In August, Samsung is getting ready to release its massive 55-inch curved Odyssey Ark monitor. The monitor, announced in January at CES, has reportedly gone through a few certification programs that must be done before it can go on sale.
Details about this monitor are still scant. The company has said that it’ll have a 16:9 4K panel and that the stand will support pivot, tilt, and rotation. It also announced that it would come out in the second half of 2022.
But let’s be honest, when you show up with a monitor that promises to tower over you while you’re using it, people will pay attention even if you don’t announce the price or refresh rate.
Many of us are very excited about this monitor — when it came time to hand out awards for CES 2022, we gave it Best in Show. But as with many CES announcements, as the months wear on, it can be hard to remember anything from the flood of gadgets and tech; did Samsung announce an extremely curved, huge monitor that can stretch over and around you, or was that just a fever dream? Rumors that it could be coming out relatively soon prove that it was, in fact, actually announced and reminds us that we are looking forward to it.
One thing that adds a bit of faith to the report is that Samsung has successfully released other monitors it announced around CES this year. For example, the decidedly less ambitious (but very cute) M8 monitor has already started hitting store shelves, like a reasonably sized curved gaming monitor, the Odyssey Neo G8. While that’s not proof that the Ark is up next, it is good to see that Samsung has a track record of shipping its CES monitors this year.
Suppose you’re considering jumping into the PC gaming scene for the first time or glancing to replace a creaky display starting to show its age. In that case, there are several decisions you’ll have to make before you even begin your search for a new gaming monitor. One reference applies to curved vs. flat monitors–for PC gamers looking to up their immersion, curved monitors are an increasingly prevalent option, both in their ultrawide format and standard 16:9 resolution.
But which display, curved or flat, is more suitable for gaming, and what are the fundamental differences? Of course, the answer relies on your gaming habits, budget, and other factors. Still, here we’ve damaged down the key things to maintain in mind about curved and flat gaming monitors to assist you in determining which display best suits your lifestyle.
Benefits of a Curved Gaming Monitor
If you haven’t employed a curved monitor before, you may be wondering what benefits this kind of display has over the definitive flat-screen monitor. The most fundamental answer is that curved monitors are designed to open the image in an arc around your occupation of vision so that you consider the edges of the screen with your peripheral idea instead of viewing it as a flat image. As a result, curved monitors are especially beneficial for their elevated immersion–the picture envelops you instead of just standing in front of you.
For those desiring better productivity, curved ultrawide monitors can be excellent for multitasking or working on a project that needs you to have multiple tabs open at once. In addition, some studies indicate that curved monitors may decrease eye strain, which can help reduce fatigue over long, competitive gaming sessions. The curved screen also provides that each pixel is angled toward you, delivering better color consistency than a likewise sized flat-screen display.
On the other hand, a bigger curved monitor won’t natively display all of your PC games at the proper resolution. To take advantage of the entire display, a game must include support for ultrawide resolutions such as 2560×1080 or 3440×1440, which can make supported games look amazing.
However, curved monitors will count black bars to the side of the screen while recreating unsupported games. And if you plan to use your PC for art or video editing, a curved monitor may make it challenging to tell if your lines or crops are straight. Alternatively, what examines well on an ultrawide monitor may glance off on a standard display or phone screen.
Benefits of a Flat Gaming Monitor
While a flat monitor can’t deliver the added immersion that a curved monitor does, it can display the extensive bulk of games without tweaks–and for less money, as they’re typically smaller and cheaper. Furthermore, most games are conceived with a flat monitor’s 16:9 aspect ratio to look great out of the box with various resolutions. Additionally, plan to use your PC for creative work, such as digital art or video editing. Finally, a flat monitor will give you a better idea of what your typical audience will see when interacting with it. And if you plan to include more than one person viewing your monitor, whether you’re watching a movie or playing co-op, flat-screen works better.
Of course, if you desire some of the advantages of an ultrawide curved monitor, you can shell out for a second screen and achieve a similar effect with a dual-monitor setup. However, using one flat-screen monitor won’t bring you the same immersion as a curved screen. Whereas a curved display embraces your peripheral vision and provides a more uniform image and color quality, these aspects get slightly worse toward the rims on a flat-screen display.