Samsung HMD Odyssey Mixed Reality VR Review For Sim Racing 

We are finding there is a phenomenon where, after a period of time driving in VR your brain fills in the gaps and you seem not to notice the lack of resolution. The length of time varies from person to person. Some RU-vid reviewers jump in and do a couple of hours driving and then say, 'nope cant deal with the lack of resolution.' Shaun try it for a couple of weeks and let us know. I could never go back to Pancake sim racing, its VR or nothing for me.

The newer HMD+ is $230 on Amazon right now. This is a great time to get into VR.

I've had an odyssey since december and never had any tracking issues. Make sure you have really good lighting in your room.

♤ 2019 ♤ Oculus: The issues that he mentions could be addressed by unplugging the secondary tracking sensor so the driver position never changes..... Also if you have a GTX1070TI or better run Supersampling at 2.5 (250%) and you'll be amazed w/the quality. To me as a Pro-Driver... VR made playing games a reality. I still can't drift a car like I do in real life but at least I can race and do proper last around tracks that I've driven in real life. VR it's a must for me!

The performance difference is due to different resolution between the Samsung and the mainstream headsets. The Rift and Vive (v1) are twin 1080 displays--the Samsung is twin 1440 displays. As far as anyone can tell, the exact same panels in the Vive Pro (which is ~$800 for JUST the headset now), just so much sooner and so much cheaper.

Remember next time you race in VR, there is a setting in AC called "lock camera to horizon." I think this setting is a must for VR users. It is kind of weird when you race on an oval, or hit an oval section like on old Monza or Riverside. But the setting helps with motion sickness.

Funny that those who have spent years training themselves on triples will give VR a couple of hours then declare it not good enough. When racing in the pancake world it takes time to train your brain. There is no depth so you must learn how to interpret visual clues as depth of field. After hundreds if not thousands of hours your brain has built a conversion system in your memory. That will not be undone in a few hours of VR. You will never get the pancake world you are seeking in VR. I had a very small amount of single screen racing before getting the Rift and then the Odyssey. I had no training to undo. I would not race again without VR. It does not require any training of my brain. There is no learning what visual clues mean. Everything is as natural as driving in the real world.

Sheun, you need to wear it like a "crown" you will elliminate the light comming in under the HMD. Took me a while to figure it out. Cheers

Another cool thing with VR is the fact that you are actually using your eyes to watch whats going around you. I found myself caught up not watching my mirror de same way I do on a screen. If I had eyes tracker inside the headset you could se how much more I use my eyes to track apex or mirror or rpm. its genius in the way it trains your vision like a real racing experience

Thanks - currently have the RIFT for racing and looking forward to the next generation. Your inside-out tracking challenge may have been caused by the two large dark monitors from your triple setup. not must to reference and track changes on those two items in the field of view for the dual cameras to see.

Shaun, nice review. Two points: a BlueTooth dongle is

Fantastic review. Highlighted a lot of bits I hadn't heard before. Thanks Shaun

So very true bout the 'explaining/expressing" to others the experience of vr and sim racing. My godson and his mum came over this past Sunday. I took him up to the den to give him the experience. The last time he came I had not put all of the components together but gave his family the vr exposure, ie hand paddles and Robo Recall (great game btw). They all agreed 'it was great!' I explained that it was not for this I had picked all this stuff up but for sim racing. They said "okay", with not a seconds thought. After his sim experience he was talking to her the way I was to them the first time out. Words simply cannot express it! I do also hear you regards the screen door effect. More work need there! Great review/presentation as ever!

Hey, how do I launch iRacing to get full vr? I am in the "virtual house" but iRacing is still windowed, and I don't know how to launch it fully, it just is 2d in that virtual house. I've been looking everywhere but can't really find an answer. Do I need steam VR?

One tip I'd suggest for the Samsung, is rather than just folding those nose flaps inwards as some people do, simply pop the entire rubber piece out. It's designed to be removable and replaceable (just like the Vive one is), so if you find that you don't like it that way, you can just pop it back in. I removed mine a few weeks ago and would never go back to having it in, as now there are ZERO breathing restrictions through the nose, and no irritating flaps resting against the nostrils.

I agree with all your pros and cons for this headset. It's the dumbest thing in the world for mouse control. They need to fix the software. I have a i7 7700 with a 1080 ti and it still lags. I'm running it as high of resolution as possible though with super sampling. You should try it in project cars 2, it's amazing. It can't be stated enough about emersion and going to 3d. I'll never go back to monitors. Before driving in VR my laps where never that close. Now my times are all within 1 second most of the time. I'm not that fast of a driver but the ability to see where you are all the time makes it much easier.

love your sim videos I really wanted to hear your thoughts on WMR headsets since I have one on the way so this is just awesome thanks for getting me into sim racing it's so much fun.

As usual, amazingly consistent and thorough reviews. Great work.

Nice review, been on the fence about VR for a while and decided to take the plunge since I saw a headset for a good price now I have a better idea what to look forward to. As for some of the cons, the reduced framerate is due to the increased resolution of the samsung lenses compared to the oculus and the vive. Just like a standard monitor the more pixels you have to render the more taxing it is on your system, you can't have better image quality without taking a performance hit so that shouldn't be so much a con more an unavoidable limitation. As for not being able to see your peripherials most of the windows mixed reality headsets (not sure if the samsung does this as well) allow you to flip up the HMD without taking it off so you can quickly look at your peripherals and the real world before flipping it down and getting back into your game.

It is tough to review, and the tech is clunky but it is hands down the most immersive exp period. Shifters can be used well enough but those s switch and button boxes may be rough. Vr is what got me into the hobby four years ago. Call me an escapist but you ARE transported to your favorite track and car when you load up your favorite sim in vr.

Sounds like a viable competitor and that's good for the VR market. The 2nd generation is going to be incredible because these companies are going to have to really step it up in order to stand out. Until that point, it's hard to beat the Oculus for value, especially since they dropped the bundle to 400 bucks.

As you've said, it's a new technology. once it is more adapted, the support technology will come along, solutions to problems like audience contact while streaming will come. Traction control and abs were never considered or needed until the horsepower got to high and the brakes got to strong.

i plugged it in and it worked instantly with asseto corsa.... 8:16 absolutly wrong for all of the wmr headsets.....

11:59 FPS was lower, because this one has much higher resolution than the two other headsets. 2880x1600 vs. 2880x1440. That's why. Not Odyssey+ fault. Too weak processor possibly or not enough overclocking.

the headband should be higher and trust me you would see any light or move for the headset and yes i agree the "mixed reality" need approved for mouse use and i can use all game occulus via steam :)

Very good review, thank you Shaun. You should do more free style reviews, it comes accross more human. Looking to import the Odyssey to Germany, but the fees of 150 to 250€ are too much atm. Ebay might be an alternative.

Turn your front monitor off and place some post its on the screen for better tracking. You need stationary objects for the inside out tracking to work well. You and your headset should be moving not the environment The post its are for your flat blank screen when it's off or have a static image on your center monitor. It's like having the Vive/Rift sensors moving while trying to track you and your headset which will not work.

I love how reviewers make a scene out of pixel resolution.... the reason they are the res they are, is not because of technical limitations of displays... it's the general standard for graphical horsepower available to the consumer. They can make higher res screens. But if you cant run it at 90hz... who will they sell it to? Consumer products are specced to run for consumer hardware. The product is created to meet consumer needs and abilities. Unless we get a major jump in GPU power... don't expect higher res screens to be a better experience. That's not how it works. VR is amazing. Clarity is as good as we can utilize today. And it is only going to get better

The Windows Mixed Reality house reminds me SOOO much of the old Packard Bell Navigator!

It works with glasses fine ,I wear glasses and it takes about 40sec to get working .I have all the systems and Samsung is by far the best .I use it to access all my Viveport/ Oculus and Steam games No Problem .

I just curious about the Pimax 8k with its 200 deegre Fov. Will you review that?

Thanks for the review! i have one and tracking is good, definitely with the weight you do not want to move your head too quickly :) And you can wear glasses, it is very comfortable with glasses on

Another second to none scripted review from Shaun. I've been waiting for you to review this. I've already had this wmd and returned it. I gave up on getting it setup on my rig. I couldn't make it happen. On the other hand, on my desktop gaming setup it was a joy to setup and use. Maybe I'll buy it again and try once more to set it up on my rig.

Hi Shaun! Great review. I saw some people saying that the tracking for sim racing was spot on, so your take on the perhaps ms delay was really interesting. The only thing that you missed, in your conclusions: I understand that to make the perfect headset, you would need a mixture of the Vive, Rift and Odyssey. However, considering everything, which one is the better choice for a new VR buyer, considering your experience? Oh, and also, which i5 do you have? Thanks!

Ok! I just thought of something here about all this. One review mentioned not having mirrors that can interfere with the camera tracking. So I'm thinking hmm! For the issue you're having or had with the Samsung Odyssey HAD, sure try the suggestions from your readers, watchers, and subscribers;... But consider trying with turning off your monitor. The camera could be sensing from it's reflection. Just my thoughts and op. GOD Bless!!! Love All!!!

Also you can use mouse in game by pressing "windows button+y" Cheers

Hi Shaun, awesome video!! would you be looking at the Vive Pro any time soon ? I am curious to see how that compares as i am already in the vive ecosystem

Could it be that the tracking improves in brighter rooms and with more contrast in front of the HMD than those big black triples?

EXCELLENT REVIEW!!!!

Basically, the Vive Pro will fix your issues with this headset. More comfortable, lighthouse tracking and better seal. Also a lot lighter.

I use an $11 Bluetooth dongle for my Windows Mixed Reality headset and it works flawless.

So it is "Odyssey" not "Ondyssey." LOL We all make typos. Anyways, I am sure it is great, but what do you do with it in 3-6 months when the next best thing ever shows up? Ebay is full of used VR stuff already. Plus all my friends that went VR never actually use them. They are always using their regular screens. So they have nice sets collecting dust on the shelf.

Delivery is perfect. Thank you for your thoughts.

Plus it has a built in microphone ...

Nice review! VR is the thing that have made the most for my sim racing. I have gotten faster, and it's also easier to be a safe driver do to the enhanced awareness of your surroundings.

Would be nice to see someone come out with a "partial vr" add on for us triple monitor racers that would allow us to turn our heads and react in car! So not sold on headsets

Thx for the review. Are you gonna review the new htc vive pro?

Performance issues are likely related to the Microsoft Cliff House which is their VR home. If Shaun didn't bypass that then it will impact performance from everything I've read. It's a resource hog. I haven't gotten my Odyssey yet but I am getting one soon and researched the performance issues and found "Fixes" until MS does something about Cliff House. You don't need it to sim race or play flight sims. The following are from a few Reddit threads. "To run games without the Cliff House, connect your headset to your computer, but don't start the Mixed Reality Portal. If it automatically starts, close it. From your desktop, launch whatever game you want to play, and everything (including MRP) will start up WITHOUT the Cliff House. If the Cliff House loads after closing a game, then you will need to close the Mixed Reality Portal and launch a game from desktop again to continue without it." ( www.reddit.com/r/WindowsMR/comments/7ij6gb/how_the_cliff_house_affects_vram_usage/ ) You probably won't have positional tracking if you bypass Cliff House since Cliff House prompts you to look around to establish the boundaries and enable positional tracking. But there is a remedy. "If you do as that prompt describes (look left/right/up/down) despite the prompt not being there, it should eventually locate your boundary and re-enable positional tracking." ( www.reddit.com/r/WindowsMR/comments/89saao/simplest_way_to_launch_steam/ ) So you do this after the game starts and Mixed Reality Portal starts with the game, then it should enable positional tracking. I chatted with someone on RU-vid about these 2 things when he posted a review of his Odyssey and described issues like Shaun's performance wise and he tried both and both worked for him and his performance issues were gone.

What are the PC specs for this? I don't have the latest specs, but would still like to give this a try prior to getting a new GPU setup.

I use Trinus software as a Steam driver to run the PSVR on my PC (sim racing only)...but I’ve never used any of the other HMD’s. How much better are the other headsets for sim-racing?

Whats the performance with motion rigs? I have a 4dof and like to turn up my yaw when using triples.

I read that vive and oculus user who use motion simulator have problem with motion cancellation Do wmr having same problem?

You’re literally the only person who mentioned issues with frame rate especially with your set up I’m not sure what you are doing wrong. Cause this headset can run on less power full systems. I’ve literally not heard anyone but you complain about frame rates or head tracking .

Samsung CHG90 Monitor and a HTC VIVE. Best of both worlds.

I tried the rift and then tried the Lenovo headset,both were fun but still feels like we are a couple of years away from being good enough to get rid of triples.

Can you configure this with iracing?. I can't, the performance is to bad with a 1080ti. 45 FPS. The use of GPU a CPU are to low. Please give me some clues.

do you need to have your monitor on to play vr games such as assetto corsa or dcs world??

Why do the different ways of doing VR matter? All that matters is the one you buy and if it works well. I personally would skip the Odyssey because of the Windows 10 requirement and the weight.

What kind of monitor stand are you using is it by rtmotech??

In the future they'll imitate screendoor, for that genuine original vr feeling

Racing on a screen in 2018? an example you can understund simracers: its like the first time you try load cell brake. the first minutes when its not natural and you need to train muscle memory. or maybe your first wheel after you had a controller for sometime. Well for VR its same, your brain need to train, and for visuals it takes more than a couple of hours to understund that potentiometer braking is too old and difficult compared to load cell. I cannot understand people not making the move yet. I cant even formulate this comment correctly lol I dont know what you moved from but I moved from 3 1080p high end projectors setup and I cant go back. Low resolution you say .. before triples I used a 4k projector with 3d, yes 3d. Iam fine with resolution of the oculus, god take some pixels off VR I will still race VR lol The brain fills the gaps, I dont see them anymore. Go get one and race on it for a month you will understund how stupid it is to not use your hobby at its fullest potential. The feel of presence beats eye candy anytime. iam starting to think that maybe VR has devided simracers/simracers from simracers/gamers. Because as a simracer/simracer you should value presence in a car, track and 3d distance measuring anytime over eye candy flat screen I think. Gamers dont care about presence, its not like they want to feel like they are holding a gun and shooting people. OFC its one mans opinion. Some people will still not like it but im sure 90% of the ones waiting for it to get better will feel very stupid after they get one and use it for enough time. Cheers

I see you taped up that stupid blue led on your monitor. I don't understand why the engineers are doing these things. Good review btw. I'll hop on VR when it's really ironed out, not sure when that'll be.

I wish these VR companies would just sell the headset, eliminating cost of the controllers.

are you going too test the htc vive pro?

Just wondering what it’s like compared to the PS4 Vr. I had one when it first came out and it felt like the car was floating. I’ve never tried vr on pc but I hope it’s not the same.

But you CAN use it with glasses. I know, because I do it very often.

My 1070ti gets around 80fps on ultra settings (no aa) on a 4k display so I'm just curious if frame rates will be higher or significantly lower in vr mode since technically the resolution in vr is less than 4k so I'm thinking my frame rate will increase but I wanna be sure I could run everything smoothly before buying

Nice review...HTC Vive Pro next please

Can I say I can not play flat games It is like going back to Black and white TV

How did you run into the wall and not rip you fingers off ?

I only have a gtx 1070 :-(

I5 wont do,you need I7 latest and the best Gpu,if you use medium pcs you want get the best resolution.

Am I the only one who sees all that padding and stuff and think to myself that I wouls die from overheating after a 25% F1 race?

Wait till they start using MicroLED displays.

The MUST run Windows 10 means this is a NO GO for me

You look younger. Is it meditation?

LoL lower framerate... this is the same to say that a lamborghini drink more gas than a prius ... its not the fault of the headset if you dont have a pc enough powerfull for a 2880 x 1600 resolution...

hahah forgot to change the title didnt you

What did you mean when you say it doesn't work well with triple screens? You have a rather bad setup for VR as far as your computer goes. What do you have against windows 10? How is this a con.. windows 10 is the standard. You sound like an average normie.

PSVR looks way better, design wise, overall look, materials... but it's only for the PS4 :/