While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has put a damper on hopes for many in-person events and conventions, the Consumer Technology Association – the organizers of the annual CES – has made it a point to make its 2022 iteration a thing despite pandemic worries.

CES 2022 is ending a day early, moving from a four-day event to a three-day affair, with many big names in consumer tech, from Amazon to Google, opting to retreat or otherwise drop plans for the big day.

While CES 2021 was a purely digital affair, CES 2022 will have in-person showings in Las Vegas while over 150 companies are said to be having a “digital only” presence at the convention.

Here’s what you can expect out of CES 2022.

When is CES 2022?

The big day formally begins with a keynote by General Motors CEO Mary Barra on January 5. CES 2022 will last until January 7.

That said, tech giants in a number of sectors, such as Intel, Sony, and Samsung, will present keynotes by January 4, so you can expect a lot of tech announcements ahead of the convention proper.

Watching the proceedings

While attempting to get to Las Vegas to attend CES 2022 in-person may be logistically difficult, some companies will be providing streams of their events before and during CES 2022.

Here are some of the streams you can follow:

• AMD livestream: Starts January 4, 7 am Pacific Time
• NVIDIA livestream: Starts January 4, 8 am Pacific Time
• Intel livestream: Starts January 4, 10 am Pacific Time
• Sony @ CES 2022: Starts January 4, 5 pm Pacific Time
• ASUS event stream on YouTube
• MSI event stream

What tech to expect?

We expect tech companies to send out press releases on their latest and greatest endeavors ahead of or during CES 2022, so here are some of the new tech topics to expect for this year’s big event.

First off, Gizmodo asserts that new chips will be shown off by AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA, including new processors or mobile chips for laptops, as well as some graphics processing units. You can also expect buzz around laptops to be a thing alongside new peripherals and accessories to go with your gaming or productivity needs.

Aside from computing, there will likely be new advances in audiovisual technology to savor, such as new flat-panel display technologies from LG and Samsung.

While mobile isn’t quite as big at CES events owing to the prevalence of digital press conferences for new phones, there may be some new advancements in fast-charging tech to consider for this year. DigitalTrends suggests Gallium Nitride Charging (GaN charging) will be a new in-thing owing to faster charging capabilities.

Additionally, automotive tech may see some play, especially as General Motors is doing the keynote and reports of new electric vehicles in various configurations, whether they be pickup trucks or sedans, would give plenty a reason to (literally) pause their livestreams for a bit.

Also expected to be happening at CES are reveals meant to go beyond the old “Consumer Electronics Show” titling of CES, as the metaverse and NFTs are likely to be out in full force. According to the CES event schedule, there will be a number of keynotes regarding financial technologies, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs at the event.

Lastly, Investor’s Business Daily is expecting space technologies to make its mark. This may include companies like Sierra Space, which may show off its Dream Chaser spaceplane model, among others. – Rappler.com