Tested

Shinecraft The big stand and bezels mean the Ark isn’t as nice to look at as some TVs. It does have RGB LEDs at the rear, but they’re not very bright.

■ World of wire-craft

Samsung’s One Connect box makes its way over from the TV range, so you don’t have to mess around with too many wires. You can plug your devices into four HDMI 2.1 ports and use one cable to connect to the screen. £2599 / go.stuff.tv/Ark

Curl of duty

With its rotating powers, Samsung’s massive gaming monitor is sure to turn heads. But can its performance justify the whopping price?

■ Is this the most outrageous gaming monitor ever made? Sit too close and you’ll hurt your neck trying to see the corners, but when you’ve got the position right its 55in size, 4K resolution and 1000R curve (mimicking the shape of the human eye) provide an incredible, immersive experience.

■ Samsung’s Mini LEDs are great at creating top-notch colours, contrast and brightness, although proper OLED still does a better job. The 165Hz refresh rate is superb for single-player gaming, but it couldn’t quite hit the claimed 1ms response time during our tests.

■ When the Ark is horizontal, Multi View mode can divide the display into four 1080p tiles, while in the vertical Cockpit mode you can deploy three windows (though these only run at 1280x720). Not many apps are supported, and you can only use one HDMI input, so this is impressive but limited.

■ This monitor runs on Samsung’s Tizen OS and supports all the big apps – including game streaming from Xbox, Nvidia and, ahem, Google Stadia. There’s also wired and wireless internet on board, while built-in Bluetooth makes it easy to connect your controllers.

■ Games look fantastic and they sound great too: four speakers plus two woofers blast out 60W of power, with huge bass, crisp treble and detailed mids. And it excels at directional sound.

■ Grand heft auto

The Ark’s 41.5kg bulk makes installation a two-person job, but excellent adjustment options justify its sheer size. There’s a mighty 270mm of height adjustment alongside tilt movement and VESA support. Tech specs

Screen 55in 3840x2160 165Hz Mini LED, 1000R curve HDR HDR10+ OS Tizen Connectivity 4x HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio, 2x USB2.0, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Dimensions 1175x1102x379mm, 41.5kg

STUFF SAYS There’s nothing else quite like the Ark – just be aware of its flaws HHHH✩

Hello, infinite… this might be an option if you’re a serious gamer Mike Jennings

If you want a single screen for PC and console gaming plus watching media, the Ark does a tremendous job. Its huge size, curve and resolution combine for unparalleled levels of immersion… but Multi View mode doesn’t yet make the most of its form factor, which makes the premium price a little harder to justify. And if you’re really concerned with picture quality, you’ll get more from one of the best OLED TVs.