Our Favorite Tech from CES 2022 - Day 1

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CES 2022 has been running for, officially, just under a day, but companies have been showing off their new tech for a few days now (like yesterday's AMD and NVIDIA conferences). And there is a lot of new tech being shown off. Some of it is super cool, with the potential to revolutionize industries. Others are a bit more niche and quirky, with responses ranging from "huh?" to "huh. Neat."

Rather than making you sort through all that CES has to offer, we pulled out some of our favorite tech we've seen and given some quick thoughts about why we're so excited.

HyperX's Cloud Alpha Wireless Gaming Headset

What it is: a brand new wireless gaming headset with (up to) a 300-hour battery life.

When it'll be available: around February.

Why we're excited: 300 hours on a single charge.

That is a seriously big deal from a company that is already producing stellar gaming headsets. For context, their Hyper X Cloud II Wireless headset has a battery life of around 30 hours. I've been a long-time fan of their Hyper X Cloud II wired headphones (though I'm currently using the SteelSeries Arctis Prime). They're incredibly comfortable with a fantastic detachable microphone. My biggest hold-out from going completely wireless was the charge requirement - I'm terrible at remembering to plug things in. But with 300 hours of usage off a single charge? Sign me up for a pair of the Cloud Alphas.

Sony Playstation VR2 and Playstation VR2 Sense controller

What it is: the next generation of Playstation VR for the PS5

When it'll be available: unannounced

Why we're excited: Playstations original VR headset was a big deal for the VR space. Not only was it commercially available, but it was also playable without a high-end PC, and it played well. The drawback was the controllers, hold-overs from the Playstation 3 Move lineup, and surprisingly hard to come by for a while. The PSVR2 comes with the next generation of VR controllers, including haptic feedback and adaptive triggers similar to the ones found in the PS5 DualSense Wireless controllers. The headset itself is also getting a major upgrade, with 4K HDR OLED displays and 90/120Hz frame rates on top of controller and eye-tracking technology to make the VR experience even more seamless.

Plus: Horizon: Call of the Mountain, a new VR game in the Horizon Zero Dawn universe.

New Razer Blade 14, 15, and 17 Gaming Laptops

What it is: super-thin gaming laptops

When it'll be available: Q1 2022

Why we're excited: Gaming laptops can get big. More thin, easy-to-transport gaming laptops are always welcome, and the Razer Blades are just that. The Blade 14 is, as the name implies, a 14" gaming laptop stuffed with an AMD Ryzen 9 processor (from their new 6000 series), 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and either an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, 3070 Ti, or 3080 Ti laptop GPU. The Blade 15 gets a bit bigger with a 15.6" display, an Intel 12th gen Core i7-12800H processor, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and either an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or 3070 Ti laptop GPU. Lastly, but certainly not least, the Blade 17 has an incredible 17.3" display (with a QLED option!), an Intel 12th Gen i7-12800H processor, 16Gb of DDR5 RAM, and either an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or 3070 Ti laptop GPU.

In brief: three new slim and powerful gaming laptops from Razer.

Three Stunning New Monitors from Samsung

What it is: the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 (a curved 4k, 240Hz gaming monitor), the Smart Monitor M8 (an ultra-slim smart monitor), and the UHD Monitor S8 (a creator monitor with advanced color options)

When it'll be available: 2022

Why we're excited: I can't imagine a single need not being met by one of these monitors. The Odyssey Neo G8 looks like an absolutely stunning gaming monitor with a massive 32" curved screen, 4k resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, and 1 ms response time, all built on Quantum Mini LEDs. This thing is going to be incredible to game on. The Smart Monitor M8 clocks in at only 11.4mm, making it one of the thinnest monitors out there. Yet, it still manages to cram a UHD panel as well as smart TV and productivity apps into that tiny space all the while balancing a SlimFit Cam on top. The UHD Monitor S8 comes in both 27" and 32" models and looks to be a game changer for creators. It delivers up to 98% of the DCI-P3 color gamut on a UL verified Glare Free monitor.

Lenovo ThinkPad Z

What it is: a new iteration of the ThinkPad business laptop

When it'll be available: Spring 2022

Why we're excited: The Lenovo ThinkPad has been a cornerstone of the laptop market for years. Offering consistently reliable designs, power, and utility, they've become a staple of both business and home-use laptops. The ThinkPad Z takes that idea and turns it up to 11. The ThinkPad Z series will be powered by AMD Ryzen PRO 6000 series processor with up to 32Gb of LPDDR5 RAM and 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage. Both the 13.3" and 16.0" models utilize gorgeous OLED screens for fantastic visual fidelity. Add on the FHD webcam, and you have your office wherever you go. And don't worry, the mouse nub is still there.

Those are our favorites so far, but CES has a few days yet to go. Keep an eye on the Community for more of our favorites!

Did we miss your favorite new tech? Maybe, like me, you really like that smart bird feeder. Let us know in the comments below!