So we've got:
Oculus Rift = 461 PPI
HTC Vive Pro = 615 PPI
Samsung Odyssey+ = 1233 PPI (level)
Actually Samsung Odyssey+ is 616 PPI like the Vive Pro, but some magic happens according to Samsung:
Limitless Viewing Experience
With exclusive, evolutionary, SDE-minimizing Samsung display technology, users can perceive a 1,233ppi-level resolution. A 3.5" advanced Anti-SDE Dual AMOLED display lets you experience incredibly immersive mixed reality, and break down the boundaries between the real and the virtual.

Looks interesting though, could be simply awesome for movies and Netflix, we'll see when the first reviews arrive - more info here:
https://www.samsung.com/hk_en/hmd/hmd-plus-xe800zba-hc1/Some other improvements - design looks much like a copy of the Rift:





It does actually look quite impressive - still those controllers look awful compared to Touch. Given enough time to evolve, Samsung may be a very serious contender, in fact Samsung could evolve to deserve a new logo!
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My hopes for VR next gen:
- Full Body Tracking. Come on, Oculus!
- Eye tracking with foveated rendering. Must reduce the power needs!
- More big-scale games. I need a true VRMMORPG!
- Bigger community.
"If you don't mind, do you want me to take you there? Where dreams come true."
I haven't seen any specific date, but it seems that many are convinced it'll happen very soon - this year, like:
"We don’t know when Samsung is planning to launch the new WMR headset, but it would be a safe bet to say the company will probably target the holiday quarter."
Source: https://www.sammobile.com/2018/09/28/samsung-odyssey-wmr-headset-3c-certification/
It may not be available in Europe.
"Ask not what VR can do for you – ask what you can do for VR"
I don't really worry about Europe, there will always be a way to get it at a decent price.
My hopes for VR next gen:
- Full Body Tracking. Come on, Oculus!
- Eye tracking with foveated rendering. Must reduce the power needs!
- More big-scale games. I need a true VRMMORPG!
- Bigger community.
"If you don't mind, do you want me to take you there? Where dreams come true."
That said it is impressive HMD design.
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"Samsung’s exclusive AMOLED technology applies a grid pattern structure to devices’ top-layer panels, reducing the distance between pixels by almost 50%. "
It's basically a layer of tiny prism-like patterns on top of the screens that reduce the perceived distance between the pixels by bending the light.
This is a miniaturised version of how these simple "bezel removers" work.
It's a prism lens that bends light to remove the bezel, obviously Samsung tech works on a much tinier scale
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And can I use my Touch Controllers if I don't like the Samsung controllers?
This looks really impressive and could tie us over until Rift CV2 comes out.
Thanks in advance for answers
It's a Windows Mixed Reality headset so no go with Oculus Home or Touch controllers.
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Oh that sucks, well maybe I could get used to the controllers but if we can't play our games on Oculus Store, what can we play? Just Samsung games?
I thought HMD's are basically a platform like a PC, we should be able to play all games on all HMD's.
Can we not play Steam games either then? And what type of tracking does Samsung use?
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That's strange, I wonder why they did that.
People have been saying that we won't reduce the SDE until we get 4K or 8K per eye and foveated rendering. This is huge.
If I can play Project Cars 2 and IL 2 without the SDE, that's a total game changer. This is huge for those of us who play flight and racing sim in VR.
Anyway, it sounds too good to be true. I'll wait until I see reviews.
But this will totally destroy Pi Max sales if it comes out soon.
Can Oculus copy this with their CV2? The worst case is that you have to choose between the better Oculus software and hardware and the better image quality of the Odyssey+.
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It's now on the US Website for just $499:
https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/hmd/windows-mixed-reality/hmd-odyssey-windows-mixed-reality-headset-xe800zba-hc1us/
- and RoadToVR just published an article explaining the Samsung Odyssey+ anti-SDE:
"Samsung Anti-SDE AMOLED Display solves SDE by applying a grid that diffuses light coming from each pixel and replicating the picture to areas around each pixel. This makes the spaces between pixels near impossible to see. In result, your eyes perceive the diffused light as part of the visual content, with a perceived PPI of 1,233PPI, double that of the already high 616PPI of the previous generation Samsung HMD Odyssey+ [sic]."
More here: https://www.roadtovr.com/samsung-odyssey-plus-price-anti-sde-display/
$500 does sound rather inexpensive including controllers - and you do have access to many SteamVR games. Still I love my Rift using high levels of super sampling
SDE isn't a great problem to me in games. SDE feels slightly like scanlines in MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator), possibly adding an extra quality (I always enable scanlines to get that great old arcade/CRT look in emulated arcade games - no, I'm not joking at all). The SDE primarily bothers me in movies.
"Ask not what VR can do for you – ask what you can do for VR"
the resolution doesnt change. the pixels still show what they show = resolution. but the spaces between pixels are filled.
split the pixel light over two spaces using something like the fiber optic toy that sends light down plastic fiber to;
- the space over the pixel and
- the space between pixels beside the pixel
https://www.scientificsonline.com/product/fiber-optic-light-wand
its cheap to make the fiber optic strand, just lead it to from the original individual pixel and guide it to two spaces, the fiber lights up the space not lit by a pixel.
the benefit isnt increased resolution but loss of screen door effect.
to separate pixels you will need very fine thin walls between spots the fiber sends light too. and extra light being sent out probably means more light nits have to be used.
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/2dq69k/comparison_of_dk2_screen_door_effect_with_and/
If it's not overdone - that is, it becomes blurry - this could be very nice. I like the price and the fact that it doesn't require any more CPU/GPU power. I think some reviews are in order (CV1, Vive Pro, PiMax5k+, Odyssey, Odyssey+) and for me, flight sims as visual benchmarks.
I'd like to see a PiMax 5K+ with a similar SDE reducer.
"Ask not what VR can do for you – ask what you can do for VR"
My biggest concern is that they are WMR only, lol!
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Unfortunately, it seems Samsung won't supply anti-SDE to Oculus or HTC:
"The announcement also indicates that the anti-SDE technology is “exclusive” to the Odyssey+. Samsung supplies displays to other VR headsets like the Rift and Vive, and this particular line makes it sound like the company plans to keep the anti-SDE diffuser for their own headsets."
And the controllers may work better than before - maybe:
"Beyond the details already gleaned from the headset’s product page, the announcement confirms that the headset has built in Bluetooth, meaning that the controllers will connect directly to the headset instead of relying on the host PC’s own Bluetooth connection (which required an additional dongle in the case of most desktop PCs). The controllers are “pre-paired” out of the box, Samsung says, making setup a bit easier still."
It seems that the Odyssey has already launched in the US:
"Update (October 22nd, 2018 – 10:52PM PT): A press release from Samsung today serves as the official announcement of the Odyssey+ and confirms availability in the US starting today from Samsung and Microsoft. The headset will be available “soon” in Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Brazil. To the dismay of enthusiasts, Samsung didn’t sell the prior iteration of the Odyssey in Europe, and the Odyssey+ seems destined for the same."
Source: https://www.roadtovr.com/samsung-odyssey-plus-price-anti-sde-display/
"Ask not what VR can do for you – ask what you can do for VR"
I was going to buy a Samsung smart watch, but I found out that in Europe it can't be used to make calls unless it's blue-toothed to your mobile phone. In the USA you don't need your phone blue-toothed to do this and can leave it at home, So you see what I mean about silly decisions they make.
I ended up buying a different brand Smart watch in the end because they wouldn't allow this feature to be used in European watches. Who is going to want to buy a dumbed down version of the USA version when they see what the USA version of the same watch does?
I really have no idea - maybe it's because Samsung doesn't want to provide 2-years warranty. Some speculate that the market is too small in Europe, but I'm having a hard time to believe that. I guess Europeans just have to find friendly sellers in the US or Asia, if they wish to import the Odyssey+.
Maybe there're not enough Koreans living in Europe compared to the US?
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