[CES 2011] Day One Impressions

Well, first day of CES is done! Here are the Jameses’ impressions of the show today!

Trauben’s Impressions

Well, what to say about the day?

CES is far more chaotic than the other conventions I’ve attended, although that might just be an issue of scale. If I had to compare it to the other ones I’ve attended I think the best analogy is the Game Developers Conference- it’s clearly an industry event, attended largely by industry leaders and financiers as opposed to creative or cultural leaders. That’s not to say there aren’t creative people here, but they aren’t on center stage- executives and managers are.

The Dell press conference really surprised me — but in a good way. I agree with Huneycutt — this is most definitely a more mature, savvy Dell then the Dell of a few years ago, even if their leaders still evidently feel the need to put on a clunky “hip” aesthetic. Apple’s been complacent about their relative dominance over the “stylish gadget” slot of the industry for long enough, and it’s good to see them getting some serious competition from a strong industry figure like Dell.

My reaction to the other appointments today has largely been detached interest. It’s unlikely I’ll ever find a desperate need for many of the peripherals demonstrated to me today, but that’s mostly because I still use standard-issue controllers and find them quite sufficient.( I’ve never really been a very peripherals-oriented gamer; I still sneer at most motion control systems.) But as peripherals go, I think the most impressive – and terrifyingly confusing –  was the HOTAS Warthog, a peripheral controller so complex I’d be hardly less baffled by the cockpit of an actual A-10C Warthog.

The CTA selection amused me, but mostly because of the Kinect peripherals. I take the fact that within about seven months after its introduction, the Kinect, supposedly the peripheral that would make controllers obsolete, has peripherals being created for it to liberate its users from the terrible curse of mime-hood.

Huneycutt’s Impressions

My overall impression of CES is one of grandiose mass and pomp and confidence. You would never know, walking around these halls, that we’re currently exiting an economic downturn. This is the center of the tech business world, and you can tell. I’ve never seen this many people gathered for a common purpose in my life.

To keep it brief, I was most impressed with Dell’s presentation. They are lean, slick, charming, aggressive, and out for everyone else’s portion of the pie. We’re talking about one of the biggest electronic companies in the world with an impressive, pretty, and technically impressive product line.

The remainder of the day was expected.

Guillemot was a mixed bag. I find the Thrustmaster branding’s dedication to the hardcore sim community both laudable and bewhildering, though the admission that the HOTAS Warthog has been purchased by the US Government to train pilots is obvious out-of-this-world impressive. If i had millions to throw away, I would own almost everything in their product line. The Hercules line is something I feel hardly suited to judge, as I’m far from even an armchair DJ. But that notwithstanding, its an impressive line-up of feature-rich products.

Nyko and CTA both have very certain reputations, and both lived up to them. Nyko provided a solid line of moderately-priced alternative accessories, with some lovely surprises, both in the accessory and pasta department. Their PS Move accessories were in particular very solidly built, very pleasing in both a tactile and aesthetic sense, and practically useful. I’ve always been a fan of Nyko’s work, and this year’s lineup is no exception. CTA on the other hand has a very different kind of reliability. We can always expect a whimsical level of absurdity from CTA, but their passion and excitement is hard to match. While a lot of their product line is patently absurd and frankly something you pick up and laugh about and only purchase as a gag gift, the inflatable Kart is sure to be a hit with kids, and the inflatable Jet Ski is my new pool toy of choice.