We’ve seen some pretty impressive gaming screens on CES this year (opens in new tab). LG introduced a huge 97-inch 4K 120Hz OLED TV with the Signature OLED M that is sure to impress, if you can afford it. Samsung brought the head with the Odyssey Neo G9 UHD (opens in new tab) ultra-wide panel, which looks perfect for PC gaming. But there were impressive screens at CES other than those for gaming, even if they really should be for games, like Samsung’s digital cockpit.
This display from Samsung is actually intended for autonomous driving vehicles and repeats an idea the company has been flaunting for a few years now. In its current form, the digital cockpit is a large screen that combines a 34-inch display with a 15.6-inch display to fit in a car under the windshield.
Samsung says the screen could be used for entertainment in self-driving vehicles, which still sounds terrifying to me. Otherwise, it acts as a HUD with useful information while driving. There’s the obvious, like audio controls and directions, but it can also communicate with compatible devices and possibly even control things in your home. The company also says the 700R’s curvature screen allows the driver to focus on the road while doing all this, which again sounds terrifying.
One day in the future, this kind of in-car display might well be used for gaming, but for now, games seem to be sticking to the back seat. The laws for autonomous driving vehicles are still in effect developed in most places (opens in new tab), and the technology isn’t super reliable yet. I hope we can keep gaming out of the driver’s seat, at least until that is cleared up.
What I do want Samsung to bring to gaming is this great-looking demo cockpit that the company has come up with for this concept. This dummy car setup has a huge three-panel display in front of it that acts as the windshield of the car, showing you the road and all the things you shouldn’t see.
In front of the screen is a two-seat cockpit display with clean white and gray aesthetics. The driver’s seat has a control yoke and behind it is the new cockpit display, built into what would be the car’s dashboard. There’s a nice center section, presumably for snacks and drinks, and a seat next to it for anyone you’ve convinced to sit down and watch your adventure.
It’s probably not as good as any of the best pc racing wheels like the fantastic Fanatec GT DD Pro and probably costs a fair bit more, but geez that setup would look nice if I ever had the space to have room for it. Thanks for the Simspiration, Samsung.