(sorry, this is a bit long, you can skip to the Final Thoughts at the bottom if you want the tldr; version)
Having been a very long time user of VR, starting with a DK2 to my CV1 I've owned and tried almost all the major headsets. I'm currently on my 2nd Rift (after 2000 hours in Elite in my original it was time for a new/clean one), lived with the Vive for over a week (to test it), owned the Pimax 4K (utter crap) and owned the PSVR I've had a very good sampling of the good and bad of each. You could call me an Oculus fanboi which isn't necessarily true, I'm just a fanboi of the best and right now IMHO that's the Rift by a very wide margin. But now on to the Samsung Odyssey.
For those that haven't followed the Odyssey is one of the new Windows MR headsets and is the highest resolution of them all. It's 1600x1440p (vs 1200x1080p in the Rift/Vive) so it's quite a bit higher resolution and it's also OLED which is key. If you're unfamiliar with the major differences OLED provides perfect black levels and no ghosting - something that can not be avoided with LCD panels. While some are better than others it can not be fully eliminated with LCD. Windows MR has also been confusing as the MR is Mixed Reality - in practice it's exactly the same experience as current VR, ie Rift/Vive. It's just a dumb and confusing marketing term as Microsoft plans to support AR (augmented reality) in the future via it's Holo lens project. So in short it's a VR headset just like you know and understand now - so what's the difference then?
Hardware
The Display - 8/10
The primary difference are the upgraded 1440p screens (again vs. 1080p). That equates to a 78% increase in pixel count and addresses one of the big issues with all VR headsets - SDE or screen door effect. Basically that means you can see the black space between the pixels making it look like you're looking through a screen door - anyone who has experience in 1080p or older projectors knows well what this is. In VR the effect is very pronounced and bothers some more than others (I'm in the former camp and it drives me crazy). This was the primary reason I wanted to try the Odyssey. So how is it? Well it's better but in no way is it the solution. Yes, things are easier to read when in the center of your view (more on that in a bit) and the image is brighter, to some almost negatively so (I liked it as I run Elite with gamma at lowest). Does it feel 78% better in practice, no, no it does not. You still see the effect, just not quite as pronounced and to my eyes it was a rather minor change, far less of a change than I hoped. I know this might be hard to believe but you'd have to see it in practice and again to my eyes it wasn't the upgrade I was hoping for.
The Lenses (aka God Rays) - 4/10
As the Odyssey also uses fresnel lenses there is still a god ray effect albeit different than the Rift. There is less "raying" from the center out but there is a very odd effect around the edges of the lens. As there are circular rings around the lenses that creates a halo at the edges of your vision - one that to my eyes was hugely distracting. I could also, if I tried, see the rings in the lenses while playing Elite. In short it is much worse in my opinion and far more distracting.
Field of View - NA
In short it's exactly the same, depending on your head and how it fits it might be ever so slightly better or worse but in practice there is no difference. Honestly this is my biggest complaint with current gen VR and while I'm interested in the Pimax 8k and it's 200 degree FOV. I however have absolutely no faith that Pimax can deliver anything other than a piece of junk just like the Pimax 4k and 5k have been. But as this is about the Odyssey I'll stay there - in short there is no difference.
Sound Quality - 5/10
The sound quality of the built-in and unremovable AKG headphones are good, crisp highs and good mid-level for dialogue. As they are on-ear (like the Rift) they don't deliver strong bass and are actually a good deal worse than the Rift. They are barely acceptable but are beaten by any good pair of over ear cans or even earbuds. As I have a 5.1 setup built into my cockpit I don't use the headphones on the Rift so I didn't really test these much. If you aren't a audiophile (I've been a musician for 35 years) they're likely acceptable but if you have higher standards like I do you'll certainly be disappointed with them.
Fit / Finish / Comfort - 1/10
The build quality of the Odyssey is outstanding, near Oculus levels of quality. The plastics feel great, the headphones are soft and comfortable and nothing feels cheap (save for the controllers, more later). As for fit and comfort I can't say the same - in short it was HUGELY uncomfortable, bordering on painful. In fact the nose guard was straight up painful and pinched my nose so hard I couldn't even breath through it. Sure, had I kept it I could maybe just cut it out but as it is it was totally unwearable. The other issue is the headband, it's very similar to the PSVR that clamps around your forehead and back of your skull - keeping some pressure off your face. The problem is you can't adjust the distance of the facepiece to bring it closer and I had to put the headband at an odd angle to get it right against my cheeks (many others have reported the same). I have a huge head and use my Rift at it's largest setting so your mileage my vary but I can't see anyone thinking it's more comfortable. It's also MUCH larger than the Rift and 35% heavier which in practice is a huge change. Another bummer for me is you can't remove the built in headphones. You can sorta move them out of the way but forget using over the head headphones, etc. with it - earbuds would be the only option. All in the Odyssey is much bulkier on your head than the Rift, the first time I put my Rift back on after using the Odyssey for a few hours the Rift felt TINY by comparison - I can't stress how big a difference it was. I've never thought of the Rift as big but also not as being small but after the Odyssey I couldn't believe the difference. Very similar to the way I've always felt about the Vive which is only slightly ligther than the Odyssey but just as bukly. These were the primary deal breakers for me as these are things that can't change.
Software / Tracking - 3/10
The Odyssey requires the latest Windows 10 Fall Creators update so you can use the "Cliff House" as it's been called, the Windows MR environment. The setup was very simple and honestly great, pairing the controllers via Bluetooth was one of the easiest pairing procedures I've ever done. Tracking was easy to setup even in my seated cockpit and tracking was (mostly) spot on. The controllers are a bit flimsy feeling, like all Windows MR controllers, and no where near the level of the Rift Touch controllers and not even as good as the lack luster Vive Wands. I didn't use them much as I pretty much only play Elite but I don't think this would be a deal breaker for standing players. The inside-out tracking worked great (mostly, more shortly) and if you were a room-scale guy it would be great as there are no cameras or light houses to setup (I use a single camera above my monitor as I only play seated). If you wanted to move the setup around, from gaming room to living room, etc. the Odyssey would be great for that but for me, for seated play, that doesn't factor in.
The problem with the software/tracking is that it's still in very early beta. To run Elite you have to run it via Steam VR, something which I've always had a terrible experience with my Rift and is unnecessary for Elite pilots as Elite supports the Rift directly. With the Odyssey you have to use the Windows MR for Steam VR connector which translates everything from Windows MR <> Steam VR <> Elite - as you'd guess that's less than elegant. The main issue I had was the framerate was about 10-20% less, tracking would suddenly shift my view to behind me or to the right/left where I'd have to quickly recenter my view, something that during combat would likely be fatal. When opening the galaxy and system maps everything would glitch for a second, briefly showing you the Steam VR environment for a few frames before opening. Another user mentioned this to be pre-purchase and I thought "ah, that's not that big a deal" - boy was he right and I wrong, it's hugely annoying and immersion breaking. I'm running on an overclocked GTX 1080 and even still there was a noticeable dip in framerate. So all around it was a buggy and very rough experience where the Rift is near perfectly smooth. Ultimately this could and likely will get better with updates but given how horribly uncomfortable it was I was already done by this point.
But my PC can't support 1440p/4K
I read this comment so many times - "but current GPUs can't really handle 1080p VR, 1440p and 2160p (4K) are going to be years away" - this is a very silly argument. Look at it this way - if you bought a new TV would you buy 4K or 1080p? But not all content, or even much, if 4K so why buy it? For the future - the same is true with VR hardware. Just because I have a 1440p or 2160p display doesn't mean I have to run it at native resolution or with all graphical options at maximum does it? Upscaling technology is great these days and the primary thing that these higher resolution display address is the previously mentioned screen door effect. So please, stop with this uninformed comment - you want 4k just like you wanted 1080p when it first came out and nothing supported it. Unless you only plan to keep a piece of hardware for 6-12 months wouldn't you want something you can grow with that will be far better now and even morer farer betterer in the future? Yes, yes you do.
Final Thoughts / tldr; - 3/10
If you primarily play Elite in VR and don't care much about room scale then this is NOT the headset for you. Sure the image is higher resolution but that's not even close to the entire story (again why I think the Pimax 8k will be a massive failure like the Pimax 4k was). It's far bulkier, heavier, VERY uncomfortable and the software is rather buggy. I'm hopeful they will get there and it's great to see the competition push things forward so I wait in anticipation for the next Oculus headset. What about the forth coming Vive Pro? Well in short I'm not interested at all. It's even heavier/bulkier, won't come with tracking bases, won't come with controllers, will likely be far more expensive (given how much more expensive the current Vive is than the Rift) and as I see it is only a viable upgrade for those who currently have a Vive. Again it's great to see them push forward but a spec sheet does not make a quality product and my gut says the Vive Pro will fall victim to all these same issues. So now I await the next offering from Oculus to see if they can continue to dominate the quality end of the market as they have for nearly 2 years now.
What about wireless?
I just wanted to touch on this briefly as there are now wireless options for the current Rift and Vive (the TPCast) and an option announced for the Vive Pro. Honestly I could care less - not only do I pretty much only play seated but I don't want something that's going to make the headset even heavier and bulkier and yet another battery I have to charge. I'm sure the room scale guys are all over it, and I can understand why, but I'd much prefer one of the corded solutions that hangs the headset cord from the ceiling with retractable tethers. Sure it's not as freeing as wireless but, as I've made clear many times, I don't want all that bulk on my head, especially if I'm moving around a lot. I don't see me caring about this for quite a long time, at least until gen 3 when its just built in and only adds a few grams of weight.
Recommendations for new buyers
If you're looking to jump into VR in the next 1-3 month IMHO the Rift is by far the best choice, a no brainer in fact especially when price is factored in (and it usually is). So if you want something today buy a Rift and enjoy - Elite in VR is an amazing experience. I tell many "Elite without VR is a very pretty space game. Elite with VR and you're flying a SPACESHIP. It's that big a difference". However if you're not in a huge rush I'd suggest waiting to see what Oculus announces in the coming months as I'll be very surprised if it doesn't match the higher resolution displays. That's really what I want - a Rift CV1 body with 1440p or 2160p display. When we get to Generation 3, 4k displays and 200 degree FOV we'll really be there, for that I can't wait.
~X
Having been a very long time user of VR, starting with a DK2 to my CV1 I've owned and tried almost all the major headsets. I'm currently on my 2nd Rift (after 2000 hours in Elite in my original it was time for a new/clean one), lived with the Vive for over a week (to test it), owned the Pimax 4K (utter crap) and owned the PSVR I've had a very good sampling of the good and bad of each. You could call me an Oculus fanboi which isn't necessarily true, I'm just a fanboi of the best and right now IMHO that's the Rift by a very wide margin. But now on to the Samsung Odyssey.
For those that haven't followed the Odyssey is one of the new Windows MR headsets and is the highest resolution of them all. It's 1600x1440p (vs 1200x1080p in the Rift/Vive) so it's quite a bit higher resolution and it's also OLED which is key. If you're unfamiliar with the major differences OLED provides perfect black levels and no ghosting - something that can not be avoided with LCD panels. While some are better than others it can not be fully eliminated with LCD. Windows MR has also been confusing as the MR is Mixed Reality - in practice it's exactly the same experience as current VR, ie Rift/Vive. It's just a dumb and confusing marketing term as Microsoft plans to support AR (augmented reality) in the future via it's Holo lens project. So in short it's a VR headset just like you know and understand now - so what's the difference then?
Hardware
The Display - 8/10
The primary difference are the upgraded 1440p screens (again vs. 1080p). That equates to a 78% increase in pixel count and addresses one of the big issues with all VR headsets - SDE or screen door effect. Basically that means you can see the black space between the pixels making it look like you're looking through a screen door - anyone who has experience in 1080p or older projectors knows well what this is. In VR the effect is very pronounced and bothers some more than others (I'm in the former camp and it drives me crazy). This was the primary reason I wanted to try the Odyssey. So how is it? Well it's better but in no way is it the solution. Yes, things are easier to read when in the center of your view (more on that in a bit) and the image is brighter, to some almost negatively so (I liked it as I run Elite with gamma at lowest). Does it feel 78% better in practice, no, no it does not. You still see the effect, just not quite as pronounced and to my eyes it was a rather minor change, far less of a change than I hoped. I know this might be hard to believe but you'd have to see it in practice and again to my eyes it wasn't the upgrade I was hoping for.
The Lenses (aka God Rays) - 4/10
As the Odyssey also uses fresnel lenses there is still a god ray effect albeit different than the Rift. There is less "raying" from the center out but there is a very odd effect around the edges of the lens. As there are circular rings around the lenses that creates a halo at the edges of your vision - one that to my eyes was hugely distracting. I could also, if I tried, see the rings in the lenses while playing Elite. In short it is much worse in my opinion and far more distracting.
Field of View - NA
In short it's exactly the same, depending on your head and how it fits it might be ever so slightly better or worse but in practice there is no difference. Honestly this is my biggest complaint with current gen VR and while I'm interested in the Pimax 8k and it's 200 degree FOV. I however have absolutely no faith that Pimax can deliver anything other than a piece of junk just like the Pimax 4k and 5k have been. But as this is about the Odyssey I'll stay there - in short there is no difference.
Sound Quality - 5/10
The sound quality of the built-in and unremovable AKG headphones are good, crisp highs and good mid-level for dialogue. As they are on-ear (like the Rift) they don't deliver strong bass and are actually a good deal worse than the Rift. They are barely acceptable but are beaten by any good pair of over ear cans or even earbuds. As I have a 5.1 setup built into my cockpit I don't use the headphones on the Rift so I didn't really test these much. If you aren't a audiophile (I've been a musician for 35 years) they're likely acceptable but if you have higher standards like I do you'll certainly be disappointed with them.
Fit / Finish / Comfort - 1/10
The build quality of the Odyssey is outstanding, near Oculus levels of quality. The plastics feel great, the headphones are soft and comfortable and nothing feels cheap (save for the controllers, more later). As for fit and comfort I can't say the same - in short it was HUGELY uncomfortable, bordering on painful. In fact the nose guard was straight up painful and pinched my nose so hard I couldn't even breath through it. Sure, had I kept it I could maybe just cut it out but as it is it was totally unwearable. The other issue is the headband, it's very similar to the PSVR that clamps around your forehead and back of your skull - keeping some pressure off your face. The problem is you can't adjust the distance of the facepiece to bring it closer and I had to put the headband at an odd angle to get it right against my cheeks (many others have reported the same). I have a huge head and use my Rift at it's largest setting so your mileage my vary but I can't see anyone thinking it's more comfortable. It's also MUCH larger than the Rift and 35% heavier which in practice is a huge change. Another bummer for me is you can't remove the built in headphones. You can sorta move them out of the way but forget using over the head headphones, etc. with it - earbuds would be the only option. All in the Odyssey is much bulkier on your head than the Rift, the first time I put my Rift back on after using the Odyssey for a few hours the Rift felt TINY by comparison - I can't stress how big a difference it was. I've never thought of the Rift as big but also not as being small but after the Odyssey I couldn't believe the difference. Very similar to the way I've always felt about the Vive which is only slightly ligther than the Odyssey but just as bukly. These were the primary deal breakers for me as these are things that can't change.
Software / Tracking - 3/10
The Odyssey requires the latest Windows 10 Fall Creators update so you can use the "Cliff House" as it's been called, the Windows MR environment. The setup was very simple and honestly great, pairing the controllers via Bluetooth was one of the easiest pairing procedures I've ever done. Tracking was easy to setup even in my seated cockpit and tracking was (mostly) spot on. The controllers are a bit flimsy feeling, like all Windows MR controllers, and no where near the level of the Rift Touch controllers and not even as good as the lack luster Vive Wands. I didn't use them much as I pretty much only play Elite but I don't think this would be a deal breaker for standing players. The inside-out tracking worked great (mostly, more shortly) and if you were a room-scale guy it would be great as there are no cameras or light houses to setup (I use a single camera above my monitor as I only play seated). If you wanted to move the setup around, from gaming room to living room, etc. the Odyssey would be great for that but for me, for seated play, that doesn't factor in.
The problem with the software/tracking is that it's still in very early beta. To run Elite you have to run it via Steam VR, something which I've always had a terrible experience with my Rift and is unnecessary for Elite pilots as Elite supports the Rift directly. With the Odyssey you have to use the Windows MR for Steam VR connector which translates everything from Windows MR <> Steam VR <> Elite - as you'd guess that's less than elegant. The main issue I had was the framerate was about 10-20% less, tracking would suddenly shift my view to behind me or to the right/left where I'd have to quickly recenter my view, something that during combat would likely be fatal. When opening the galaxy and system maps everything would glitch for a second, briefly showing you the Steam VR environment for a few frames before opening. Another user mentioned this to be pre-purchase and I thought "ah, that's not that big a deal" - boy was he right and I wrong, it's hugely annoying and immersion breaking. I'm running on an overclocked GTX 1080 and even still there was a noticeable dip in framerate. So all around it was a buggy and very rough experience where the Rift is near perfectly smooth. Ultimately this could and likely will get better with updates but given how horribly uncomfortable it was I was already done by this point.
But my PC can't support 1440p/4K
I read this comment so many times - "but current GPUs can't really handle 1080p VR, 1440p and 2160p (4K) are going to be years away" - this is a very silly argument. Look at it this way - if you bought a new TV would you buy 4K or 1080p? But not all content, or even much, if 4K so why buy it? For the future - the same is true with VR hardware. Just because I have a 1440p or 2160p display doesn't mean I have to run it at native resolution or with all graphical options at maximum does it? Upscaling technology is great these days and the primary thing that these higher resolution display address is the previously mentioned screen door effect. So please, stop with this uninformed comment - you want 4k just like you wanted 1080p when it first came out and nothing supported it. Unless you only plan to keep a piece of hardware for 6-12 months wouldn't you want something you can grow with that will be far better now and even morer farer betterer in the future? Yes, yes you do.
Final Thoughts / tldr; - 3/10
If you primarily play Elite in VR and don't care much about room scale then this is NOT the headset for you. Sure the image is higher resolution but that's not even close to the entire story (again why I think the Pimax 8k will be a massive failure like the Pimax 4k was). It's far bulkier, heavier, VERY uncomfortable and the software is rather buggy. I'm hopeful they will get there and it's great to see the competition push things forward so I wait in anticipation for the next Oculus headset. What about the forth coming Vive Pro? Well in short I'm not interested at all. It's even heavier/bulkier, won't come with tracking bases, won't come with controllers, will likely be far more expensive (given how much more expensive the current Vive is than the Rift) and as I see it is only a viable upgrade for those who currently have a Vive. Again it's great to see them push forward but a spec sheet does not make a quality product and my gut says the Vive Pro will fall victim to all these same issues. So now I await the next offering from Oculus to see if they can continue to dominate the quality end of the market as they have for nearly 2 years now.
What about wireless?
I just wanted to touch on this briefly as there are now wireless options for the current Rift and Vive (the TPCast) and an option announced for the Vive Pro. Honestly I could care less - not only do I pretty much only play seated but I don't want something that's going to make the headset even heavier and bulkier and yet another battery I have to charge. I'm sure the room scale guys are all over it, and I can understand why, but I'd much prefer one of the corded solutions that hangs the headset cord from the ceiling with retractable tethers. Sure it's not as freeing as wireless but, as I've made clear many times, I don't want all that bulk on my head, especially if I'm moving around a lot. I don't see me caring about this for quite a long time, at least until gen 3 when its just built in and only adds a few grams of weight.
Recommendations for new buyers
If you're looking to jump into VR in the next 1-3 month IMHO the Rift is by far the best choice, a no brainer in fact especially when price is factored in (and it usually is). So if you want something today buy a Rift and enjoy - Elite in VR is an amazing experience. I tell many "Elite without VR is a very pretty space game. Elite with VR and you're flying a SPACESHIP. It's that big a difference". However if you're not in a huge rush I'd suggest waiting to see what Oculus announces in the coming months as I'll be very surprised if it doesn't match the higher resolution displays. That's really what I want - a Rift CV1 body with 1440p or 2160p display. When we get to Generation 3, 4k displays and 200 degree FOV we'll really be there, for that I can't wait.
~X
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