We’re not sure if the term “ultra-wide” will ever mean quite the same thing again, as Samsung stretches a curved screen for a more immersive experience.
Even though the world of TVs moved away from the idea of curved displays long ago, the concept has stayed with monitors because it makes a lot more sense.
For a productivity monitor, a curved display means being able to offer a bigger screen that can be taken in more easily. Sitting at the focal point that s the centre of the screen, a curved monitor for working can mean your eye can take in more at once, stretching across a large display more easily, almost as if the screen were wrapping around your viewpoint and perspective.
It’s a similar situation for gamers, too.
When a gamer sits at a curved display, the screen can wrap around their perspective, delivering an extension of their viewpoint that just happens to have the graphics of gameplay powering it.
The bigger the screen, the more the immersion feels complete, as if your window to the world of gaming had been replaced by the display.
And this week, the potential for that screen to change how you experience has just managed to get bigger again.
Samsung has unveiled a positively massive monitor this week measuring a staggering 57 inches diagonally, even wider than the 38 inch OLED gaming display the company launched earlier in the year.
The new screen is the 57 inch Odyssey Neo G9 or the “G95NC” depending on how you find it, and it is basically the equivalent of stacking two 32 inch UHD monitors side by side and then curving it all at the middle point.
Powered by Mini-LED, the screen is a little like Samsung’s recent Neo QLED screens in how sections of the screen are powered by very small dimming components, while the screen itself supports a refresh rate of 240Hz, HDR 1000, and AMD FreeSync Pro, clearly focusing on gamers.
That extremely wide screen also comes with an extremely wide resolution, running at 7680×2160 and making it ridiculously wide and more or less declaring that you’ll need some hefty graphical gear to get it to run.
But when you do, the experience is likely to be more enveloping than any other screen out there, just thanks to that extreme size, res, and curve.
“With the introduction of the world’s first dual UHD monitor, the 57 inch Odyssey Neo G9 paves the way for monitors in 2023 and beyond, helping gamers see new levels of detail with an incredible field of view,” said Phil Gaut, Senior Director of Display and Brand Memory at Samsung Australia.
“The Neo G9 transcends conventional limits, boasting cutting edge technology for those seeking a truly immersive experience with enhanced colour expression and pin sharp imagery, opening the doorway to adventure like never before,” he said.
While gamers may well be the focus, frankly we’re curious to see what this type of screen would be like for productivity. It would likely be a ridiculous screen to do productivity apps on, but we’re still curious all the same.
However, that curiosity will cost a little over $3K to try out, with the Samsung 57 inch Odyssey Neo G9 heading to Australia from August 28 for $3199 only at Samsung’s online store.
