Samsung Odyssey and Oculus Quest are two headsets that are going to be interesting to compare and see which one outperforms the other.
It is worth mentioning that there are a few significant differences between the two headsets and one of them has to be that the Oculus Quest is a standalone headset while the Odyssey is not.
The main question is which one is a better investment and which one gives you a better immersive VR experience.
The headsets are both really good, the Oculus Quest is one of hte best standalone headsets while the Samsung Odyssey is the best among all the mixed reality headset releases.
That’s the reason, I felt it would be interesting to see which one outperforms the other in the different features that these two headsets have.
So without any further ado, let’s get started with the comparison post.
Table of Contents
Design and Build Quality
The Samsung Odyssey headset comes with a design that is similar to the PlayStation VR headset. It has a similar Halo style design like the PSVR except that it is all black.
The Odyssey does feel light in weight but it is a little flimsy giving a feeling that it is cheaply made. Overall, you can make the headset work and for the price that you pay, you are not going to be disappointed.
The design on the Oculus Quest is very similar to that of the Oculus Rift. It comes with the head strap which you can adjust and once you have the perfect fit for your face, then you are good to go.
The headset weighs around 570 grams which makes it slightly lighter in comparison to the Samsung Odyssey which weighs around 590 grams.
The headsets do not cause any significant discomfort because of their weights as there is an even weight distribution if you have it adjusted according to your face.
The headset is all black and you have a few cameras on the headset that would help you track your motions in VR. The fit on any of these VR headsets really depends on the person as the fit can be different for different people.
Display and Resolution
The Samsung Odyssey comes with AMOLED displays and a resolution of 1440х1600 per eye. The AMOLED display gives you a really nice visual experience as the colors look more lifelike.
The Oculus Quest is a more recent release and comes with a resolution of 1600 x 1440 pixels per eye and the visuals on both the headset are pretty much similar.
The only thing about the Oculus Quest is that you do find it a bit jittery sometimes and that might be something that would be a problem while you are gaming.
Although one should consider the fact that the Quest is a completely wireless standalone headset and is powered by a mobile-like setup that is present inside the headset.
The Samsung Odyssey, on the other hand, needs to be connected to a PC. Overall, the display and resolution on both the headsets is pretty good, although I must say that I liked the Odyssey a bit more than the Quest.
Again, your choice can be different but considering the minor defects in the Quest Display, I would have to go with the Samsung Odyssey.
Refresh Rate and FOV
The refresh rate of the Samsung Odyssey can be anywhere from 60-90 Hz. The Oculus Quest has a refresh rate of 75 Hz.
Even if you feel that the Oculus Quest is a standalone headset and comes with a lot of advantages, I think you might want to consider the refresh rate.
The Odyssey does give a better experience as you are going to have smoother gameplay in comparison to the Oculus Quest.
Even though the gameplay on the Quest is not going to be BAD because of the refresh rate, you are surely going to see a few differences that you should consider.
Tracking and Controllers
The Samsung Odyssey has inbuilt cameras in the headset that help in tracking the controllers.
The inside out tracking helps you avoid any external cameras that would again involve a lot of wires making the whole setup complicated.
This way, the Samsung Odyssey does make things a lot easier when it comes to tracking.
Something that can bother you while you are playing games with the Odyssey is that when you take the controllers out of the range of the camera like, the tracking gets messed up.
This can be really annoying in a few games as you need to turn your face with the controllers so that they could be tracked correctly inside the game.
The Quest, on the other hand, comes with a 6DoF and you can track the controllers with ease. The gameplay and tracking inside the game are nice and precise.
In the future, Oculus plans to bring in a software update that would be able to track your hands without the use of any controller and you do not need to buy a new headset for it as it would just come as a Quest update for all the existing users.
Games on the Headsets
The games on the Samsung Odyssey is going to be a lot because you can easily access the Oculus Store and SteamVR with a few tweaks in the settings.
The games on both these platforms are A LOT that you are never going to get bored playing them and they release more than 50 games a month.
So, there is a wide range of different games that you can choose from. Samsung Odyssey is pretty amazing in this aspect as there is a lot that you can explore.
Now, moving on to the Oculus Quest, I did expect that a title bought on the Oculus Rift S is going to work on the Quest but sadly that is not the case.
A title that one purchase on the Rift S may or may not be available for the quest and they both have slightly different options with the gaming options being huge for the Rift S while it not being as great for the Quest.
This can be a downside as you have to purchase the titles again for the Quest and to be honest, in this category the Odyssey does seem like a way better option if you have a PC with the needed specifications to run a Samsung Odyssey.
Conclusion
The Oculus Quest is a nice standalone headset for someone who just wants to dive a little deeper into VR or for someone who is getting started.
The Quest does have some issues with a jittery display and other factors that would come into play once you get started playing around with the headset.
Overall, you are getting a pretty good deal for the price you pay but if you can invest in a good gaming PC, you can go for the Samsung Odyssey.
The tracking is the only issue that would be significant with the Samsung Odyssey and the rest is pretty decent making it the better option.
The final decision depends on what factors you are looking for in a VR headset.
Do let us know which one of these headsets you like in the comments below!
You can write your experiences with these headsets as well as it would help our readers.
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