CES 2023 has been wrapped up. But the brilliance in all of its varied technologies, from flying cars to digital universes, is only on the cusp of realization. Central Hall, located smack dab in the very heart of the Las Vegas Convention Center, was awash in a petri dish of next-generation concepts stemming mainly on metaverse, XR, gaming, and more technologies, all of which not only caught my attention but sparked the mind's eye in wonder for what's soon to come...
TCL
China-based TV manufacturer TCL came in full force at Central Hall, bringing NFL stars, such as Randall Cunningham, Barry Sanders, Terrel Davis, and Charles Woodson. On main display was the firm's brand new 65" 8K Inkjet Printing OLED Display, as well as its 31" 4K Inkjet Printing AMOLED, both of which popped with stunning exuberance and clarity in their respective TV fronts.
Beyond television sets, TCL likewise brought several new refrigerators, smartphones, dehumidifiers, mobile smartphones, tablets, and even a VR headset. As the world's very first ultra-high PPI real-RGB LCD VR dislay module, TCL's hardware proves to be an interesting new addition as it touts 1700 PPI in tandem with a "more vivid and immersive" due to its elimination of the so-called "screen door effect," which refers to the appearance of misaligned pixels within a conventional VR headset.
Autel Robotics
Looking like model of a futuristic airplane, the Dragonfish Pro drone sits as a shining beacon among offerings at the Autel Robotics booth, surrounded by several additional concepts by the brand. The Dragonfish series of drones boast some serious specifications, including an IP43 rating across the board on all three iterations, volatile weather conditions controls, 18.6 miles of transmission range, and a veritable swath of interchangeable payload camera systems, among plenty more interesting features.
The company debuted its EVO Max 4T drone at the show, revealing a stunning new camera setup that features a 640x512 thermal lens, ½-in 50MP wide lens, and even a 1/1.68-in 48MP zoom lens for optimal in-flight photography. Its most brilliant feature is a highly intelligent obstacle avoidance system that covers 360 degrees around the drone, utilizing a millimeter-wave radar system that can work even in unpredictable weather conditions such as rain and low light.
EcoFlow
CES 2023 is still an ongoing maelstrom of tech hotness, but of incredible note has to be EcoFlow and its lineup of various innovations, including two CES 2023 Honoree winners, the portable fridge-battery with a built-in icemaker, aptly coined the Glacier, and the robotic lawn-sweeper and leaf collector called the Blade.
While those two gadgets prove to be interesting and unique designs, the firm is best known for its whole-home Backup Power Solution, a suite of products that can offer week-long reliable batteries for emergencies at a starting rate of $3,699 for the Delta Pro unit. Users who want the full potential of EcoFlow's battery power kits can opt-in for a sizable $18,649 solution if they so choose, which includes a total of six batteries (two Delta Pros and four Delta Extras), but the firm promises no maintenance and emission-free usage.
These state-of-the-art stations are powered by 3.6kWh of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries and can offer an AC output of up to 3600W. The Delta Pro solution can also be leveraged for a host of other charging needs, from an electric scooter to even an EV. EcoFlow also highlighted its Wave 2 Portable Air Conditioner, which is a step above its predecessor and now features a heating mode.
Vuzix
The AR enterprise-focused glasses firm makes a comeback this year with a highly beloved new OEM in the form of the Ultralite platform. I'll have far more words to give on the company and its future in an exclusive interview with Matt Margoli, Vuzix's VP of Product Development, but of key note here is a new consumer-facing OEM that, as the aforementioned executive relays in one example, could be leveraged for traffic information and navigation for Lyft drivers.
Vuzix has long prided itself on its enterprise-based constructs, the most prominent among them being its Shield, Blade, and M400 product lines, all intended for industrial and medical practices. But what makes Vuzix' line of smart glasses so irresistibly smart is, ironically, the way they can make non-experts feel like true experts through a powerful micro LED system that walks wearers through certain problems that may arise throughout a given job.
Awol Vision
Touting its massive and stunning 150" laser TV projector is Awol Vision, a company known quite fondly for its 4K 3D triple laser UST (Ultra Short Throw) concepts. Playing on the big screen was, of course, James Cameron's Avatar, which looked utterly crisp and full of detail thanks to its 3,500 lumens and a swath of new upgrades Awol has provided its aptly-named LTV-3500 Pro offering.
Such new additions to the display include a PR Link IP Control Protocol that allows users to pair the device with their smart home system, a 24 FPS filmmaker mode that supposedly mirrors the movie theater experience, and an enhanced adaptive Black Level, which has an increased contrast to 2000:1, making lighter and darker profiles more vibrant and realistic.
The firm also brought other UTS units, including the LTV-2500 Plus and the Vanish Laser TV, the latter of which sports both a 100" and 120" inch model. All of Awol Vision's offerings come equipped with the latest features, like 4K UHD, HDR10+, Dolby Atmos Sound, and full 3D capabilities.
Sony
While the firm's new Afeela ride may have taken center stage at CES 2023, Sony's booth likewise carried with it an awesome trial run of the PS VR2 running its first-party title, Horizon Call of the Mountain. I was lucky enough to give it a go, and although I may not be a major VR fanatic, I must say it offers some intriguing promise for the PlayStation ecosystem. A list of 30 plus additional games will set the stage for Sony's new PS5 VR head gear upon its release come February 22, so non-Horizon fans don't have too much to worry about.
The incredible OLED display, which sports a per-eye 2000 x 2040 panel resolution at both 90 and 120Hz, looks absolutely incredible. Eye tracking is top-notch and the Sense controllers are a welcome new feature made all the more immersive with additional headset vibration. It's tough to recommend, given the necessity of a PS5 system on top of a starting price of $550 for the headset, but it's also really, really hard to ignore.
And, sure, the Afeela is also yet another new promising product lineup out of the Japanese company, leveraging 45 sensors set both inside and outside the ride in addition to a customizable front bumper display, which Sony showed off with a neat image of Spider-Man amid its CES 2023 Press Conference. The EV is bound for release in the US come 2026 and will set the stage for both Sony and Honda's soon domination in the automotive sector as they go toe-to-toe with Tesla.
United States Postal Service
Of all the companies one might find at CES 2023, the US Postal Service may not be anywhere near the potential list, but the firm came loud and proud, touting its September-bound fleet of EV delivery vehicles. The US Postal Service has an incredible plan to add 66,000 fully electric delivery trucks by 2028, a number that will make it the largest EV fleet in the country.
Razer
PC peripheral juggernaut Razer has a full line of awesome new hardware products that will light up your workstation and give users a new meaning of sound. While the Edge portable gaming system may have awestruck most onlookers, the Leviathan V2 Pro is the firm's shining new jewel. This soundbar is a product that will evolve the way we listen to all of our entertainment, leveraging head-tracking AI, THX Spatial Audio, and Audioscenic technology.
In a private session, I was allowed a short demo of the soundbar and subwoofer pair-up, a device that Razer is coining the world's first beamforming PC soundbar that comes equipped with an infra-red camera that in real-time adjusts the 3D audio beams for the most immersive listening experience one can hear. The device has two 3D modes, Virtual Speakers and Virtual Headset, and a fill-room mode, in addition to the always-necessary Razer Chroma RGB support.
The soundbar and subwoofer pair is slated for a full release come to the end of January at an MSRP of $400. As for the aforementioned Edge gaming system, I'm told the device can last up to six hours and will come in a 5G and WiFi model, both bound for a January 26 debut. Like its soundbar brethren, the Razer Edge will also see a starting price of $400 and features an AMOLED screen, a detachable Razer Kishi V2 Pro controller, a 6.8-in tablet screen, and a Qualcomm chip for the most optimal on-the-go gaming.
I played a bit of Vampire Survivors, Fortnite, and Roblox on the device, all of which were crisp and ran smoothly as butter on the 144Hz refresh rate 2,400 x 1080 screen. In the era of the Steam Deck, G Cloud, and Aya Neo, this new handheld certainly has some catching up to do, but from the outset, this device certainly has a leg up over its rivals. I still need to try my hand at heavier titles, like Elden RIng and Mortal Shell, to see the full gamut of its potential, but I'm willing to give the Edge an edge thus far in the handheld gaming department.
LG
LG took center stage amid the LVCC's Central Hall, owing largely to its massive OLED Horizon display panel that arched up and over entrant's heads as they entered CES come day one - a recurring sight given a similar offering shown at CES 2019. Past this glorious spectacle of sound and color, LG gave viewers only a taste of what's in store with an interesting demonstration of its new wireless 4K 120Hz OLED TVs, which dangled over a pool of water as if the firm were daring the worst to occur.
In addition to its magnificent new lineup of so-called Zero Connect TVs, the flagship of M3, set at a whopping 97-in, the firm likewise brought a host of other interesting new products, including a small refrigerator entitled "MoodUP." Other anticipatory offerings include LG's 8-in 360-degree foldable OLED display, tech of which could potentially be leveraged for smartphones, a standing 27-in height and an angle-adjustable concept called the OLED Glow, a creaseless 17-in foldable OLED tablet, and the 45-in LG OLED Flex that has an MSRP of $3,000.
Canon
While TCL, LG, Samsung, and Sony all may have boasted the largest booths on the Central Hall block, Canon, on the other hand, certainly had the unique attraction at CES 2023: a full life-size recreation of an outdoor cabin made in partnership with M. Night Shyamalan. The Knock at the Cabin experience was truly an interesting excursion amid the show, leveraging Canon's new MReal X1 AR/VR goggles as a fellow entrant by the name of Brian and I were tasked with moving digital furniture in the way of doorways to keep mindless intruders from breaking in. We, luckily, survived but only in the nick of time.
Sure, the tech demo wasn't exactly super stable, and it had its fair share of mishaps, but the overall experience proved rewarding and showed just how invested Canon is, not just in AR concepts but the full gamut of XR capabilities. Beyond the MReal glasses, Canon also had a separate showcase of its new Kokomo VR headset, which alone is a testament to the camera-maker's new guise in the digital reality realm. With Mr. Shymalan on board, it's clear the company is doing something right. The new tech is set under an initiative titled Canon "the Spirit of Kyosei," which entails outward cooperation. It's an exceptional trademark and an affirmative beacon for the company as it prepares to debut the Kokomo this coming February officially.
