CES: Day 2 Recap

Part of South Hall is dedicated to gaming, and Oculus was definitely the highlight of the day. The virtual reality (VR) and virtual gaming (VG) have advanced significantly, and each demo made you feel a part of it. If you made an appointment, you were taken to one of the private viewing rooms (otherwise you stood in an insanely long line, and viewed it with others on the open floor). Each room was soundproofed, and each had a mat for the viewer to stand on. Viewers encountered rubber duckies, a charging T-Rex, being at the edge of a skyscraper, and three other scenarios. One of the most memorable was the skyscraper demo. I didn’t even realize where I was. As the screen changed, I thought I was looking out of a window in a high-rise, only to look down and see ant-sized cars whizzing below. Even though the logical part of me knew I wouldn’t fall, I didn’t want to take a step forward on the mat because I feared that something might happen. Everywhere you turned there was something to see, and nothing was repetitive. I can’t wait for this to be released! All they need now are attachments to increase the interaction between VR and player.

Image courtesy of oculus.com

Image courtesy of H. Nelson

And speaking of, directly behind was Omni.  They integrated Oculus’ technology in their gaming systems.  As you can see, demonstrators wore special outfits and guns designed to create a fully interactive experience. Have you ever seen the Daria episode where Daria and Ted go to the arcade, and they start to play a VRG that is set in a castle? Well, by the end of it, Daria quits because the game is making her sick, but others join in. . . to harass at first, but then they really get into it. This game looked EXACTLY like that, externally. Of course the graphics are a far cry from what they used to be, which is most excellent!

It was a little messy because the only available space was at the bottom...

The picture above was part of a wall that passersby got to write one.  On the other side, people could "mind-control" cars in a race. . . but we didn't get a photo of it.  Moving on. . .

If you love cars, you would have loved all of the modified, tech-heavy, custom cars on the floor.  Ford, Audi, Kia, etc. all featured the latest technology that will (soon) come standard.  There were also customized cars at different vendor booths.  Here are some photos that were taken of them:

 

Image courtesy of H. Nelson

Image courtesy of H. Nelson

Image courtesy of H. Nelson

Image courtesy of H. Nelson

Everyone who knows me know that I truly love my Ford.  This year, Ford got creative, sending those who knew about the program on a scavenger hunt for pins.  Each Mustang-shaped pin featured the flag from one of 10 countries.  Each booth that was visited had a special guest.  Participants were able to sit in the vehicles, and learn about all of the features that could be added on.  My personal favorite was the top-of-the-line Mustang that lights up the floor with a (you guessed it) Mustang!  It was like the Bat-Signal, but on the floor, in the shape of a horse.

You can't really tell, but it looks like the inside of a command center.  Image courtesy of H. Nelson