What’s stopping me from buying a new Samsung gaming monitor

For gamers, one of the most exciting products showcased at IFA 2022 Berlin was the Samsung Odyssey G8 gaming monitor, but after some hands-on time, I’m not sure I want one.

When I found the G8 OLED at the Samsung booth at this year’s technology show, I thought to myself, “Wow, this is amazing.” A boy of 8 looked like he agreed with me, he seemed to be spending the time of his life playing Hot Wheels on an immersive display.

Even when I saw the press release of this gadget, I thought, “Looks amazing.” On paper, it’s an incredible kit that boasts a 34-inch Quad HD monitor with 1800R curvature, 100% color volume, 175Hz refresh rate, 0.1ms response time, and a thin 3.9mm bezel.

The list goes on and I was blown away by the quality of the OLED panel, but while I have to applaud Samsung for its engineering excellence, there is one thing that keeps me from including it on my dream gadget shopping list.

It’s not about the price because we don’t know it yet, but it’s bound to be high, and even if it was 50% off, I’m not sure I would replace my current gaming monitor.

You see, the Odyssey G8 OLED has an ultra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio and that just isn’t practical for me.

Of course, once my young tech-enthusiast friend stepped aside so I could show him how much faster I could be, I enjoyed driving around the track in my car, marveling at the rich colors and sharp details in full screen mode.

However, I went back to the main menu and something changed. The interface has switched to 16:9, presenting large black screen blocks on both sides.

Yes, you can use all of this when working on crazy spreadsheets or having lots of windows open at the same time, but it’s not a performance monitor, so it should be made primarily for gaming.

There is a list of games that run in 21:9, such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and Death Stranding, but the vast majority of games still run in traditional 16:9, and unfortunately for me, these are the games that i play.

The initial excitement has passed, I’m back to hoping that LG’s asking price for the OLED Flex LX3 won’t be outrageously high, although deep down I know it will.