Opinion Why can't I get the Samsung Odyssey Plus in Germany?!

[freshVeggie]

Been on a VR bender for a few days and landed on a channel called Mixed Reality TV. Checked out all his reviews on Vive, Rift and Windows Mixed Reality.
I never put much thought in Windows Mixed Reality headsets and assumed they are glorified mobile phone and featureless VR headsets.

I was wrong!

It turns out they are a pretty great alternative to the big boys Vive and Rift without losing essential functionality. That depends on the specific headset, however.
After watching videos on the Lenovo Explorer, HP MRVR and Samsung Odyssey, I am shocked that I've heard so little about the Samsung headset.




The Samsung Odyssey Plus is the newer, updated version and has so many qualities which lets it fight on a level playing field. Better screens and ergonomics, comparably great controllers to the Rift, awesome tracking, IDP adjustment and all that at a mere $500. What the heck?! I was seriously shocked and contemplated splurging my reserves but it's only available in the USA.

WHAT. THE. HECK.

Other Windows Mixed Reality headsets are available on Amazon and other shops, only the Odyssey not. Here in Germany at least. Why Samsung, why?

That thing would be so sweet and with Oculus or HTC not having anything in the pipeline for the immediate future in terms of dedicated PC VR and the Pimax 5K Plus being way out of my budget as a bundle with controllers and lighthouses, the Samsung Odyssey Plus was starting to look incredibly realistic purchase for me.

Mind you, it'd be my first VR headset and it looks equal or even better in some aspects to the older and similarly priced competition. Why wouldn't I go for it?

This seriously bums me out, man. Saw a private person selling it on Ebay from Poland for a whopping 700€. That's 300 Dollars more expensive than what Samsung demands. That's an absolute dealbreaker and I don't feel comfortable buying an expensive gadget like that from a private foreign seller.

Just needed to vent

 

[Nabs]

I have an Odyssey+. It's a pretty decent headset, but I do find that a few youtubers go overboard with the praise. The first problem is with the fit. This thing was not built in mind for a wide range of heads. If you look at the WMR subreddit, it's filled with people modding their headsets to improve the fit and light bleed. The face cushion has this piece on the top that pushes into your forehead and makes it tough to play for extended sessions. The inside-out tracking works well, but controller tracking leaves a lot to be desired. One external cam, or two side internal cams would help so much.

I got mine for a stupidly cheap price, so those complaints don't bother me as much. I just play in 30-40m bursts. There are plenty of pros: screen quality, fov, ease of setup, lack of wires (just one that splits into hdmi/usb3). It links with SteamVR perfectly, and you can play Oculus titles with Revive. Like you said, it's a legit alternative to the big boys.

Look into those other WMR headsets. I think they'd be great starter kits until VR becomes more widespread and cheaper.

 

[freshVeggie]

Yup, now that I know better about Windows Mixed Reality, I'll be on the lookout this year.

 

[Kuro]

I imported the Samsung Odyssey (non plus) last year.
It's great all around, but even the manual states it's not made for people with glasses so there was always danger of scratching the lenses together, thus I'm using Oculus with my prescription lenses made specifically for it.

 

[Maxi]

Tend to see not many people talking about VR headsets so the likes of the budget WMR headsets don't see much media coverage and the focus is still on Oculus & Vive as they are still the most complete VR experiences with their own platforms and multiple skus.

The Samsung looks like a decent headset and a good setup for the original gen Vive which I'm tempted to replace but I don't think you can mix and match the controllers and room scale features with the WMR headsets?