Pros and Cons of Samsung Odyssey 3D Monitor

It may not be the most practical option, but Samsung’s 3D gaming monitor makes me excited about the future of 3D displays.

3D displays have always had two big problems: people don’t like wearing 3D glasses, and there’s never been enough content to make the tech worth it.

Samsung Odyssey 3D monitor (G90XF) tries to fix both. It uses special lenses and eye-tracking cameras to create a 3D effect—no glasses needed. It makes PC games look more immersive and lifelike. At $2,000, it’s definitely expensive, especially when there are great gaming monitors for much less. But the Odyssey 3D gives us a real glimpse of what the future of gaming displays could look like

You can’t really show 3D with a camera, which makes it hard to explain what it’s like to use the Samsung Odyssey 3D monitor. It’s something you really have to see with your own eyes to believe. That’s true for other display features too—like resolution or refresh rate—but 3D is something almost everyone will want to try at least once.

If you’ve ever watched a 3D movie, you get the idea. The screen tricks your eyes into thinking objects are popping out toward you. In games, things like characters or menus can appear to float in front of the screen. The monitor uses eye-tracking cameras to follow your head and even predict where you’ll move next. This helps keep the 3D effect stable and gives you a wider “sweet spot”, so you don’t have to sit perfectly still. You’ll get the best results sitting about 27 to 40 inches away, but I never felt like I had to stay in one position to enjoy it.

This is a big improvement from earlier 3D tech, but there are still some downsides. Only one person can sit in front of the screen at a time. You also need a powerful PC, including an Nvidia RTX 3070 or better—AMD cards won’t work. Games have to be played in full-screen mode at native resolution, and HDR has to be turned off to use 3D.

The biggest downside right now is the limited number of games that support 3D. Only 12 games are officially supported, and most of them aren’t very well known. There are a few popular ones, like Palworld and Stray, but others are kids’ games like The Smurfs: Dreams and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. Only one game—The First Berserker: Khazan—was actually co-developed with 3D in mind. Samsung hasn’t explained exactly what that means, but it likely means the game developer worked directly with them to make the 3D work well.

Samsung says more are coming: 11 more co-developed games and up to 50 total 3D-compatible games by the end of the year.

That’s a decent start, but Samsung still has a long way to go to catch up with Acer’s SpatialLabs, which already supports a lot more games. Acer has been working on this for years, so the difference is noticeable. Still, the 3D experience in The First Berserker: Khazan is better than anything I’ve seen before. Honestly, Samsung should include that game for free, given how few games work with this monitor right now.

The Samsung Odyssey 3D isn’t the first 3D monitor out there, but it’s the one that feels most like a real, ready-for-market product. It’s a beautiful monitor with a silver frame, similar to other Odyssey models. Even though it’s built for gamers and uses new 3D technology, Samsung made it look like a regular, high-quality screen. It does have a wide stand and a thicker top bezel for the eye-tracking cameras, but overall, it doesn’t look like a prototype or a strange gadget. That’s a big difference from something like the Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27, which doesn’t look or feel as polished or premium.

The ports are located on the back of the monitor and include just the basics: two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and two USB-A ports. There’s no headphone jack or USB-C. The power button is on the right side of the ports and also works as the control for the on-screen menu. The menu works okay, but adjusting brightness or volume takes too many clicks.

The monitor has built-in 5-watt speakers. They sound decent and offer some “directional sound” for a more immersive feel, but nothing too special. In my testing, the 3D speakers on the Acer monitor sounded clearer and richer.

You’ll probably buy this monitor for its 3D features, but most of the time, you’ll end up using it in regular 2D mode. That’s why it’s great that Samsung didn’t cut corners on display quality. While an OLED version would be nice someday, the Odyssey 3D still has a sharp 4K IPS screen with a smooth 165Hz refresh rate—perfect for 2D gaming.

The colors look great too, with full sRGB coverage and solid accuracy. In fact, the color accuracy is close to what you’d get on OLED screens. The screen is also brighter than most OLEDs in standard mode, hitting 487 nits. HDR isn’t a big strength here, but that’s okay since 3D games don’t support HDR anyway. Overall, it’s a very good 4K gaming monitor—just pricey.

The main feature of this monitor is 3D, so I tested it with several supported games like Palworld, GTA: San Andreas, Stray, and SpongeBob. Most of them use the 3D effect well, though some scenes—like the opening of San Andreas—don’t work as smoothly. You can easily adjust the strength of the 3D with simple keyboard shortcuts. These games are built on Unreal Engine 4, which makes them easier for Samsung to approve without extra work from developers. Right now, there’s no support for newer engines like Unreal Engine 5 or Unity.

The best example of how good the 3D can be is The First Berserker: Khazan. Samsung teamed up with the developer to make sure the 3D effect really shines, and it does. The action and atmosphere feel more immersive. For example, during a snowy scene, it feels like you’re actually in the middle of the storm. Unlike 3D movies where things pop out at you, this makes you feel like you’re inside the world. It’s immersive but not distracting, which is important during fast-paced battles. After about 30 minutes, the 3D feels natural—and honestly, you might not want to go back to 2D.

The 3D feature isn’t just for games. The monitor can also turn 2D photos and videos into 3D. It’s fun to play with, but there are limits. For example, you have to watch in full screen, and you can’t watch DRM-protected content like full movies. So, don’t expect to stream a 3D movie just yet.

Still, watching trailers or short videos on YouTube in 3D gives you a glimpse of what’s possible. I even tested it on a video call with one other person, and it felt like a toned-down version of Google’s Project Starline—it was pretty impressive.

This 3D conversion works using AI to guess the depth of each image. It’s not perfect—you’ll notice some rough edges and it doesn’t look as realistic as true 3D in games. It also puts more load on your computer. When I tested it with a Razer Blade 16 laptop, the fans got noticeably loud.

You shouldn’t rush to buy the Samsung Odyssey 3D monitor. It’s very expensive at $2,000, and it only supports a small number of games right now. That means you’re basically paying over $1,000 just for the 3D feature. Most people would be better off getting a great OLED gaming monitor for around $800.

Still, I found the experience exciting. It reminded me of trying VR for the first time. 3D might not be as immersive, but being able to see depth without wearing a headset or glasses feels amazing. I wouldn’t want to play every game in 3D, but it’s much less tiring than other immersive tech. This monitor gave me a real sense of what the future of 3D displays could look like.

Samsung says more products using this kind of 3D tech are coming, so if you’re curious but not ready to spend this much, it’s probably worth waiting for cheaper versions to hit the market.