CES isn’t the biggest gaming news event of the year (that would be E3), but the 2023 edition of the tech trade show delivered some goods.
While CES didn’t give us much in terms of game announcements, we did hear about different ways to play the games we already have. Between a new accessibility solution from PlayStation, a somewhat unconventional game-to-movie adaptation, and yet another oddball gaming concept from Razer, CES 2023 gave us plenty to look forward to, even if pretty much all of it is quite a ways off.
Project Leonardo
Two approaches to the same thing.
Credit: PlayStation
Perhaps the splashiest part of Sony’s CES press conference was the announcement of Project Leonardo, a codename for an accessibility-minded controller for PlayStation 5. There’s no price or release date yet, but what we do know is pretty cool.
This controller is for people with physical disabilities that might prevent them from playing games adequately with the PS5’s DualSense controller. Many of its components are swappable and the buttons can be reprogrammed to do whatever you need them to do. You can even map two button presses at once to a single button.
Project Leonardo can also be propped up on a tripod or laid flat on a table, depending on the player’s physical needs. One could argue this is a little late considering Microsoft released the excellent Xbox Adaptive Controller in 2018, but hey, better late than never.
Project Carol
Maximum immersion.
Credit: Razer
And now for something a little silly.
Razer always brings some kind of far-out concept to CES (the light-up COVID mask from two years ago comes to mind) and 2023 was no different. Project Carol is a head cushion that’s made to fit with any gaming chair, and it has 7.1 surround sound speakers and haptic feedback for maximum gaming immersion.
If and when Carol ever comes out, you’ll be able to enjoy your PC games with some extra oomph thanks to audio happening all around you and intense vibrations. Is it necessary at all? Not really. Do I want to try it? Absolutely.
Gran Turismo movie
This isn’t strictly gaming news, but Sony also showed off a quick teaser trailer for the upcoming movie based on the long-running Gran Turismo racing simulation franchise.
GT has always been about highly realistic races featuring high-end supercars and the movie (directed by Neill Blomkamp of District 9 and Chappie fame) looks to carry that tradition forward. It’s based on the true story of a teenager who got so good at the Gran Turismo games that he was able to win real-life races, which is both completely preposterous and shockingly real. If you like cars, this seems like the movie for you.
Plus, it’s got David Harbour in it and that’s never a bad thing.
Gran Turismo hits theaters on Aug. 11.
Wireless console gaming?
Beautiful. Pristine. Flawless.
Credit: LG
Last but not least, LG debuted a TV that isn’t specifically aimed at gamers, but could be a godsend for those of us who hate wrestling with cables as we plug three different consoles into the same picture box.
The LG M3 is a 97-inch behemoth concept TV with, again, no price or release date. But what it does have is a novel approach to cable management. You see, there are no ports on the TV itself. Instead, there’s a wireless receiver box with ports on it that you can place anywhere in the same room.
Want to keep all your consoles nestled in a corner where nobody can see them? The M3 (theoretically) allows that. Latency will be a big concern if this thing ever hits the market, but for now, it’s fun to dream about a world where our TVs don’t have to have 19 different cables coming out of them.
