The Samsung Odyssey is the product of Microsoft's latest partnership with the South Korean tech giant, bringing the virtual reality (VR) experience for players on a whole new level. The latest VR hardware, composed of a headgear and motion controllers, was unveiled at the Windows Mixed Reality event in San Francisco this week.
As reported by The Verge, the announcement of Samsung Odyssey VR was led by Microsoft's resident tech expert, Alex Kipman, the person behind Kinect and HoloLens. Kipman did the live demos of the VR hardware in front of the Mixed Reality event participants, boasting Odyssey's advanced technology.
To further display the prowess of Samsung Odyssey, the press demo after the presentation allowed the media to experience the VR hardware. It was tested with the full version of upcoming game title, "Halo Recruit," and The Verge was among the first individuals to witness the video games' impressive graphics, which was enhanced further in a VR platform.
The online publication praised the Samsung Odyssey, describing its hardware design and software quality as similar with the features of Oculus Rift. The comparison might be justified, given the specs highlights of the VR product. Samsung revealed that the Windows mixed reality headset uses an OLED display, a feature that has been popularized by the tech giant for the past few years with their high-end devices.
Samsung also said that the Odyssey VR headset can deliver high-quality graphics with 2,880x1,600 pixel resolution. Specifically, the left and right optics of Samsung Odyssey has 3.5-inch AMOLED display with 1,440x1,600 pixel resolution for both sides. The display rate of the headgear can go up to 90Hz.
The whole package of Samsung Odyssey with the VR headgear and motion controller is an advantage over other mixed reality hardware in the market that are mostly focused with the visual component. As for the motion controllers of Odyssey, they are found to be similar with the Oculus Touch and HTC Vive controllers.
The entire Samsung Odyssey setup costs $499, Engadget reported. The VR hardware is expected to arrive in the market on Nov. 6, while "Halo Recruit" will be released on Oct. 17 alongside the Microsoft Windows Fall Creators Update.
