VR is here to stay. While a number of Sim Racing enthusiasts already switched from single and triple screen setups to a VR headset, it is clear that the current generation of VR hardware is not to everyone’s liking. Many potential VR customers are waiting it out for the next generation of VR hardware to overcome the current shortcomings such as the lack of resolution and depth quality.  While this will not change overnight, this year’s holiday season will introduce a good number of new VR headsets which will bring us a slightly higher resolution and better features.

First revealed during a Microsoft Windows Mixed Reality media event in San Francisco, Samsung now officially announced its HMD Odyssey, which is a high-end head-mounted VR display (HMD) for the Windows Mixed Reality platform, which is part of the upcoming Windows 10 Creators Fall Update.

The HMD Odyssey VR headset makes use of two 3.5 ” (AMOLED) OLED displays with a resolution of 1440×1600 pixels per eye. This is a higher resolution than the currently popular HTC Vive and Oculus Rift sets. The displays run at a 90 or 60Hz refresh rate and feature field of view up to 110 degrees. The HMD Odyssey features an accelerometer and gyroscope performing measurements on six axes and is equipped with a set of front-mounted cameras for motion tracking purposes. Furthermore, the HMD Odyssey is equipped with an integrated high-quality headphone by AKG Acoustics which features spatial audio.

 The VR headset is connected to the PC via a four meter long HDMI 2.0 and USB 3.0 cable. Weighing only 645 grams, the HMD Odyssey is pretty comfortable to wear during longer VR sessions.

All these features make the Samsung HMD Odyssey the most advanced VR headset for the Windows Mixed Reality platform to date. With the HMD Odyssey, Samsung will be trying to break the Oculus/Vive VR gaming dominance.

Importantly, the Steam gaming platform currently has the widest selection of VR games on the market, and therefore Microsoft has added Valve’s SteamVR support to its Windows Mixed Reality platform. This makes the HMD Odyssey a viable VR product for sim racing use.