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CES isnāt typically where we see the yearās biggest gaming announcements, with major upcoming games usually being saved for summer and winter, and new console announcements now often coming in the spring or fall. But after spending a week in Vegas, Iām now leaving feeling like the gaming industry is about to go through a big shift. Some of it is for the better, with small creators getting a chance to change how we interact with our favorite games, while the rest of it reflects the tech industryās incessant need to stuff useless AI into our lives. With that in mind, here are my four favorite (and three least favorite) gaming announcements from CES 2025.
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
Thereās no reason we shouldnāt all be gaming on our phones moreāand I donāt mean Candy Crush. (Not that there's anything wrong with Candy Crush, of course.) These things have gotten powerful enough to run games released for the PS5, but thanks to their lack of physical controls, most developers are still making heavy compromises for their mobile titles.
Thatās where 20-year-old Josh King comes into play. The YouTuber made waves late last year when he released a video showcasing his prototype MCON controller, which uses MagSafe to give your phone a similar form factor to, say, a Nintendo DS. While other phone controllers usually require you to remove your case and can be annoying to take on and off your phone, using the MCON is supposed to be as simple as using a MagSafe power bank.
Iām in love with the result. It has a full suite of controls, the magnetic connection is strong, and using it is as easy as snapping it onto my device and flipping out the hidden controls. Plus, if you donāt have an iPhone, it works with MagSafe adapters.
King is currently working with peripheral company Ohsnap to finalize the design, but if youāre sold already, there is a Kickstarter where you can pre-order your own MCON starting at $99. I canāt wait to get mine and actually start treating my iPhone like the proper handheld it clearly has the chops to be.
Credit: Razer
Razerās Project Ava is one of two concepts the companyās bringing to CES this year, and of the two, I hope itās the one the company leaves behind.
Have you ever heard of backseating? Itās the phenomenon where a streamer gets stuck while playing a game and their viewers keep piping in via the chat function to tell them how to progress. Most streamers Iāve seen explicitly ask their audience to avoid it, usually considering it more annoying than helpful.
Ava, meanwhile, promises to bring a bespoke AI backseater to everyone with a computer.
Essentially, the way it works is that Ava will watch you play and offer tips based on what it sees, loudly speaking over the in-game audio to do so. Razer insists itās not cheating, since Ava canāt access information not available to you, but I think that still misses the point.
First, itās unclear where Avaās getting its tips, and second, it could end up being pretty distracting if it talks over your gameplay. But really, itās the whole advice angle I have an issue with.
If Iām playing Dark Souls, the developers have usually worked out a more elegant way to cue me into when I should dodge than an AI yelling in my ear. If I rely on Ava, Iām training myself to ignore those hints, robbing myself of some of the experience at the least and making myself worse at the game at the most.
Even in multiplayer, part of the fun for me is figuring out the best builds and most optimal routes. If Ava is just telling me what I should do, then am I really playing or learning the game, or am I just pressing buttons while the robot makes all the real decisions?
There is a place for guidesāfar be it from me to gatekeep. But this sort of real-time interruption seems more likely to spoil my fun than enhance it.
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
Valveās Steam Deck is one of my favorite gaming purchases Iāve made in a long time, making my game library portable with a lot more flexibility than the Nintendo Switch. A big part of that is the companyās SteamOS operating system, which makes it convenient to change the handheldās settings and access your Steam games on the fly.
Attempts to copy the Steam Deck without SteamOS, like the Asus ROG Ally or the Lenovo Legion Go, just havenāt done it for me, as they rely on Windows, which is a much clunkier experience when using a controller. These devices are technically more powerful, but the performance increase isnāt worth it to me.
Thatās why Iām so excited for the Lenovo Legion Go S. Announced during CES, this will be the first gaming handheld not from Valve to use SteamOS. Itāll have Windows versions, too, but starting in May, youāll be able to get it with the operating system I love so much. Even better, it does look to offer specs with a slight-to-moderate improvement on the Steam Deck, and its starting price of $500 is actually cheaper than the entry level Steam Deck OLED. Iām excited to see more partnerships follow suit.
Graphics card and now AI company Nvidia is about to fill your game lobbies with bots, but like, in a futuristic way. Announced during CES, Nvidia is working with PUBG developer Krafton to bring āco-playable charactersā to the famous battle royale title.
Essentially, the experience teams you up with a bot, but you can give it commands to tell it to find armor or weapons for you or coordinate with you in a fight.
I could actually see this being really cool in a single-player game, being the next evolution of the type of gameplay seen in titles like Star Wars: Republic Commando. But in multiplayer, it just raises too many questions.
Is the bot going to be more aware of the map than humans? How good should it be at shooting, before it starts to feel either like a cheater or a liability? And perhaps most importantly, will it feel satisfying to win if an AI guided you to victory? Or will it be the gaming equivalent of a rich person hiring an experienced hunter to take them on a curated expedition and do all the work except pulling the trigger?
Thereās a lot of tough balancing acts to figure out here, but even assuming everything plays out as desired, Iām still not sure what the point is. Part of the fun of playing a shooter online is knowing that when I take down the enemy, Iāve ruined some 11-year-oldās day. If half the people Iām going to be shooting at are robots, why not just play a single-player game instead?
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
Razerās Project Arielle is the companyās second concept device for CES, and the one Iām definitely more excited about. Essentially, it takes the Razerās existing Fujin Pro gaming chair and straps some heaters and a bladeless fan onto it, with surprisingly effective results.
What I initially thought was going to be a gimmick turned out to be a nice little oasis on the CES show floor, either warming me up after an hour in the freezing media room or blowing cold air on my back and neck after I spent some time wandering around the sweaty show floor.
Sure, you could get a similar experience with a space heater or a fan, but having the climate control integrated directly into your chair allows it immediate access to your back and neck, and I found it felt more effective and comfortable than my desk fan at home.
Las Vegas is a nightmare when it comes to consistent temperature, and after a week here, Iām just about ready to stage a heist on this thing and take it home. Iām hoping Razer gives this the same treatment it gave its haptic gaming cushion concept from last year and actually brings it to market.
The culture war spares no one, especially when it comes to gaming. If youāve looked up The Last of Us Part II or Horizon Zero Dawn on social media, no doubt youāve seen photoshops of their female leads that attempt to make them look like they just walked out of a Sephora, despite them spending their games deep in the heart of the apocalypse. Critics have started to call these edits āyassification,ā and it seems like Nvidiaās taking a side here: its new RTX Neural Faces feature might as well be an AI yassification filter.
The idea is to help game NPCs cross the uncanny valley by using AI to help with more natural lighting, skin, and hair, especially when players are looking at that NPC from an unusual angle. The result just kind of looks like itās trampling over the artistsā carefully made decisions with whatever Nvidia thinks ānaturalā means.
In an example video posted by Nvidia, an NPC with Neural Faces applied seems to have totally different bone structure, a fresh layer of foundation, some new mascara, neater brows, and bigger but much deader eyes. Cool if youāre into that, I guess, but itās clearly not the look the modelers or lighting artists were going for, and it definitely wouldnāt be appropriate for plenty of gamingās most famous characters...unless youāre curious what a Solid Snake makeup tutorial would look like?
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
If the Lenovo Legion Go S stands out from other gaming handhelds because of its software, then the Acer Nitro Blaze 11 is the opposite. Frankly, itās the biggest gaming āhandheldā Iāve ever used, and while that means itās not necessarily the most convenient, thereās a certain maximal joy to be taken from carrying it around.
With so much room, itās packing some pretty impressive specs, but what really takes the cake is its 11-inch, 2560 by 1600 display. It gets bright, it comes with a sturdy kickstand, and it can display up to 120 frames per second. Itās also surprisingly lightweight at 2.3 pounds. Thatās a pound heavier than the Steam Deck, but compared to a laptop, itās still reasonable.
Granted, if you get tired of holding it to play it, the Nitro Blaze 11 does have one trick. Like the Nintendo Switch and the original Lenovo Legion Go, itās got detachable controllers. But unlike those devices, its screen is big enough to make kickstand mode feel worth it to me (I usually just hold the competition).
To be honest, at this point in my life, Iām not likely to opt for the Nitro Blaze 11. Iām older, Iām busier, and convenience trumps performance for me. But a younger, more explicitly gamer-y version of me would have been all over this.
Full story here:
Favorite: MCON Magsafe phone controller
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
Thereās no reason we shouldnāt all be gaming on our phones moreāand I donāt mean Candy Crush. (Not that there's anything wrong with Candy Crush, of course.) These things have gotten powerful enough to run games released for the PS5, but thanks to their lack of physical controls, most developers are still making heavy compromises for their mobile titles.
Thatās where 20-year-old Josh King comes into play. The YouTuber made waves late last year when he released a video showcasing his prototype MCON controller, which uses MagSafe to give your phone a similar form factor to, say, a Nintendo DS. While other phone controllers usually require you to remove your case and can be annoying to take on and off your phone, using the MCON is supposed to be as simple as using a MagSafe power bank.
Iām in love with the result. It has a full suite of controls, the magnetic connection is strong, and using it is as easy as snapping it onto my device and flipping out the hidden controls. Plus, if you donāt have an iPhone, it works with MagSafe adapters.
King is currently working with peripheral company Ohsnap to finalize the design, but if youāre sold already, there is a Kickstarter where you can pre-order your own MCON starting at $99. I canāt wait to get mine and actually start treating my iPhone like the proper handheld it clearly has the chops to be.
Least Favorite: Razer Project Ava AI esports coach
Credit: Razer
Razerās Project Ava is one of two concepts the companyās bringing to CES this year, and of the two, I hope itās the one the company leaves behind.
Have you ever heard of backseating? Itās the phenomenon where a streamer gets stuck while playing a game and their viewers keep piping in via the chat function to tell them how to progress. Most streamers Iāve seen explicitly ask their audience to avoid it, usually considering it more annoying than helpful.
Ava, meanwhile, promises to bring a bespoke AI backseater to everyone with a computer.
Essentially, the way it works is that Ava will watch you play and offer tips based on what it sees, loudly speaking over the in-game audio to do so. Razer insists itās not cheating, since Ava canāt access information not available to you, but I think that still misses the point.
First, itās unclear where Avaās getting its tips, and second, it could end up being pretty distracting if it talks over your gameplay. But really, itās the whole advice angle I have an issue with.
If Iām playing Dark Souls, the developers have usually worked out a more elegant way to cue me into when I should dodge than an AI yelling in my ear. If I rely on Ava, Iām training myself to ignore those hints, robbing myself of some of the experience at the least and making myself worse at the game at the most.
Even in multiplayer, part of the fun for me is figuring out the best builds and most optimal routes. If Ava is just telling me what I should do, then am I really playing or learning the game, or am I just pressing buttons while the robot makes all the real decisions?
There is a place for guidesāfar be it from me to gatekeep. But this sort of real-time interruption seems more likely to spoil my fun than enhance it.
Favorite: Lenovo Legion Go S brings SteamOS outside the Steam Deck
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
Valveās Steam Deck is one of my favorite gaming purchases Iāve made in a long time, making my game library portable with a lot more flexibility than the Nintendo Switch. A big part of that is the companyās SteamOS operating system, which makes it convenient to change the handheldās settings and access your Steam games on the fly.
Attempts to copy the Steam Deck without SteamOS, like the Asus ROG Ally or the Lenovo Legion Go, just havenāt done it for me, as they rely on Windows, which is a much clunkier experience when using a controller. These devices are technically more powerful, but the performance increase isnāt worth it to me.
Thatās why Iām so excited for the Lenovo Legion Go S. Announced during CES, this will be the first gaming handheld not from Valve to use SteamOS. Itāll have Windows versions, too, but starting in May, youāll be able to get it with the operating system I love so much. Even better, it does look to offer specs with a slight-to-moderate improvement on the Steam Deck, and its starting price of $500 is actually cheaper than the entry level Steam Deck OLED. Iām excited to see more partnerships follow suit.
Least Favorite: The PUBG Ally brings the dead internet theory to games
Graphics card and now AI company Nvidia is about to fill your game lobbies with bots, but like, in a futuristic way. Announced during CES, Nvidia is working with PUBG developer Krafton to bring āco-playable charactersā to the famous battle royale title.
Essentially, the experience teams you up with a bot, but you can give it commands to tell it to find armor or weapons for you or coordinate with you in a fight.
I could actually see this being really cool in a single-player game, being the next evolution of the type of gameplay seen in titles like Star Wars: Republic Commando. But in multiplayer, it just raises too many questions.
Is the bot going to be more aware of the map than humans? How good should it be at shooting, before it starts to feel either like a cheater or a liability? And perhaps most importantly, will it feel satisfying to win if an AI guided you to victory? Or will it be the gaming equivalent of a rich person hiring an experienced hunter to take them on a curated expedition and do all the work except pulling the trigger?
Thereās a lot of tough balancing acts to figure out here, but even assuming everything plays out as desired, Iām still not sure what the point is. Part of the fun of playing a shooter online is knowing that when I take down the enemy, Iāve ruined some 11-year-oldās day. If half the people Iām going to be shooting at are robots, why not just play a single-player game instead?
Favorite: The Razer Project Arielle has sold me on heated and cooling gaming chairs
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
Razerās Project Arielle is the companyās second concept device for CES, and the one Iām definitely more excited about. Essentially, it takes the Razerās existing Fujin Pro gaming chair and straps some heaters and a bladeless fan onto it, with surprisingly effective results.
What I initially thought was going to be a gimmick turned out to be a nice little oasis on the CES show floor, either warming me up after an hour in the freezing media room or blowing cold air on my back and neck after I spent some time wandering around the sweaty show floor.
Sure, you could get a similar experience with a space heater or a fan, but having the climate control integrated directly into your chair allows it immediate access to your back and neck, and I found it felt more effective and comfortable than my desk fan at home.
Las Vegas is a nightmare when it comes to consistent temperature, and after a week here, Iām just about ready to stage a heist on this thing and take it home. Iām hoping Razer gives this the same treatment it gave its haptic gaming cushion concept from last year and actually brings it to market.
Least Favorite: Nvidia RTX Neural Faces is an AI yassification filter
The culture war spares no one, especially when it comes to gaming. If youāve looked up The Last of Us Part II or Horizon Zero Dawn on social media, no doubt youāve seen photoshops of their female leads that attempt to make them look like they just walked out of a Sephora, despite them spending their games deep in the heart of the apocalypse. Critics have started to call these edits āyassification,ā and it seems like Nvidiaās taking a side here: its new RTX Neural Faces feature might as well be an AI yassification filter.
The idea is to help game NPCs cross the uncanny valley by using AI to help with more natural lighting, skin, and hair, especially when players are looking at that NPC from an unusual angle. The result just kind of looks like itās trampling over the artistsā carefully made decisions with whatever Nvidia thinks ānaturalā means.
In an example video posted by Nvidia, an NPC with Neural Faces applied seems to have totally different bone structure, a fresh layer of foundation, some new mascara, neater brows, and bigger but much deader eyes. Cool if youāre into that, I guess, but itās clearly not the look the modelers or lighting artists were going for, and it definitely wouldnāt be appropriate for plenty of gamingās most famous characters...unless youāre curious what a Solid Snake makeup tutorial would look like?
Favorite: Acer Nitro Blaze 11
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
If the Lenovo Legion Go S stands out from other gaming handhelds because of its software, then the Acer Nitro Blaze 11 is the opposite. Frankly, itās the biggest gaming āhandheldā Iāve ever used, and while that means itās not necessarily the most convenient, thereās a certain maximal joy to be taken from carrying it around.
With so much room, itās packing some pretty impressive specs, but what really takes the cake is its 11-inch, 2560 by 1600 display. It gets bright, it comes with a sturdy kickstand, and it can display up to 120 frames per second. Itās also surprisingly lightweight at 2.3 pounds. Thatās a pound heavier than the Steam Deck, but compared to a laptop, itās still reasonable.
Granted, if you get tired of holding it to play it, the Nitro Blaze 11 does have one trick. Like the Nintendo Switch and the original Lenovo Legion Go, itās got detachable controllers. But unlike those devices, its screen is big enough to make kickstand mode feel worth it to me (I usually just hold the competition).
To be honest, at this point in my life, Iām not likely to opt for the Nitro Blaze 11. Iām older, Iām busier, and convenience trumps performance for me. But a younger, more explicitly gamer-y version of me would have been all over this.
Full story here:
![[DK]](/data/avatars/s/57/57999.jpg?1720990206){kind=avatar}
