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Samsung’s new Freestyle Gen 2 is now a cloud gaming projector

Derek Malcolm
By

Samsung’s much-anticipated follow-up to its popular Freestyle portable projector, dubbed the Freestyle Gen 2, is now available for pre-order on Samsung’s website today, but this time out the compact projector can also be used to play games in the cloud from anywhere.

The Samsung Freestyle Gen 2 portable projector.
Samsung

Samsung announced the Freestyle Gen 2 at CES 2023 earlier this year, and while it’s not drastically different from its predecessor, the compact Full HD (1080 x 1920) projector maintains its high level of portability (it still weighs less than two pounds), substantial image size capability (30 to 100 inches) and its unique 180-degree swivel cradle stand that lets you project onto pretty much any surface.

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Like most of the best projectors on the market today, the Freestyle Gen 2 features autofocus, auto leveling, and auto keystone tech that adjusts the image perfectly to compensate for the angles and heights you might be projecting from and for the surfaces you’re projecting on to — like a ceiling or the side of a tent should you take the Freestyle camping, which you could do because you can also connect it to a portable battery with USB PD and 60W/20V output or more.

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Built-in 360-degree sound, smartphone mirroring, and Micro HDMI connectivity allow for a ton of ways to get your content up on the screen, but the Freestyle Gen 2 also has Samsung’s Tizen OS baked in, the same operating system that can be found in Samsung smart TVs, giving the projector access to all your streaming services, many of which are pre-loaded, as well as Samsung’s free, ad-supported Samsung TV Plus service.

The Samsung Freestyle Gen 2 portable projector.
Samsung

But the newest add-on to the Freestyle Gen 2 is the inclusion of Samsung Gaming Hub, which allows gamers to play from a catalog of more than 3,000 games from cloud streaming services such as Xbox Game Pass, NVIDIA GeForce NOW, Amazon Luna and Utomik, without the need for a console. Of course, you’ll need to subscribe to those services, and the Freestyle doesn’t come with a game controller. However, the Freestyle Gen 2 does come with Samsung’s SolarCell Remote, which uses a solar panel for convenient charging.

“People are looking for more versatile technology that fits into their day-to-day — that’s one of the reasons that portable projector purchases are on the rise,” said James Fishler, Senior Vice President, Home Entertainment & Display Division, Samsung Electronics America. “The Freestyle is one-of-a-kind in the market because it offers instant access to the same streaming entertainment apps that you enjoy on your Samsung TV. Plus, setup is simple so you can easily project your favorite shows — and now even stream thousands of popular games — in high definition on the big screen anywhere, whether that’s right at home, or if you’re like me, on weekend camping trips.”

The Samsung Freestyle Gen 2 is available for preorder until August 30 on Samsung’s website and costs $800.

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Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
Contributing Editor, A/V
Derek Malcolm is a Toronto-based technology journalist, editor, and content specialist whose work has appeared in…
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