Samsung’s newest Odyssey display is its first OLED gaming monitor

Samsung debuted its new Odyssey OLED G8 gaming monitor Wednesday at this year's IFA show in Berlin. The display is a 34-inch ultrawide unit with an OLED panel capable of a 0.1-millisecond response time and a 175Hz refresh rate. 

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The use of OLED technology, which eliminates the need for added backlighting, allowed Samsung to slim the display down to just 3.9mm at its thinnest part. Other specs include: 

• QHD (3,440×1,440) pixel resolution 
• 100% color volume and DCI-99.3% color gamut 
• 1 million to 1 static contrast ratio
• VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black certification 
• AMD FreeSync support
• 5W built-in speakers

The G8's 1800R curvature is slightly less severe than Samsung's super-ultrawide Odyssey G9 or its bonkers Odyssey Ark, both of which use 1000R curves. 

The result is a display that more closely resembles the curved ultrawide monitors most gamers are likely used to, while adding all of the brightness and color benefits provided by OLED technology. 

Like most of Samsung's recent gaming and office-focused displays, the G8 also comes packed with ample smart features. This time around, that includes an entertainment hub for access to streaming services like Amazon Prime and Netflix; Samsung's Gaming Hub, which supports game streaming services like Xbox Game Pass, Nvidia GeForce Now, Google Stadia, and others; and a built-in IoT control center that lets users interact with devices on the Samsung SmartThings network. 

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Of course, it wouldn't be a “gaming” device without some RGB lighting. Samsung's got that covered with its CoreSync & Core Lighting+ tech, which can match the onscreen colors to project ambient backlighting onto the wall behind the display. 

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Samsung expects to make the Odyssey OLED G8 available globally beginning sometime in Q4 of this year. No word yet on pricing.