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✅ 🤩 Immersive, natural-looking glasses-free 3D
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✅ 🧊 3D objects on this screen look like holograms in 4K
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✅ 👀 Eye-tracking ensures a perfect 3D image
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✅ 🖥️ Solid 27-inch 4K 165Hz gaming monitor even without 3D
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✅ 🕹️ AMD Freesync, Nvidia G-Sync-compatible, and VRR support for all platforms
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✅ 🌈 Color accurate for editing photos and video
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✅ ▶️ AI can convert YouTube videos and personal videos into 3D
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❌ 💪 3D requires serious graphics power
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❌ 📝 Only 14 games so far are playable in 3D
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❌ 🎮 3D is not supported at all by consoles
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❌ 🪞 Very reflective glossy finish
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❌ 🤑 $2,000
Samsung: Samsung Odyssey 3D – $1,999
Amazon: Samsung Odyssey 3D – $1,999
The Samsung Odyssey 3D G90XF delivers such natural-looking, high-resolution 3D visuals that they have to be seen. The picture on the screen almost projects out like a hologram. This isn’t your dad’s Nintendo 3DS; this $1,999 monitor’s 3D tech is more sophisticated, thanks to a pair of subtly hidden eye-tracking cameras that help perfect the 3D effect. The 4K resolution of this monitor also makes 3D objects more detailed than I’ve seen on any other 3D display, to the point that videogame characters look like real-life objects. I can also watch almost any video on YouTube or playback my personal movies in 3D.
Unfortunately, there are only 14 compatible 3D games, including The First Berserker: Khazan, Lies of P: Overture, Palworld, Stray, and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, to name a few. That’s a painfully short list of games, and you can’t play any big hitters like Call of Duty or Cyberpunk 2077 in 3D. Hopefully, more games will receive 3D support soon as Samsung collaborates with more developers. Hold off on the Samsung Odyssey 3D G90XF if you’re looking for it to be your primary 3D gaming monitor.
Despite the lack of 3D gaming, I spent more of my time playing in regular 2D vision, which this monitor excels at. Additionally, I would often use this display to watch 3D videos, even though it doesn’t work with copyrighted material, including streaming services. This monitor offers excellent color accuracy and contrast, making it ideal for editing media as well. Versatility is this monitor’s strongest suit, and the 3D effect is an added bonus. $2,000 is a significant investment, even for a cutting-edge 3D screen; however, the Samsung Odyssey 3D G90XF proves to be more than just a 3D gaming monitor. It’s the total display package that gives you 3D.
🎮 Glasses-free 3D gaming. The 3D effect of the Samsung Odyssey 3D is magical. It’s so subtle and high-resolution, it’s as if I’m looking at a hologram. The First Berserker: Khazan looked spectacular. Between the game’s comic-style graphics and the prominent 3D effect, the game looked almost like a pop-out motion comic. Since this game was designed to work with the Odyssey 3D, I could just jump into the game settings to adjust the depth effect. So far, this game and Lies of P: Overture are the only games with built-in 3D settings.
Gaming on this monitor is like peering through a virtual reality window
🎚️ On-the-fly 3D adjustment. Other games like Palworld and Little Nightmares II also play in 3D, but don’t have in-game menu options. Instead, you get an overlay with keyboard shortcuts to adjust the 3D pop-out effect and depth. Just like with the Khazan, the Odyssey 3D gave Palworld and Little Nightmares II an extra layer of realism. I walked around Palworld’s vast open world and could better judge how far-away objects were with the actual depth effect. Little Nightmares II also looked amazing with actual depth between the foreground and background.
🕹️Which games support 3D? Unfortunately, there’s only a grand total of 14 games you can play in 3D with this Samsung monitor. There are notable games like Lies of P: Overture, Palworld, and The Definitive Edition of the GTA III saga games, Stray, but the majority of games are older titles. There’s no CyberPunk 2077, Helldivers 2, Call of Duty, or other gaming mainstays to experience 3D. Games also have to be certified and added to the Odyssey 3D Hub by Samsung, so you can’t play any game you want in 3D either. If you don’t play the following 14 games, there isn’t much reason to get this 3D monitor for gaming.
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The First Berserker: Khazan
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Lies of P: Overture
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Stray
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Dragonball Z: Kakarot
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Little Nightmares II
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F.I.S.T
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SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
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Wigmund
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Grand Theft Auto III – The Definitive Edition
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Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Edition
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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition
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Disney Epic Mickey Rebrushed
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The Smurfs – Dreams
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Palworld
⚙️ Behind the tech. Now, the Odyssey 3D’s underlying tech is somewhat similar to a Nintendo 3DS. It uses a panel of lenticular lenses to deliver two separate images to your left and right eyes. There are also two eye-tracking cameras that help ensure you get the optimal 3D experience even as you move your head around. As I shifted left to right, I was also able to see the depth and more details of the characters as if they were real-life objects.
📋 Preresuisites for 3D. The Samsung Odyssey 3D requires an Nvidia RTX 3080 or higher GPU to enjoy it. I’ve been able to play games in 3D with an Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti, but that still means there is at least a $545 to $400 barrier to entry for this display. The Samsung Odyssey 3D also requires a PC to run its Samsung Odyssey 3D Hub app, which means you won’t be playing PS5 Pro or Switch 2 games in 3D.
👾 Solid 2D gaming chops. Thankfully, even without any 3D hoo-ha, the Samsung Odyssey 3D is a solid gaming monitor for more pedestrian 2D gaming. The 27-inch screen size and 4K resolution deliver the perfect PPI for sharp desktop PC gaming from Helldivers 2 to Cyberpunk 2077. Its 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time also make it a responsive display for competitive games like Marvel Rivals.
☄️ Sync however you please. The Samsung Odyssey 3D supports AMD FreeSync Premium and VRR, and it’s Nvidia G-Sync-compatible, so you’ll be able to get a smooth gaming experience no matter what you connect to it. While you can’t experience the 3D effect with consoles, the inclusion of VRR with its solid 4K specs makes this an all-around great gaming display.
🎞️ 3D videos. Beyond 3D games, Samsung’s Odyssey 3D Hub can convert videos into 3D using AI. I was able to use this feature with YouTube videos and replaying home movies with VLC Player. The depth effect is strong enough to resemble watching a 3D movie in a theater, but it’s not as convincing as wearing a headset like the Meta Quest 3S or Apple Vision Pro. Unfortunately, 3D viewing is not supported for streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max, and you can’t play any DRM-protected content in 3D either. You also can’t watch content in HDR and 3D, so you’ll have to choose between the two.
🔊 Stereo sound. The Samsung Odyssey 3D features built-in dual speakers designed for directional sound, complementing the 3D visuals. The speakers produce stereo sound, but they create a decent amount of separation, which provides an extra level of immersion for 3rd- and 1st-person games.
🖥️ Looks like a normal gaming monitor. For all the technological do-dads that the Samsung Odyssey 3D stacks on top of a traditional gaming monitor, it surprisingly resembles any old computer screen. That’s a feat compared to other 3D monitors that have clearly visible cameras and even bolted-on speakers. Even the top bezel, which houses the eye-tracking camera, is only slightly thicker than the ones on the sides. The only thing that really makes this display stand out is its integrated lighting and the fact that it’s slightly thicker.
🌈 Immersive lighting. The Samsung Odyssey 3D also features an integrated RGB lightbar that illuminates the area just beneath the screen. It seems much smarter to add RGB to the front of your setup so you can actually see the illumination instead of hiding it behind the display. What’s more, Samsung has designed Edge Lighting to synchronize with colors on the screen. But it lights up to match the dominant color on the screen. It doesn’t extend the screen in a similar fashion to Govee or other lights that sync up to displays.
🤑 $2000! The Samsung Odyssey 3D commands a king’s ransom of $1,999 to purchase. That makes it one of the most expensive monitors in the last five years. If you’re looking for a regular 4K gaming monitor, there are more affordable options, including Samsung’s own Odyssey OLED G8 (G81SF) for $1,299 or the $899 Alienware AW2725Q, both of which are 4K QD-OLED 240Hz displays.
Samsung: Samsung Odyssey 3D – $1,999
Amazon: Samsung Odyssey 3D – $1,999
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✅ 👾 You want to play games and watch in 3D
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✅ 🖥️ You want to play games on a big, bright, and colorful screen
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✅ 📺 You want a versatile display for gaming, editing, and viewing cutting-edge 3D
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❌ 🎮 You’re not playing one of the 14 3D-compatible games available now (wait for support to come to more titles)
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❌ 💸 You want a more affordable 4K gaming monitor (get the Alienware 27-inch 4K 240Hz AW2725Q instead)
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❌ 🤢 Watching anything in 3D makes you feel sick
Kevin Lee is The Shortcut’s Creative Director. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.
