Everything we’re expecting from the year’s biggest tech show

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Wednesday, January 4, 2023

CES 2023 officially kicks off tomorrow. Here’s what we hope to see.

The new year has officially begun, and that means crowded gyms, diets that will last about a week—at least in my case—and the most important tech show of the year: CES. The show, which officially kicks off in Las Vegas on Thursday, sets the stage for the various gadgets and gizmos that will be in the hands of consumers in 2023.

In previous years, companies have shown off everything from concept cars to virtual reality (VR) headsets and powerful new processors—and 2023 is gearing up to offer even more advancements. This year also marks a return of sorts for the big show, as visitors from around the world once again descend on the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip after two years of COVID lockdowns.

So what kind of devices can you expect to come out of CES 2023? Read.

Electric cars and car technology

It’s been said before, but it bears repeating: CES may be the biggest tech show of the year, but it’s also a car show. The West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center will feature 300 automotive exhibitors showcasing their latest and greatest vehicles and technologies. Two of the biggest names available will be BMW and Stellantis (STLA).

BMW chairman Oliver Zipse will deliver a keynote speech before the show. And the company itself is expected to unveil its latest concept car, as well as its mysterious “Dee character,” which could be what the automaker will call its latest proprietary in-car AI platform.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – CES 2023 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 4, 2023. Credit: DeeCee Carter/MediaPunch /IPX

Meanwhile, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tevaras will give us a glimpse of the company’s Ram 1500 Revolution battery electric vehicle concept and Peugeot’s initial concept.

And then there’s Sony ( SONY ) and Honda ( HMC ), which are expected to give us an update on their joint EV efforts. The Japanese giants came together to form Sony Honda Mobility, Inc., earlier this year, and CES could prove to be the perfect place for them to show off their vehicle to the masses.

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However, that is not all. CES usually offers a look at any number of transportation technologies, whether it’s flying cabins or electric watercraft, and we’re likely to see more of both at this year’s show.

And if you’re looking for some wild subwoofers and car audio accessories, CES is the place for you. Just be sure to bring some earplugs to keep your ears ringing for the rest of the show.

AR/VR and the metaverse

Facebook renamed itself Meta ( META ) to emphasize its focus on the industry in 2021, and Apple ( APPL ) is expected to debut its first headset later this year. So it makes sense that technology will be front and center at CES 2023.

Based on my inbox, companies from all over the world are heading to Las Vegas to give us a glimpse of how they think the metaverse should evolve. (Apparently I can’t go an hour without a bunch of new metaverse or AR/VR steps.)

At the moment, Meta’s Quest 2 and high-end Quest Pro are getting all the attention in the AR/VR industry. But HTC, which currently offers three families of headphones on the market, is set to show off a new device that will likely compete directly with the Meta Quest 2.

The AR/VR industry is still very much in its infancy, especially in terms of consumer acceptance, so it will be interesting to see what kind of reception HTC’s headset receives at the show.

Smart home technology gets smarter

Every CES brings us a slew of new types of smart home gadgets, from smart showers, lights and door locks to Amazon’s Alexa-enabled toilets. (Yes, you can talk to your toilet.) And while we’re sure to see a slew of smart home devices this year, the big difference is that they finally have to start working together.

The Withings U-Scan is a new type of smart home device that aims to track your health through urine. (Photo by Robyn BECK/AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

That’s because manufacturers will start releasing products compatible with a new smart home standard called Matter. To date, the smart home market has been a bit of a Wild West. When you buy a smart home device, you need to make sure that it plays well with your existing devices. If they don’t, you may find yourself having to control various smart home products through a variety of different apps and voice assistants. All this is quite annoying.

However, the case aims to change that by providing a single standard that all smart home device manufacturers adhere to. So far, Google (GOOG, GOOGL), Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), and Samsung are on board, meaning if a gadget is compatible with Matter, you can use it through those companies’ apps. Expect a variety of smart home manufacturers to debut Matter-specific devices at CES 2023.

New PCs powered by new chips

The computer and chip markets took a hit in 2022 as fewer consumers needed to buy new computers after buying units at the start of the pandemic. But that doesn’t mean chip and PC makers are ditching CES 2023.

Intel’s new N-series chips are designed for the education market. (Image: Intel)

Intel ( INTC ) and Nvidia ( NVDA ) have shown off their chips in Vegas, bringing more power and performance to both consumer and business products, and AMD ( AMD ) is set to do the same. Of course, this also means we’ll see plenty of new laptops and desktops from manufacturers ranging from ASUS and Acer to HP, Dell and Lenovo.

Gaming systems are always a hot option at CES, as manufacturers can count on gamers to upgrade their systems faster than the average consumer. In other words, expect to see a healthy dose of flashy keyboards and sleek designs at this year’s show.

Televisions as far as the eye can see

This year will mark the 11th time I’ve covered CES. I’ve gone in person 9 times and watched from afar in 2021 and 2022. Admittedly, I’m tired of walking the show floor for hours and zipping between the convention center and the hotel. But the one thing I still love about the show is seeing all the new TVs.

Over the years I’ve seen a host of new TV technologies come and go. 3D TV, for example, was a bust; others have proven extremely useful, such as high dynamic range. At this year’s CES, you can expect to hear more about 8K TVs, which are still completely unnecessary unless you’re buying an absolutely massive panel, think more than 70 inches, or are a gamer who needs faster speeds. screen refresh rate. Or you have a pile of cash to burn.

I’m hoping to get a better look at newer display technologies like microLED, which is set to power the future of TVs, once the price drops to something more palatable than $80,000. Then there are the cool new models like LG’s swivel TV. And it wouldn’t be CES without a company like Vizio or Hisense debuting a new high-end TV at a low price.

Now if only there was an easy way to take out one of those bad guys without getting caught.

By Daniel Howley, technology editor at Yahoo Finance. Follow him @DanielHowley

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