CES 2019 Recap and Impressions!

I had the awesome opportunity to go to CES this year. It was my first time and it was an awesome experience! I ran into some old friends, I was able to meet a bunch of people in person that I’ve been working with for years, and I was able to make new friends and a lot of new contacts!

CES was a whirlwind of sights and sounds. There were thousands and thousands of vendors there and hundreds of thousands of attendees. It didn’t matter where you looked there was something to see and experience. You just had to wade your way through the insane crowds to get to it.

There were a lot of booths that were featuring the same types of things, just in a different format and a different reason why theirs was better than everyone else’s. I think I’ve now seen more TV’s, chargers, dancing robots, various VR headsets and accessories, drones, retro arcade consoles, and smart home accessories than I ever knew existed!

Despite there being a lot of repetition in types of products, there were a few stand-outs that really caught my attention.

The first and biggest was the new NVIDIA RTX 2060. It is a new graphics card that only costs $350 but packs a MASSIVE punch. It is an insanely powerful card that really opens up the possibility of bringing a much more realistic gaming experience to the masses. For me, it packs in a lot of power for video editing and content creation. I’ve been tethered to a super old video card for the last several years because upgrading was just too expensive. I will be getting the new RTX 2060 and I can’t wait to see what I can do with it!

The most fun I had at CES was working out. And those are words I never thought I would say! Nordic Track and HTC partnered together to create a VR experience featuring a stationary exercise bike. The bike is much more than just a stationary bike though. It pairs with the HTC Vive and puts you into a world where you are riding what is basically a flying bicycle. You pedal in order to give the bike thrust and start moving. The bike comes with handlebars that also act as a form of a joystick. You push forward to go down, pull back to go up, and turn it left and right to turn. It also comes with trigger buttons so that you can launch rockets at various targets along your path. As you move in the virtual world, the bike moves as well. Go up, and the bike inclines up, go down and it inclines down. And all the while, there’s a fan that serves the dual purpose of making you feel like you’re actually moving with the wind in your hair and keeping you cool. I was having so much fun that even though I had already walked about 10 miles visiting all the different booths, I didn’t even feel it and went back for a round two!

One other “invention” that deserves an honorable mention is all of the massaging chairs. I swear that there were at least 100 different massaging chair displays throughout the event. Of course, had to sample them all multiple times. I am tempted to save up my money for the next several years so I can get one for my home office!

There were a lot of other cool things and there were a lot of weird and/or unnecessary things too. I saw VR 3D ultrasounds. There were smart toilets, showers, and tubs, electric skateboards and scooters. I saw prosthetic hands that responded to your brain activity, headbands that help you focus, bracelets that fix your balance, fancy cars, smartwatches, fitness bands, phones, a bread making vending machine, and so much more!

If I had to do it all again, I definitely would. CES was a blast and I can’t wait to go next year!

Be sure to check out the video below for the video recap!