So CES came and went, and we were once again treated to an impressive line-up of new tech, concepts, and services. Aside from the usual flair of smartphones and televisions, there was a distinctly strong push to appeal to the gaming public this time. But what’s there to be exited about? Here’s your tl;df* CES 2014 VG300 edition.
1. Steam Machines
Valve’s maiden foray into the console business comes to consumers this year in 13 different flavours. Announcing a partnership with 13 different PC vendors, this is the company’s attempt at asserting themselves in the living room. Coming in at different price points, specs, and packaging, Valve is canvasing a huge market.
It might not be jostling for the same spot as your Xbox or PS just yet, but seeing the open approach that Valve and their manufacturing partners have with this the Steam Machines, with enough time and support, could become a beast on its own.
2. Oculus Rift: Crystal Cove
On the back of a mighty strong cash injection of $75 million, Oculus came to CES 2014 flaunting the Crystal Cove. Packing better resolution, head-tracking, and consequently a more organic viewing experience, things are looking great for the future of VR.
Combined with another prototype at CES 2014, the VirtuiX Omni VR, we’re looking at one mean gaming set up.
3. Razer’s Project Christine
Valve wasn’t the only PC gaming advocate on the show floor. Razer has upped the ante in terms of accessibility with Project Christine—a component-swapping tower that affords the same level of customisability as your DIY rig minus the frills and fuss of assemblage. Do be warned however, Razer goods don’t come cheap.
4. Short throw projectors from Sony
This is perhaps the only non-gaming item on this list but it’s here for good reason. Until the Oculus etc. become available/viable, TVs are a mainstay. What’s better than a TV however is a projector— more versatile and less taxing on the eye. 4K short-throw projectors at $30,000 are more bang for buck than you think (when compared to 100” 4K TV) despite it being outside the price range for 95% of us here. Prices will fall so do keep an eye out for this one.
5. Nvidia’s Tegra K1
Not big on mobile gaming? Well Nvidia’s latest offering of processors might just change your opinion. Pushing the envelope at 192 cores, the K1 super-chip will pack a mean punch, potentially enabling PC standard graphical processing on a mobile device. Early benchmarks look promising.
6. Playstation Now
Sony has finally decided to walk the talk with game streaming. Building on Gaikai, Playstation Now will stream (eventually) to all Sony devices including smartphones, tablets, and TVs. Granted you will need a 5mbps connection to keep the stream running as intended, and a proprietary controller in addition to an unspecified fee to make the magic happen, but the implications of a functioning service like this will change the gaming landscape forever.
If you were all Xbox 360 before this gen, PS Now may be what you need for you to get your PS3 fix.
*tl;df= Too Long Didn’t Follow, just in case (you know) you didn’t follow.
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