The Samsung Odyssey 3D is a glasses-free solution for immersive gaming

The Nintendo 3DS was discontinued (may it rest in peace), but that doesn’t mean glasses-free 3D gaming has to go away. In fact, Samsung just announced a monitor, dubbed the Odyssey 3D, that could be the answer for anyone trying to recreate the magic of Nintendo’s 3D handheld.

The Odyssey 3D isn’t the first glasses-free 3D monitor available, and it technically doesn’t use the same kind of technology to create 3D images as the 3DS did, but it could be your best option if you want a more immersive gaming experience and don’t want to figure out a way to use an old PlayStation 3D monitor.

Samsung says the Odyssey 3D monitor will launch “within the year,” but hasn’t provided a final price or ship date. Here’s what we know about it so far.

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Samsung Odyssey monitor quality adds another dimension

This is a nice display separate from the 3D

Samsung / Pocket-lint

The Odyssey 3D monitor will come in two sizes, according to Samsung; a 27-inch model and a 37-inch model. The displays themselves are 4K QLEDs with a “rapid 1ms gray-to-gray response time” on top of having a high-refresh rate — 165Hz, to be exact. You’ll get support for AMD FreeSync Premium for artifact-free visuals, just like some of Samsung’s other Odyssey monitors, and a height adjustable stand so you can position your screen closer to eye-level. For ports, there’s a single DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.1 ports, which sounds a bit limiting, but at least means you’ll get a high-quality connection to your computer or console.

Samsung / Pocket-lint

The Odyssey 3D seems similar to Samsung’s other Odyssey monitors, particularly the non-curved Odyssey G7 and G8 that were announced at CES 2024. Those displays had higher refresh rates, but a similar resolution. Interestingly, the Odyssey 3D also made an appearance at that same CES as a concept Samsung was showing off. What we’re getting now is the final product.

How the Odyssey 3D creates its 3D effect

The magic of the Odyssey 3D is its ability to switch between 2D and 3D content on the fly, and Samsung’s ultimately using a similar mixture of tech to Asus’ Spatial Vision feature or Acer’s SpatialLabs displays. Using a combination of a lenticular lens layered over the display with built-in cameras for eye tracking and something Samsung calls “View Mapping,” the Odyssey 3D is able to send an image to each of your eyes, and adjust that image as your head and eyes move.

This increases the field of view of the 3D image beyond what you’d get out of older 3D displays. If you remember how narrow the FOV was on the 3DS, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Nintendo’s handheld achieved its effect with an adjustable parallax barrier that switched which part of its stereoscopic LCD lit up. That was likely cheaper to produce than what Samsung’s selling, but offered less satisfying 3D.

Samsung’s Odyssey 3D is coming this year

Pocket-lint has reached out to Samsung for more details about the price of the Odyssey 3D, but expect it within the year, and likely on the pricier side. Odyssey monitors are already expensive, and adding 3D isn’t going to make them cheaper. Acer’s Predator SpatialLabs View 27, which is also meant for gaming, might be a good comparison point at $2,000.

3D might have gone out of style, but experiencing 3D entertainment is one of the more surprisingly compelling uses-cases for high-end VR headsets like the Apple Vision Pro. A monitor might be cheaper, but the Vision Pro is available now.