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Every year, CES continues to not technically be a video game show, and yet there’s always a bounty of gaming or gaming-adjacent gear to covet. This year’s crop was especially bounteous, so much so that I couldn’t just pick one favorite. Here are nine of the coolest, most fun, or just frankly ridiculous products from CES that you should definitely keep an eye on.
LG rolls an OLED TV up into your life
Want the screen space and color of a huge OLED TV but don’t want to fully commit an entire wall to the cause? This prototype display from LG (opens in new tab) lets you enjoy 65 inches of big-screen gaming bliss then roll it back down to show off your classy decor. The best of both worlds.
SteelSeries heard you like smooth mouse tracking
Are you an aggressive pointer? Do you find your cursor hitching during big, fast movements when you need precision the most? SteelSeries’ new Rival 600 (opens in new tab) packs in a second optical sensor to track your motion even when you get a bit too excited and lift the mouse off the pad.
The Ultra Game Boy brings back dedicated portables
With Nintendo Switch blurring the line between home and handheld gaming, there’s even more nostalgic appeal to the simple days of Game Boy… not so much for the super-dark screens though. Hyperkin plans to fix that wrinkle, among many others, with a new retro revival console it’s codenamed Ultra Game Boy (opens in new tab); built with an aluminum body, an RGB-spanning backlight, and more, it’s like a deluxe roadtrip into your gaming memories.
Nvidia’s building a team of 65-inch gaming-focused displays
Large, high-end screens are almost never built with gaming specifically in mind, and sometimes your play experience suffers as a result. Nvidia’s Big Format Gaming Displays (opens in new tab) (yes, that acronym is BFGD) aim to rectify that with low latency, full 4K and HDR, and integrated G-Sync technology for optimal refresh rates. Those are some big gaming monitors.
Razer’s Project Linda is a gaming laptop for your phone
First, Razer made some of the best gaming laptops (opens in new tab). Then it made the Razer Phone (opens in new tab), which turned out to be a pretty nice mobile device with ample specs and features for gaming. Now it’s making Project Linda (opens in new tab), an accessory for your Razer Phone that easily turns it into the trackpad and processor of a gaming laptop. Sometimes life is beautifully cyclical.
HTC Vive Pro brings VR into sharper focus
If you’re shelling out for a VR experience, you might as well get a premium one. That’s the idea behind HTC Vive Pro (opens in new tab) – it’s like the original, but better in every way. The first difference you’ll probably notice is its 78 percent increase in pixel density, but the integrated headphones could go a long way too. Hate being wired to a PC? Keep an eye on the Vive Wireless Adaptor.
Vortx gaming effects fan is hot (or cold)
This is kind of a goofy one, but it’s also just the sort of thing that makes CES fun. Whirlwind FX says its Vortx system (opens in new tab) analyzes on-screen action and sends out hot or cold blasts of air when appropriate – like a fiery explosion knocking you back or an arctic chill freezing you in place. I just wonder if it’s subtle enough to know the difference between a bright, sunny day and an inferno.
Razer and Hue take RGB way beyond your keyboard
Razer puts color shifting lighting in all of its products these days, but it doesn’t make home goods. Solution: partner up with Phillips and let Razer Chroma control the color of your Hue smart light bulbs (opens in new tab) too. Overwatch making my lights go ballistic? Brilliant!
Also, there’s a really damn big TV
It wouldn’t be CES without absurdly large TVs that you could, like, theoretically play video games on (if you were super rich). The Wall by Samsung (opens in new tab) fulfills the prophecy with gusto, proudly sporting a 146-inch screen that’s fully modular for attaching even more 146-inch screens.
All this new tech has you wishing you were in Las Vegas yourself? At least a little bit? Me too. At least our pals at GR+ sister site TechRadar are letting us live vicariously through their experiences – see how TechRadar went to CES in style (opens in new tab).
