382 SHARES Facebook Twitter Linkedin Reddit

Samsung Odyssey+ is the company’s latest VR headset, and while it launched just a few weeks ago for $500, the Korean tech giant is throwing it on sale this Black Friday at a 40% discount.

Update (November 19th, 2018): The deal is now live, although thee’s no telling how long it’ll last.

Original article (November 12th, 2018): The deal is set to start online at Samsung.com on November 18th, slashing the headset to just $300, controllers included.

As a hardware refresh of last year’s Windows VR headset Odyssey HMD, there’s a few notable changes in the latest version.

The biggest change to the Odyssey+ is undoubtedly its new “anti-SDE” display treatment that’s said to visibly reduce screen door effect (SDE) on its dual 3.5″ AMOLED 1,440 × 1,600 panels. SDE is a result of magnifying both the display’s pixels and the unlit spaces between those pixels, which at times can feel like looking through a fine screen door-style mesh.

There’s also been a number of minor ergonomic changes to the headset though that should render it more comfortable to a wider set of users. Because the first Odyssey headset wasn’t incredible in the ergonomics department, the Odyssey+ now features a larger nose cavity and wider face interface, and a new foam material that the company says should improve comfort and reduce lens fogging. The weight of the headset has also been slightly reduced, from 820 grams to 798 grams, cable included. Check out our analysis of the differences between the new and old here.

An important distinction: Samsung Odyssey+ boasts the same resolution as HTC Vive Pro, but at a remarkably lower price—HTC Vive Pro costs $800 for just the headset, no basestations or controllers included. Windows VR optical tracking isn’t nearly as robust as Valve’s SteamVR tracking system, although it’s certainly good enough to play Beat Saber (2018), making it a strong PC VR contender against Oculus Rift this holiday season.