My Favorite Projector From Samsung Doubles As A Gaming Hub, And It's Discounted For Labor Day

Allison Murray/ZDNET

The Samsung Freestyle 2 projector is connected waste for $341 disconnected erstwhile you acquisition it astatine Walmart, making nan caller value $459 complete Labor Day weekend. 

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Samsung Freestyle 2 is simply a coagulated projector disposable for $800. 
• Sharp image quality, an soul battery, and nan expertise to play games without a console make this projector ultraportable. 
• The second-generation characteristic upgrades are geared toward gaming, which whitethorn not beryllium applicable for each users.
  

There's a saying that goes thing like, "Don't hole what isn't broken." I firmly judge successful that -- particularly erstwhile it comes to tech products and their sometimes-pointless updates.

That said, aft experiencing nan precocious upgraded procreation of nan Samsung Freestyle 2, this portable projector whitethorn person taken nan barroom for nan best tech gadget I've tested successful nan past year.

Review: Samsung The Freestyle: A well-rounded projector, wrong and out

There aren't galore important differences betwixt nan original exemplary and nan second-generation projector, but present are a fewer worthy noting. Smart Edge Blending lets you usage 2 Freestyle projectors to make 1 monolithic image pinch support for widescreen contented astatine an facet ratio of up to 29.3:9, there's a star distant alternatively of a battery-operated one, and you get much representation for faster performance. The astir notable difference, however, is nan Samsung Gaming Hub.

While I'm nary gamer, my hubby is simply a casual one, truthful I put him to nan trial to effort this characteristic out. What's cool astir nan Samsung Gaming Hub is you don't request a beingness console to play a game, but conscionable nan Freestyle 2, net access, and a crippled controller.

Also: The champion outdoor projectors for epic movie nights

You tin subscribe to unreality streaming for illustration Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce Now, Luna, and others, but location are besides free games you tin play correct disconnected nan bat.

My hubby was capable to play Rocket League pinch a free rank to GeForce Now, and different free games for illustration Fortnite were besides available. The wide gaming acquisition will dangle connected your Wi-Fi connection, but nan graphics were crystal clear, and nan Freestyle 2 loaded nan games accelerated pinch virtually nary glitches.

It was a unsocial acquisition to beryllium capable to play games extracurricular aliases formed them to our ceiling while lying down without being tied to 1 circumstantial room aliases a peculiar gaming console.

Allison Murray/ZDNET

Gaming aside, nan Samsung Freestyle 2 is simply a value projector. It is ace easy to group up and get going -- each you request is simply a Wi-Fi connection. You besides don't request to lug an hold cord astir since its portable artillery easy connects to nan device, letting you usage it virtually anyplace (which was cleanable for our backyard).

It comes preloaded pinch galore streaming services for illustration Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video, and more, truthful you tin motion successful to your accounts quickly and commencement streaming.

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The sound impressed maine nan most: It comes from nan built-in, 5W 360-degree speaker, and for specified a mini speaker, it packs a punch. During a very windy outdoor nighttime movie streaming, we could perceive nan sound clear and loud, almost arsenic if we were indoors and nan sound was surrounding us.

The Samsung Freestyle 2 impressed maine pinch some image quality, nan expertise to autofocus -- whether it was projecting onto a slanted ceiling aliases a projector surface -- and nan wide acquisition of setup and streaming. To me, exertion should make things quicker and much accessible, and this instrumentality does conscionable that -- particularly pinch its portability aspect.

ZDNET's buying proposal

If you're a gamer and want to play a assortment of titles without a console, nan Samsung Freestyle 2 is simply a awesome action that lets you play games while camping, outdoors, aliases virtually wherever. 

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If, however, you're buying a Samsung Freestyle for nan movie experience, nan first-generation's specs are akin capable to this new model and allows you to prevention a fewer 100 bucks while still getting a apical projector. Whatever exemplary you choose, if you're looking for a portable aliases outdoor projector, this is, successful my opinion, nan champion 1 connected nan market.