CES 2018 Trend Bonus: Best of the Rest
From robots to gaming, to the decreased presence of VR
CES wouldn’t be CES without some oddities. But as we always say here at the Lab, today’s toys and hobbies are tomorrow’s innovations. Here’s a roundup of all the other cool stuff that we saw at CES 2018 that didn’t make it into our trend recaps.
More so than in most recent years, CES 2018 was overflowing with robots. From skittish concierge bots to telepresence, from a ping-pong-playing one to a segway/puppy hybrid, the robots of CES occasionally produced the most heartbreaking fails of the show, and in the case of pole-dancing robots, sometimes the most disturbing. But while robots are always fun to see on the show floor, and dominated much of the South Hall this year, these impressive feats of engineering have been difficult to justify outside of manufacturing. That’s why we were delighted to find the Somnox, a cuddly sleep robot that uses light, sound, and simulated breathing to help you fall asleep faster and wake up less frequently. Somnox is proof that even the most human of tasks doesn’t necessarily require the form of a human, a note the makers of the never-ending parade of concierge bots might take to heart.
Also notable about the robots is what they were displacing — namely, the prominent presence of gaming and VR that had dominated the South Hall over the past few years. While there were a few new products, including a VR gym concept (we’re skeptical), the biggest announcement in virtual reality this week took place off the show floor, as HTC announced a new higher-end headset and wireless adapter. After a relatively slow year for consumer adoption of VR last year, we consider 2018 a make-or-break year for at-home consumer VR experiences. Lower cost hardware should come to market, lowering the entry price to sub-$200 levels by the next holiday season. If consumers don’t jump into VR at those prices, it’s likely to indicate that the ultimate size of the market is closer to game consoles (low 100’s of millions) than smartphones (in the billions).
More prominent than any of the VR announcements was Turner’s massive booth for ELeague, TNT’s professional esports programming. With panels throughout the show, it culminated in a packed house gathered to watch Shaquille O’Neal play a showcase game of Street Fighter, broadcast live from within the booth. After having conquered Asia, esports has been rapidly growing in popularity in the US, outpacing traditional sports among younger millennials, and attracting the attention of both sports investors and advertisers alike. With buy-in for a new ELeague team topping $20 million, esports is big business, and an interesting cultural touchpoint.
In other gaming news, CES mainstay and boutique gaming PC developer Razor introduced a laptop dock for their gaming smartphone, and integration with Philips Hue connected lights, so your game can extend off the screen and into the rest of the room. While we’re excited about the return of Hue’s platform that syncs color to content, the convertible smartphone is an interesting response to what’s happening in the gaming market — namely, the breakout success of Nintendo’s Switch, a console designed from the ground up to be a portable / home hybrid.
