Samsung’s latest projector is secretly the best gaming console you can buy

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Samsung Freestyle 2 is a stable projector presently on the market at $799.
• Sharp picture high quality, an inner battery, and the power to play video games with no console make this projector extremely transportable. 
• The second-generation function upgrades are geared towards gaming; which is probably not related for all customers.

There is a saying that goes one thing like, “Do not repair what is not damaged.” I firmly imagine in that — particularly relating to tech merchandise and their sometimes-pointless updates.

Nonetheless, after experiencing the just lately upgraded technology of the Samsung Freestyle 2, this transportable projector could have taken the cake for the best tech gadget I’ve tried up to now in 2023.

Assessment: Samsung The Freestyle: A well-rounded projector, inside and out

However first, what are the modifications? There aren’t many vital variations between the unique mannequin and the second-generation projector, however listed here are a couple of price noting: Sensible Edge Mixing that means that you can use two Freestyle projectors to make one large picture with help for widescreen content material at a side ratio of as much as 29.3:9, a photo voltaic distant as a substitute of a battery-operated one, elevated reminiscence for sooner efficiency, and probably the most notable distinction — the Samsung Gaming Hub.

Whereas I am no gamer, my husband is an off-the-cuff one, so I put him to the take a look at to do that function out. What’s very cool in regards to the Samsung Gaming Hub is you do not want a bodily console to play a sport, however simply the Freestyle 2, web entry, and sport controller.

Additionally: The best outdoor projectors for epic movie nights

You will need to subscribe to cloud streaming like Xbox, GeForce Now, Luna, and others, however there are additionally free video games you possibly can play proper off the bat.

View at Best Buy

My husband was capable of play Rocket League with a free membership to GeForce Now, and different free video games like Fortnite had been additionally obtainable. The general gaming expertise will rely in your Wi-Fi connection, however the graphics had been crystal clear, and the Freestyle 2 loaded the video games quick with nearly no glitches. 

It was a singular expertise to have the ability to play video games outdoors or solid them to our ceiling whereas mendacity down with out being tied to 1 particular room or a specific gaming console.

Now, other than the gaming side, the Samsung Freestyle 2 can be a high quality projector. It’s tremendous simple to arrange and get going — all you want is a Wi-Fi connection. And also you needn’t lug an extension wire round since its transportable battery simply connects to the gadget, letting you utilize it nearly anyplace (which was good for our yard).

It comes preloaded with many streaming companies like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video, and extra, so you possibly can signal into your accounts shortly and begin streaming.

Additionally: The best Netflix alternatives

By far, what impressed me probably the most was the sound: It comes from the built-in, 5W 360-degree speaker, and for such a small speaker, it packs a punch. Throughout a really windy out of doors nighttime streaming of a film, we might hear the sound clear and loud, virtually as if we had been indoors and the sound was surrounding us.

The Samsung Freestyle 2 impressed me with each picture high quality, the power to auto-focus — whether or not it was projecting onto a slanted ceiling or a projector display — and the general expertise of setup and streaming. To me, expertise ought to make issues faster and extra accessible, and this gadget does simply that — particularly with its portability side.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

In case you’re a gamer and need the power to play quite a lot of titles with no console, the Samsung Freestyle 2 is a good choice that means that you can play video games whereas tenting, outside, actually wherever.

Additionally: The best VPN for streaming

Nonetheless, should you’re shopping for a Samsung Freestyle for the film expertise, the first-generation’s specs are comparable sufficient to this new model which you could save a couple of hundred bucks whereas nonetheless getting a high projector. 

No matter mannequin you select, should you’re on the lookout for a conveyable or out of doors projector, that is, in my view, the most effective one available on the market.