Samsung HMD Odyssey+
Victorious gaming adventures await with the new Samsung HMD Odyssey+. Get dropped into virtual worlds and battlegrounds created by Windows Mixed Reality. Talk to friends and move with freedom, surrounded by vivid graphics and 360-degree spatial Sound. The Windows Mixed Reality Headset with 2 Wireless Controllers 3.5″ Black (XE800ZBA-HC1US).
- 3K anti-sde AMOLED display (2880×1600) with wide 110O field of view
- Direct Full Array Backlight 4X: Concentrated Zones of Precision-Controlled LEDs Auto-Adjust Contrast Between Pure Whites and Ultra-Deep Blacks, Revealing Hidden Details in Even the Darkest Scenes
- Access to Windows Mixed Reality store and steamer libraries for thousands of games & experiences
- Premium, built-in AKG headphones w/360O spatial Sound and Mic
- Adjustable headband, now 10% lighter with improved comfortable materials
- Get 2 free months of Infinity subscription and gain unlimited access to hundreds of VR games and apps.
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E in Orlando, FL –
I purchased it during the $299 promo a few weeks ago. Overall there are definite improvements over the first generation of the HMD Odyssey in terms of tracking and image quality. It’s still a bit cramped if you wear glasses, but I am looking at some 3D printed solutions to try shortly.Regarding Screen Door Effect: Yes, it is DRAMATICALLY reduced. I would not say it’s gone altogether, it is definitely still there but you will have to stare and look for it.I have decided to stick with the Oculus for gaming and use this for viewing 360 videos and 180 videos/photos that I shoot. I have a 360 Fly and a Lenovo Mirage (180 degrees) which I have not fully enjoyed the video from until viewing in the Samsung HMD Odyssey+. They are still not as clear as I would hope, but it is a definite step in the right direction. I will try to take some shots through the lens and post here.Pros:+ Best image quality I have seen in any VR device.+ Cost, buy it on sale if you can catch that $299 price again.+ Light and relatively comfortable.+ Tracking is pretty rock solid for the limited things I have tried.+ Physical setup is a breeze. No external sensors or cameras needed.Cons:- Field of view is not improved, it still looks like you’re pushing your head through a porthole. This is more of an issue when wearing glasses because that extra 1/2 inch away from the Samsung lenses pulls your head even slightly further back from the “porthole” making the field appear smaller.- Controllers are “clunky” compared to Oculus Touch. Not just the tracking loss in certain positions, but also the actual button layouts and control pads. The Oculus Touch is the gold standard for me so far, I wish they could be made to work with the Samsung HMD Odyssey+. That would be a killer combo.- While SDE is WAY better than any other device I’ve seen, I wish the actual resolution was higher. It still lacks that crispness of a phone screen or a monitor.- Hard to find “sweet spot”, again glasses make it even harder. I really need to try contacts…- WMR still seems to require more tweaking and messing around to get SteamVR to cooperate. It works, but I seem to hit issues and have to restart the experience more than I do in Oculus.I’ll add more as I continue to play with it.Relevant Notes:I am severely nearsighted and must wear glasses to use any VR device. For the record, I own (or have previously owned) the following devices for comparison:1. Pimax 4K VR2. Oculus Rift3. Samsung Odyssey (original)4. Samsung Odyssey+
Joseph and Anne Sawyer –
First off I felt disappointed when I say the plain thin white box it came in. Yes its just a box but Rift and Vive looked better.The cheap shinny plastic they decided to put on the front is a mistake and does not fill like its worth $500. If you decide to get this your two main reasons of returning it might be how cheap everything fills and the worst fit of all the vr headsets.I have a decent size head so I was hoping I would have some luck but no it was not the case. Light bleed comes from all directions but the worst is in the nose section to the point I just gave up trying to fit it. And that is the main issue. This $500 VR headset only has one adjustment knob on the back. No left and right, up or down WHY! More ways to adjust the headset WOULD SOLVE MOST OF THE ISSUES. You cant have a good VR experience when you are being distracted with light bleed. It takes you out of the moment.Now on to the controllers that are so light and cheap its and insult with the $500 price tag. They look like Samsung used the first prototype. The LED rings are big enough to fit a Mini Cooper through. They are so big that they would always hit each other and the fact that they are so light made me fill like they would break sooner then later.The only reason you should buy this set is to see what it looks like to have a higher-res picture in VR with no SDE. Because its OK but not great. To me it felt too soft on the games but watching a movie with this…WOW. Its like watching a iMax movie. Yes you get the light from the nose area but I was so amazed at how it fills like being in a movie theater I stopped thinking about it. No SDE. Just what looked like a GIANT movie screen.I can’t say the same for games because 90% of the time you can’t enjoy it due to it not fitting and the controllers hitting each other along with the light bleed. After you test it send it back fast and get your money or just skip this generation and wait for the 120hz refresh rate sets to hit the market. I truly believe that 90hz is just to low to get a good experience without vr sickness. And you will get the sickness in flying, racing and fast moving games with this one just like all the rest but some people can build up a tolerance for it,(not me)Bottom line, Great picture quality(kind of soft), Bad headset design for fit, Cheaply built from top to bottom and not worth the $500 price tag. But if you want to spend that amount to watch amazing movies in VR then get it for that. The price needs to be around $199 before I look at it again.+2 stars for the amazing time I had watching a move and no SDE.-3 stars for cheap fill, bad fit, soft picture and worst controllers.
GadgetFreek –
I’m a huge VR fan and have been following the industry since 2015. I already owned a high-end PC so I could have bought a Rift or Vive when they came out, but I thought I would wait a year or two to improve the tech. I’m glad I waited because the Samsung Odysessy+ is a better, more assessible VR headset than those two. And since it works with SteamVR, almost all Rift/Vive games work with the Odysessy+. But the two main reasons why I like this headseat over others is 1. higher resolution 2. not having to use 2-3 USB ports to plug in sensors, as well as having to hang external sensors all over my room, which is ugly. The built-in tracking on the Odysessy+ may not be as accurate as the Rift/Vive, but I don’t notice it 99% of the time. Technically, since there are no cameras on the back of the headset, it can’t see my hands when they are behind my head/back, but the times a game requires me to have my hands behind my head are rare. In general, one thing everyone wants in VR is better resolution. And the Odysessy+ is significantly clearer than the Rift/Vive. And whatever technology Samsung is using has made any signs of pixels vanish. In 2019, it doesn’t make sense to purchase a headset that is using 3 year old tech. (original Rift/Vive) I’m sure if you wait a year or so, better headsets will be on the market. But if you want to buy a VR headset now, I feel like the Odysessy+ will be the best bang for your buck.
Micah Parsons –
Headset is nice, controllers are a more ergonomic than the standard WMR controllers and the attached headphones and internal mic are great.However, either I’m unlucky or QC sucks, my left controller was DoA; it could not be turned on because the button to due so was broken. I do plan on ordering this headset again once I’m refunded, but this was a real let down.
ericson –
It’s just ok, it’s a very different gaming experience. I was expecting the resolution to be like the laptop screen resolution but it wasn’t at all not even close. Most of the time the text is blurry and i have to go near it to bea able read it. It has no brightness option, even if i adjust the graphic settings in the steam vr it doesn’t make much difference.
Kyle Williams –
I got this headset after trying an HTC VIVE and loving it. Decided to go all in and make the purchase, can confidently say it wasn’t a mistake and I am very happy with the headset. That being said after the month of having it, its shown some issues I wish I was aware of prior to buying.CONTROLLERSMy biggest gripe of the vive was it’s controllers and I wish I could say the WMR controllers fixed all the issues I had with HTC’s but they did not. They are significantly more comfortable and having a control stick vs a trackpad for movement is almost night and day. Sadly the tracking isn’t as good as expected, it’s not terrible just a bit below what I was expecting. It’s only fair considering the tracking is inside out, but the issue is frequent disconnects. It’s as if once every hour or so the controllers aren’t tracked for around 10 seconds then they come back. It usually only happens when the controllers are low on battery but it’s not isolated to that scenario. It’s not a deal breaker just something to be aware of. The controllers have straps but they might as well not be there, there is no way to tighten the strap and it makes me concerned I’m going to fling it at my wall and break one. It wouldn’t be a huge issue if there were 3rd party grip options, but WMR has almost nothing when it comes to 3rd party accessories.SOFTWAREI love the windows VR home, straight from the headset I can open any app I need, change my floor height, access the desktop with a choice of which monitor I want to see and even see my surroundings with a push of a button. The only feature I wish it had was recenter button but that can be done simply by relaunching the game your in. Steam VR works great after installing WMR for Steam. Game support is dependent on the devolper but the only game I’ve encountered an issue with is BONEWORKS, after installing a community controller binding it worked fine.THE HEADSETThe headset itself isnt perfect but damn close. The screen door effect is almost completely gone, and is only noticeable if you’re searching for it. Head tracking is very responsive and genuinely surprised me how well it worked in my dimly lit room. Comfort wise it could be better but for a halo headband design its quite good. Not great for long playing sessions, puts a lot of pressure on the back of my head. When loosened to relieve that pressure it’s puts a lot of pressure on my nose and doesn’t give me as clear of an image.AUDIOI genuinely have zero negative things to say about the included speakers mounted to the headset. They sound 90% as good as my HD6XX headphones and fit on my ears really comfortably. Great job AKG!OVERALLI’d say for $500 CAD, It’s 100% worth it if it’s your first venture in to vr. Don’t expect it to be as good as the index or even vive pro but for the price it’s easily the best VR headset you can get right now. With that said I think I will probably upgrade to an index at some point.
Tony –
I came from using an Oculus Rift looking for better visuals. I wanted to like this but the hand tracking is very poor. As long as your hands are in view of the 2 cameras (yes, only 2 cameras) on the head set then they work OK. example: If you are looking left and your right hand is not in view of the cameras then the right controller (in screen) wanders all over the place. Not good for gaming. I have returned it… back to the Oculus rift.I gave it 2 stars because it is made well, sturdy and well finished and the visuals are very nice. Great visuals, poor hand tracking
Chris –
I have never used a VR device before so I can’t compare to anything but I like this purchase. VR is awesome and the headset works for me and I don’t have issues with the display, comfort or controller tracking. I do have major issues with light leak from the sides but wearing a toque fixed this for me.The setup for WMR was smooth, you just plug everything in and turn on the controllers and map the room and you are ready to go.