Exciting Things Underway - Press Day at CES 2022

CES 2022 kicked off today in the first physical-virtual event after last year’s entirely online offering. Despite the rise of the Omicron variant leading to many brands opting out of the physical event in recent weeks, there remains over 2000 companies presenting with attendees from 159 countries around the world. While the reduced physical presence will result in a very different show to prove this year, Futuresource is still expecting significant releases and a high level of virtual activity to accompany the physical event on the ground. This was evident throughout the initial press day, which saw a plethora of new products and technologies released, with at least three key themes that are likely to stay prevalent throughout the show emerging: automotive, gaming, and sustainability.

On the automotive side, the big news is Sony announcing the creation of Sony Mobility Inc. in order to accelerate its efforts in mobility and explore the commercial launch of a Sony electric vehicle. LG’s press conference also covered its digital cockpit, while Panasonic focused very heavily on automotive with its virtual heads-up display 2.0, Alexa-customized voice initiative, and significant improvements to surround sound. Similarly to Panasonic, Qualcomm devoted most of its press conference to automotive. A wide range of SOCs, partnerships, and initiatives were announced, including partnerships with Volvo, Honda, and Reno.

On the gaming side, we saw new TVs from Samsung, TCL, Panasonic, and LG all with gaming enhancements such as variable refresh rates, 4K 120Hz, and HGMI 2.0. TCL also announced its game center on smart TV using a smartphone as a controller, offering Google Stadia integrated into the TV. Similarly, Samsung announced Gaming Hub on its TVs allowing different cloud gaming services on the same platform. We also saw LG soundbars with HGMI 2.1 as well as new gaming laptops, monitors, speakers, and PCs from the Korean vendor, as well as Sony officially announcing its PS VR 2 and new VR sense controllers.

Finally, most of the vendors who presented at the press conference touched on sustainability, with Samsung and Panasonic both choosing to kick off their press conferences by discussing this important topic. However, it still feels as though more tangible actions are required in order to tackle such a pressing issue.

After an exciting press conference and with more to follow, we are looking forward to seeing what the rest of the show brings.

To find out more about the latest CE tech trends to watch out for in 2022, including analyst insights on January's CES announcements, download our brand new Tech Perspectives here.

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