Best of CES 2024: this year's top gaming tech
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MSI Claw
MSI threw a curveball at us at CES this year, a Meteor Lake rungaming handheld. While it may look like theSteam DeckorAsus ROG Ally(and even shares a startlingly similar screen to the latter), the MSI Claw ditches theAMDinternals others have adopted in favor of Intel’s Core Ultra 5 or Core Ultra 7 155H and Arc graphics. To keep all these components running smoothly, the Claw also reportedly has a higher max power draw compared to the ROG Ally at 40W. A 53WHr battery is being touted as lasting 50% longer than the market average (translating to two hours in full power mode compared to the Ally and Steam Deck’s hour).
The Omen Transcend 32 packs a serious visual punch with those specs, but the brand also claims it’s the first gaming monitor with switchable inputs. That KVM switch functionality means you’ll be able to hook up two PCs (or, more likely, a PC and a laptop) and interact with both at the same time.
Not only that, but it’s the first OLED gaming monitor with a 140W USB-C power delivery for charging and docking to boot. Throw in an independent cooling solution, two HDMI 2.1 connections, and of course plenty of RGB and HP has come out on top this year.
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We’re sticking with display tech for a little while to talk about the Razer Blade 16. Razer brought Samsung into the mix for its 16-inch model this year, in efforts to debut the world’s first 240Hz OLED panel on a gaming laptop at CES. The 0.2ms response time, VESA certified DisplayHDR True Black, and Calman certified 100% DCI-P3 make this an impressive display. These were all go-to specs for OLED screens just last year, but with the speed and resolution to keep up with tomorrow’s games, this is the first time we’re seeing an OLED panel sitting well on a high-end gaming laptop.
The Blade 16 also featuresNvidiaGeForce RTX GPUs all the way up to an RTX 4090 at full 175W power, with Intel’s overclockable i9-14900HX at the helm as well. Aside from that screen, then, the Blade 16 has a good shot at being one of the year’sbest gaming laptopsall by itself. And, of course, it all comes in that classic CNC milled unibody chassis.
There are cheaper configurations available, with either Intel’s Arc GPUs or anRTX 4060on the shelves instead, but even these cheaper models still pack Intel’s Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and 32GB DDR5 RAM. Should you wish to take it apart further down the line, Asus has also stated that it’s a completely tool-less chassis for easy access when upgrade time comes.
While they aim to make a big impact on your living room entertainment, thebest projectorsare the ones that can fade into the background when not in use. That’s where the XGIMI Aladdin excels. The projector is cleverly disguised as a ceiling lamp (and also doubles as both lighting and a Bluetooth speaker), designed to sit atop your room.
With a 1080p resolution and short throw 100-inch screen capability, as well as those Harman Kardon speakers, this is a particularly well-rounded affair. On top of that you’ve got got a few non-traditional uses here. The Aladdin can default to displaying a series of dynamic wallpapers when not in home entertainment use, while also playing interactive children’s stories or ambient sounds. The entire operation is voice activated without a remote.
The XGIMI Aladdin is set for release in Japan first of all, hitting the shelves in June this year. Unfortunately there’s no information surrounding a worldwide release at the moment.
LGdebuted its Zero Connect Box on the OLED M3 last year, and CES brought the tech back to the showfloor with the LG OLED M4. The separate box keeps all your consoles and streaming devices plugged in, but wirelessly transmits all their signals to your TV completely removing the need for any ugly cables ruining a clean setup. That’s a gift for those wall mounting their screens.
LG pairs its industry leading OLED panel with micro lens array tech here, for a supremely crisp final picture and the full force of a new Alpha 11 processor for additional AI enhancements. The key here, though, is the bump from 120Hz to 144Hz refresh rates.
That, in theory, opens the LG OLED M4 up to PC play (hello Asus ROG NUC). While latencies and response times are going to factor into this experience (and won’t keep up with a similarly priced gaming monitor), anyone with a stacked living room setup is going to want to see this. If everything goes to plan, this could be one of thebest gaming TVsmoney can buy by the end of the year.
That means the M16 R2 has had a 15% reduction in size while still offering some significant power boosts under the hood. That comes from Intel’s Ultra H Series processors as well as the boosted 8TB SSD configuration option. Of course, there’s a sacrifice to be made here.
CES wild cards can get wild. But FitXR’s Slam Studio feels like it was made for the Vegas showfloor. The mixed reality system uses theMeta Quest 3to create an interactive fitness experience was showcased for the first time at this year’s event. FitXR is well established in the VR workout game, but its latest studio is the first to offer its gamified exercises in mixed reality. It’s a sneaky way to meet your fitness goals while reveling in all the dopamine a high score can provide.
In Association with ROG Ally
Managing Editor of Hardware at GamesRadar+, I originally landed in hardware at our sister site TechRadar before moving over to GamesRadar. In between, I’ve written for Tom’s Guide, Wireframe, The Indie Game Website and That Video Game Blog, covering everything from the PS5 launch to the Apple Pencil. Now, i’m focused on Nintendo Switch, gaming laptops (and the keyboards, headsets and mice that come with them), PS5, and trying to find the perfect projector.
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