CES is rarely the place for big gaming announcements in the world of consoles, and CES 2020 was no exception. Other than the reveal of a PS5 logo, which got the internet talking because it was a bit of a non-story, this was a more interesting time for PC and mobile gaming.
AMD announced a new graphics card targeted at 1080p players, Razer introduced a peripheral that makes your phone look like a Nintendo Switch, and Nvidia debuted 360Hz displays. There were plenty of interesting individual moments, even if there was arguably no jaw-dropping explosive reveal to speak of.
Here are some of our gaming highlights, and you can check out our CES 2020 awards for our best tech of the show.
The PS5 logo was revealed
The biggest non-story story of CES was the PS5 logo reveal during Sony's keynote. To be fair to the PlayStation manufacturer, it never promised we'd see a significant PS5 presence at CES 2020, and it was clear that this was just step one of a long 2020 announcement cycle.
Nonetheless, that didn't stop the PS5 logo from becoming the most-liked gaming-related image on Instagram ever (5 million and counting), according to VGC. Expect to see the PS5 ramp up its announcements later in the year. From specs to exclusive games and console features, there's still loads to be revealed about Sony's next-gen hardware.
- The rumored PS5 CES reveal was a dud
- The PS5 will look nothing like its dev kit if history is anything to go by
The Xbox Series X...wasn't shown
AMD showed a picture of the Xbox Series X during its presentation that seemed to reveal the rear ports of Microsoft's new console. The company later apologized, though, as this image wasn't sourced officially, with internet sleuths later revealing it to be a stock image of the console from a third-party. That made this even more of a non-story about next-gen hardware than the PS5 logo.
Still, in minor, real Xbox Series X news that broke during CES week, Xbox head Phil Spencer did change his profile photo to that of the console's chip. That didn't reveal a whole lot, other than the fact that it's engraved with '8K' and 'Project Scarlett', but at least it was from an official source.
This handheld PC looks like a Nintendo Switch
The success of the Nintendo Switch is influencing other areas of gaming hardware, now, with Alienware's UFO Concept packing gaming PC specs into a (heavy, according to our man on the ground) handheld device. It's unclear if it'll ever actually launch as a consumer device, and Dell didn't reveal the specs of the UFO Concept, but it's pretty cool that it can play demanding games like The Division 2 away from a desktop or console.
It's also exciting that companies are thinking about non-traditional PC designs. The idea of owning actual gaming PC in this format is pretty appealing, in lieu of streaming devices or beefy gaming laptops.
This accessory makes your phone into a Nintendo Switch (sort of)
The Kishi isn't Razer's first attempt at creating Switch-style controls for your phone, but it supports a an impressively wide range of handsets. Released sometime in early 2020, this accessory will be available for both Android and iPhone, and it's compatible with most mobile games that support controllers.
It's also designed for the future of cloud gaming, in the scenario where you're comfortable streaming more graphically intensive software to your phone. The Kishi is meant to give you console-quality controls to match, and it looks the part, considering how it has to fit around a variety of phones.
MSI reveals a 300Hz gaming laptop
Among MSI's CES 2020 announcements was the MSI GE66 Raider laptop, which features a 300Hz display, fancy lighting and a limited edition version (pictured above) designed by Collie Wertz, a concept artist of Marvel and Star Wars fame.
MSI also revealed a PC that features a 'gaming dial', the MEG Aegis Ti5 gaming desktop. This is designed so you can adjust performance as you play. We were kind of hoping it could be used as a reel in a fishing simulator game, but oh well.
Nvidia debuts 360Hz G-sync monitors
Designed for competitive players, Nvidia debuted the fastest displays available, with 1080p 360Hz monitors that are supposed to give esports players an edge.
The vast majority of PC players will never need a monitor with a refresh rate that high, but it's a fascinating glimpse into what's possible with future displays. Nvidia is kicking off these displays with Asus, with the 24.5-inch ROG Swift 360 debuting later in the year.
AMD targets 1080p players
AMD announced its Ryzen 4000 mobile APUs at CES, and revealed that its Ryzen 4000 CPUs are coming this year too. Huge news came on the 1080p gaming front, too, with AMD announcing the RX 5600 XT graphics card, which boasts impressive benchmarks for modern games and is priced the same as Nvidia's GTX 1660 Ti.
If you're thinking of building a budget PC in 2020, then, you'll have some decent options to choose from.
- Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2020 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.
