when you're talking about four inputs the workflow possibilities here are endless there's not really a mainstream one siiz fits-all example of how to use this very powerful feature although one use case I thought of was for editing like you you could use multiv view to create a streamline setup with dedicated PCS for video editing and rendering due to just how crippling video renders can be on a single system workflow that would be a dream setup for some content creators this example is also a reminder that it's not always optimal for every screen to be the same size so it's pretty nice that you can easily adjust the screen sizes to really amplify and narrow down your focus you can move and reposition the screens however you like or enable picture in picture picture by picture to suit your needs it did take me a while to play around with and find the perfect multi- view layouts that work best for me so thank God the monitor's UI actually lets you save your layouts as presets so you don't have to reconfigure them every single time that would suck let's talk about the included one connect box it's basically a hub that reduces my anxiety levels all external inputs the PCS the consoles whatever you're connecting to this thing they all connect directly to this box which then routes to the monitor over a single cable it's a proprietary Samsung cable yeah yeah it's not great but it is well built I will give it that it's got a secure connection at least and it does keep you clear of a cable management nightmare whether the Odyssey Arc sits on your desk or wall if you intend to use the included 200x200 base amounts lots of good io on the box including two HDMI 2.1 ports and a display port 1.4 Port all of which can output a PC signal at the display's full 4K resolution at 165 HZ more on what it's like to game on all 55 in of this bad boy in just a bit display port is a welcome addition over last year's model because it's just a powerful high bandwidth PC friendly plug that's not typically found on TVs or such large format displays like this one other connections include one HDMI 2.0 Port four USB Upstream ports two of which are USBC Optical and land ports and xlink port in case service technicians ever need to diagnose the device and two USB Downstream ports which is where you can connect a keyboard and mouse to take advantage of the hubs built-in KDM switch this is the second big upgrade with the new Odyssey Arc which makes sense given the increased number of supported external inputs and setting up the KVM switch was a little tedious at first because you have to go to Samsung's website to download an app called easy setting box and then you got to install that to each computer that you want to switch between but afterwards you'll be able to view and control all of them with a single monitor keyboard and mouse this applies when you're switching between inputs in single view or bouncing from screen to screen in multi view to switch keyboard and mouse operation from one screen to another in multi view you just move the cursor against any of the active screen edges for however many seconds you designate in the easy setting box app and then the monitor's OS cursor appears and that allows you to double click and select the source you want to hop to it definitely beats needing four sets of peripherals at your desk that being said there is a hint of lag when switching sources in multi view that can feel a bit sluggish particularly if you're needing to move between screens often I'm not sure if this is something Samsung could improve with a firmware update but that would help maximize the efficiency of this thing the keyboard and mouse can also be used to navigate the monitor's UI which is chalk full of settings and apps like streaming services a web browser and all those apps can even be added to multi view just like any of the external inputs which is pretty cool another way to control the Odyssey Arc is with the included solar powered remote and Arc dial between the two you can do things like manage your multi- viw inputs execute voice commands to Bixby your Amazon Alexa or use the flex move screen feature that lets you do some pretty cool things like change the screen size to a more modest 27 in you can move the screen position and even adjust just the aspect ratio you can go Ultra wide 21 by9 or even 32 by9 I think Samsung realizes that you don't need all of this screen all the time so they've kind of added a lot of options and flexibility to make the Beast more palatable as a daily driver if you're feeling extra bold you can rotate the monitor 90° to enter cockpit mode which is a super unique way to experience the panels sheer size and that 1,000 R curve it's a very aggressive curve I feel like a flight Sim with all the joystick fixings and stuff would be pretty sick here most multiv view is supported in this orientation as well it just Stacks your inputs in a towering vertical fashion again there's almost more options here than you really know what to do with let's talk about gaming on this monitor because it's for sure the most enjoyable thing you can do with it in single View mode when you've got all 8.3 million pixels spazzing out it's actually insane I mean you're gaming at a desk with a monitor the size of a living room TV and it's curved it gives heavy VR Vibes because it completely envelops your vision but also since everything is so large and up close the enemies and characters in some games look life-sized and thankfully the 4K keeps a sharp looking image even from a couple feet away it's absolute sensory overload this monitor dude changes you like I found myself fully hooked to a game when I was supposed to be testing the product and working on this video but that's what the Odyssey Arc is designed to do it's like a narcissistic partner that demands all of your attention 24/7 makes themselves the center of your world and alien Ates you from everyone you love until they're the only thing left you can rely on but in a good way I'm still not sure if I prefer to game this intensely all the time but going back to a normal gaming monitor after using this one feels hilarious like you can tell all my gaming monitors are scared of this thing they're terrified dude look at this thing it's a freak 165 HZ 1 millisecond grade to gray free sync premium Pro so obviously fast gameplay is super smooth no ghosting no tearing the backlights using Samsung's Quantum mini LEDs which make a really good image great contrast and black levels stuff in the dark is easier to spot and the colors are very nice the local dimming is pretty solid there's a bit of blooming on brighter objects but I kind of had to sit back and look for it it's it's really not enough to be distracting unless you're super sensitive that sort of thing it's got hdr10 plus and being mini LED this thing does get super bright I will say that like if you open up Google full screen on this thing you're going to see God obviously it can be turned down but I would bet you could use this monitor in direct sunlight now when it comes to gaming in multiv view it is worth noting that when two external inputs are being used at the same time they each output up to 1920 x 1080 at 120 htz which is still pretty nice that does drop to 1080 at 60 HZ though once you've got three or four inputs Which is less nice but still pretty okay for what it's worth the sound Dome speakers are damn good for being built in there's four corner speakers and two Central woofers which give you a 60 wat 2.2.2 channel that can hit pretty low frequencies for some surprisingly good sounding Bass actually pretty good I think most people who buy a high-end monitor like this are bringing their own audio to the party but it is nice to have onboard speakers that don't sound like a pair of tin cans twerking the only issue here is that since all this is happening from behind a huge display it sounds a bit muffled from the front I mean I'll probably never not use my headphones when gaming anyway but these are still probably the best built-in monitor speakers I've come across for sure now I can't end this video without addressing the elephant in the room which is that the Odyssey Arc is basically an elephant in your room clearly it's massive so you do need a large enough desk to fit it comfortably but it's also ridiculously heavy with a stand it weighs nearly 100 lb that's not an exaggeration and roughly half of that weight is from the stand alone I unbox this thing and set it up by myself which is not a good idea I strongly advise against that like it's actually dangerous to you and the product so you're going to need someone to help you out apart from its intimidating size and weight the other main barrier to entry is pricing to my knowledge there's no other gaming monitor in this form factor that can do what this one does it's a one-of aind product that most of us recognize will come at a premium price and I think its value really hinges on the extent to which you're utilizing its capabilities like if you buy a high-end CPU to play mind sweeper you're wasting your money and you're probably not very smart that's all to say coping this monitor would be a waste if you weren't taking full advantage of its multitasking potential or connecting a 4K capable gaming machine and sending your brain into space if you're going to be doing either of those things you might be ready for the beast that's all for this one though guys thank you so much for watching I really appreciate it please share your thoughts on this monitor down below is this awesome is it insane curious to hear what you have to say about it also toss a like on this video And subscribe to the channel if you haven't yet as always have a good one and I'll see you all in the next videothis is arguably the most outrageous gaming monitor on the market right now it supports four external inputs that can be viewed at the same time has a built-in kbm switch that lets you control all those devices with a single keyboard and mouse and it has a 55 in curved 4K 165 HZ panel that I've been gaming on for the last week and boy am I ready to let this thing ruin my life but the question is does that make the new Samsung Odyssey Arc a great display it's a tough call since this video is sponsored by Samsung making it impossible and unethical to provide an entire L impartial opinion nonetheless I will delve into the monitor's capabilities and by the end of the video determine the target audience for this absolute unit when the first gen Odyssey Arc debuted last year some said it was Overkill and impractical While others saw it as a jumping off point with loads of potential and technically both sides are right depending on who's sitting in front of the Monitor and as expected Samsung has aligned with the latter mindset and given the second gen model some massive updates like the new and improved multiv view for first gen owners cover your ears you're not going to like this the Odyssey Arc now supports up to four external inputs that can be displayed simultaneously versus Just One external input on the 2022 model quite frankly the multitasking potential here is a bit overwhelming for me I can hardly blink with both eyes at the same time let alone handle four devices at once but that didn't stop me from trying being a bit of a computer guy myself I connected The Odyssey Arc to a gaming PC a streaming PC to stream my gameplay to YouTube a laptop for video streaming and an X box just in case my imaginary friend got bored the end result was insane I I felt like I was mission control or something it's just crazy being able to view and have quick access to literally everything from one screen without a doubt this is the most efficient way to let people watch me suck at video games obviously this is a pretty Niche scenario but when you're talking about four inputs the workflow possibilities here are endless there's not really a mainstream one siiz fits-all example of how to use this very powerful feature although one use case I thought of was for editing like you you could use multiv view to create a streamline setup with dedicated PCS for video editing and rendering due to just how crippling video renders can be on a single system workflow that would be a dream setup for some content creators this example is also a reminder that it's not always optimal for every screen to be the same size so it's pretty nice that you can easily adjust the screen sizes to really amplify and narrow down your focus you can move and reposition the screens however you like or enable picture in picture picture by picture to suit your needs it did take me a while to play around with and find the perfect multi- view layouts that work best for me so thank God the monitor's UI actually lets you save your layouts as presets so you don't have to reconfigure them every single time that would suck let's talk about the included one connect box it's basically a hub that reduces my anxiety levels all external inputs the PCS the consoles whatever you're connecting to this thing they all connect directly to this box which then routes to the monitor over a single cable it's a proprietary Samsung cable yeah yeah it's not great but it is well built I will give it that it's got a secure connection at least and it does keep you clear of a cable management nightmare whether the Odyssey Arc sits on your desk or wall if you intend to use the included 200x200 base amounts lots of good io on the box including two HDMI 2.1 ports and a display port 1.4 Port all of which can output a PC signal at the display's full 4K resolution at 165 HZ more on what it's like to game on all 55 in of this bad boy in just a bit display port is a welcome addition over last year's model because it's just a powerful high bandwidth PC friendly plug that's not typically found on TVs or such large format displays like this one other connections include one HDMI 2.0 Port four USB Upstream ports two of which are USBC Optical and land ports and xlink port in case service technicians ever need to diagnose the device and two USB Downstream ports which is where you can connect a keyboard and mouse to take advantage of the hubs built-in KDM switch this is the second big upgrade with the new Odyssey Arc which makes sense given the increased number of supported external inputs and setting up the KVM switch was a little tedious at first because you have to go to Samsung's website to download an app called easy setting box and then you got to install that to each computer that you want to switch between but afterwards you'll be able to view and control all of them with a single monitor keyboard and mouse this applies when you're switching between inputs in single view or bouncing from screen to screen in multi view to switch keyboard and mouse operation from one screen to another in multi view you just move the cursor against any of the active screen edges for however many seconds you designate in the easy setting box app and then the monitor's OS cursor appears and that allows you to double click and select the source you want to hop to it definitely beats needing four sets of peripherals at your desk that being said there is a hint of lag when switching sources in multi view that can feel a bit sluggish particularly if you're needing to move between screens often I'm not sure if this is something Samsung could improve with a firmware update but that would help maximize the efficiency of this thing the keyboard and mouse can also be used to navigate the monitor's UI which is chalk full of settings and apps like streaming services a web browser and all those apps can even be added to multi view just like any of the external inputs which is pretty cool another way to control the Odyssey Arc is with the included solar powered remote and Arc dial between the two you can do things like manage your multi- viw inputs execute voice commands to Bixby your Amazon Alexa or use the flex move screen feature that lets you do some pretty cool things like change the screen size to a more modest 27 in you can move the screen position and even adjust just the aspect ratio you can go Ultra wide 21 by9 or even 32 by9 I think Samsung realizes that you don't need all of this screen all the time so they've kind of added a lot of options and flexibility to make the Beast more palatable as a daily driver if you're feeling extra bold you can rotate the monitor 90° to enter cockpit mode which is a super unique way to experience the panels sheer size and that 1,000 R curve it's a very aggressive curve I feel like a flight Sim with all the joystick fixings and stuff would be pretty sick here most multiv view is supported in this orientation as well it just Stacks your inputs in a towering vertical fashion again there's almost more options here than you really know what to do with let's talk about gaming on this monitor because it's for sure the most enjoyable thing you can do with it in single View mode when you've got all 8.3 million pixels spazzing out it's actually insane I mean you're gaming at a desk with a monitor the size of a living room TV and it's curved it gives heavy VR Vibes because it completely envelops your vision but also since everything is so large and up close the enemies and characters in some games look life-sized and thankfully the 4K keeps a sharp looking image even from a couple feet away it's absolute sensory overload this monitor dude changes you like I found myself fully hooked to a game when I was supposed to be testing the product and working on this video but that's what the Odyssey Arc is designed to do it's like a narcissistic partner that demands all of your attention 24/7 makes themselves the center of your world and alien Ates you from everyone you love until they're the only thing left you can rely on but in a good way I'm still not sure if I prefer to game this intensely all the time but going back to a normal gaming monitor after using this one feels hilarious like you can tell all my gaming monitors are scared of this thing they're terrified dude look at this thing it's a freak 165 HZ 1 millisecond grade to gray free sync premium Pro so obviously fast gameplay is super smooth no ghosting no tearing the backlights using Samsung's Quantum mini LEDs which make a really good image great contrast and black levels stuff in the dark is easier to spot and the colors are very nice the local dimming is pretty solid there's a bit of blooming on brighter objects but I kind of had to sit back and look for it it's it's really not enough to be distracting unless you're super sensitive that sort of thing it's got hdr10 plus and being mini LED this thing does get super bright I will say that like if you open up Google full screen on this thing you're going to see God obviously it can be turned down but I would bet you could use this monitor in direct sunlight now when it comes to gaming in multiv view it is worth noting that when two external inputs are being used at the same time they each output up to 1920 x 1080 at 120 htz which is still pretty nice that does drop to 1080 at 60 HZ though once you've got three or four inputs Which is less nice but still pretty okay for what it's worth the sound Dome speakers are damn good for being built in there's four corner speakers and two Central woofers which give you a 60 wat 2.2.2 channel that can hit pretty low frequencies for some surprisingly good sounding Bass actually pretty good I think most people who buy a high-end monitor like this are bringing their own audio to the party but it is nice to have onboard speakers that don't sound like a pair of tin cans twerking the only issue here is that since all this is happening from behind a huge display it sounds a bit muffled from the front I mean I'll probably never not use my headphones when gaming anyway but these are still probably the best built-in monitor speakers I've come across for sure now I can't end this video without addressing the elephant in the room which is that the Odyssey Arc is basically an elephant in your room clearly it's massive so you do need a large enough desk to fit it comfortably but it's also ridiculously heavy with a stand it weighs nearly 100 lb that's not an exaggeration and roughly half of that weight is from the stand alone I unbox this thing and set it up by myself which is not a good idea I strongly advise against that like it's actually dangerous to you and the product so you're going to need someone to help you out apart from its intimidating size and weight the other main barrier to entry is pricing to my knowledge there's no other gaming monitor in this form factor that can do what this one does it's a one-of aind product that most of us recognize will come at a premium price and I think its value really hinges on the extent to which you're utilizing its capabilities like if you buy a high-end CPU to play mind sweeper you're wasting your money and you're probably not very smart that's all to say coping this monitor would be a waste if you weren't taking full advantage of its multitasking potential or connecting a 4K capable gaming machine and sending your brain into space if you're going to be doing either of those things you might be ready for the beast that's all for this one though guys thank you so much for watching I really appreciate it please share your thoughts on this monitor down below is this awesome is it insane curious to hear what you have to say about it also toss a like on this video And subscribe to the channel if you haven't yet as always have a good one and I'll see you all in the next video\n"