Samsung’s no-glasses 3D monitor could rise above gimmickry, but needs stronger game support to do it

PC gaming hasn’t seen overmuch 3D hardware since Nvidia shuttered its goggles-based, Alec-damaging 3D Vision imaginable successful 2019. Death by deficiency of compelling usage cases, oregon by VR coming on and doing the full "S'like it’s coming close astatine me" happening much comprehensively? Maybe a spot of both, but successful immoderate case, Samsung is having different spell with its caller Odyssey 3D gaming monitor. Outwardly resembling conscionable different 4K IPS screen, its three-dimensification of prime games involves collaborations with their archetypal developers, with the last effect being delivered without the request for immoderate glasses oregon headwear astatine all.

I precocious had a spell connected the Odyssey 3D, and it’s surely a fewer steps up from yer dusty Nintendo 3DS. A operation of eye-tracking cameras and an interior array of lenticular lenses produces the 3D effect, maintains it arsenic agelong arsenic your caput stays astir centred, and astatine slightest for me, manages to debar inflicting agony of the eyes oregon brain. It’s awesome tech, though if it’s to go a superior desk-topping option, the Odyssey 3D volition request a batch much games to get connected committee with it.

So far, the confirmed library, verified to play bully with 3D by excavation ain sight, amounts to The First Berserker: Khazan. I played The First Berserker: Khazan. And that’s it. Samsung’s reps shared with maine that "50 to 60" games are acceptable to get likewise dev-assisted Odyssey 3D enactment successful the coming months, and immoderate further searching indicated Lies of P volition beryllium 1 of them, but it does look that this show has launched with a azygous soulslike down it.

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun

Still, it didn’t instrumentality excessively agelong for Khazan unsocial to marque an impression. This was deep, stable, glasses-quality 3D, with tribal baddies lunging tangibly toward maine and idiosyncratic snowflakes blowing done a chiseled foreground. The effect was markedly stronger connected person objects, arsenic you’d expect, and to my eyes determination is simply a flimsy nonaccomplishment of wide sharpness compared to 2D 4K, but this was nevertheless the cleanest and astir convincing instrumentality connected playable 3D that I’ve seen extracurricular of a VR headset.

Is it transformative – a palpably 'new' mode to comprehend a acquainted game? No, but past I don’t deliberation it needs to be, arsenic agelong arsenic the 3rd magnitude is adding something. In Khazan’s case, it’s little a twist connected the hacking and slashing and much a heightened consciousness of place: its frozen forests consciousness colder erstwhile the upwind seems to beryllium flicking hardly past your eyelashes, and the chunky, blood-sodden snowprints you permission down summation a disposable depth.

Now, then, it’s conscionable a lawsuit of repeating that successful respective twelve much times (at the minimum), and the Odyssey 3D mightiness conscionable go worthy buying. Other games don’t strictly request Samsung-specific dev input to tally successful 3D, but I’m told by Samsung themselves that the effect won’t beryllium arsenic heavy oregon arsenic elaborate arsenic those that’ve had it. It’s astir apt telling that I wasn’t offered immoderate games too Khazan to effort out. I did spot however the other magnitude tin beryllium added to videos, YouTube uploads included, but portion the effect was reasonably neat it wide lacked the sophistication of Khazan’s fine-tuned visuals.

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun

This deficiency of afloat compatible games could haunt the Odyseey 3D. For 1 thing, it suggests a grade of gun-jumping connected the release: this is not a conception plan but a existent monitor, connected merchantability close now, for the hardly debased terms of £1299 / $2000. Then there’s the much contiguous interest that so, we’ve lone seen a constrictive sliver of however these afloat optimised games perform. It’s an encouraging sliver, but not to the constituent wherever we tin presume each aboriginal games volition enactment arsenic well, particularly erstwhile we don’t adjacent cognize yet which games are decidedly getting the treatment. Then there’s the substance of the much distant aboriginal – 50-60 games would beryllium a decent commencement for 2025, but if I’m parting with £1,299 for a monitor, I’d expect its defining diagnostic to enactment supported for years. That’s an tremendous commitment, for some Samsung and their crippled dev partners.

It is somewhat affirming that extracurricular of the 3D stuff, this surface tin relation arsenic conscionable a good-specced 2D gaming monitor, successful what I judge to beryllium a archetypal – erstwhile glasses-free 3D displays person focused connected the productivity and concern markets. It’s accelerated for a 4K screen, with a 165Hz refresh complaint and 1ms grey-to-grey effect time, and its anti-tearing AMD FreeSync Premium enactment tin beryllium piggybacked upon by Nvidia G-Sync. I’ve seen for myself its vibrant colours and nice, sleek physique arsenic well. Still, different monitors similar this already exist, and outgo a batch less. For the Odyssey 3D to marque sense, fto unsocial to marque 3D a superior gaming imaginable again, Samsung indispensable marque definite that it isn’t starved of prime games that tin afloat instrumentality vantage of it.