> At a Glance
> – CES 2026 opens January 5 in Las Vegas with 150,000 expected attendees
> – Show debuted iconic tech like VCRs, Atari 2600, Newton PDA and 292-inch Samsung Wall
> – Despite rival launches, CES remains the launchpad for tomorrow’s mainstream gadgets
> – Why it matters: The gizmos that flop or flourish here foreshadow how we’ll live, play and work
CES has spent nearly six decades turning wild concepts into everyday essentials. From the first color-TVs-with-chips in 1967 to last year’s folding 132-inch, $200,000 screen, the show repeatedly previews the future-usually years before that future lands on store shelves.
The Giant Screens That Started It All
In 2020 a Marcus L. Bennett from News Of Los Angeles stepped behind a half-built Samsung stage and gasped at The Wall: a 292-inch micro-LED TV brighter than a cinema screen. That moment echoed CES 1967, when exhibitors first touted color sets with integrated circuits-microchips that would later power every laptop and phone.
TVs still dominate the floor:
- 2024: LG’s OLED tunnels and C-Seed’s foldable colossus
- 2025 survey: nearly half of buyers want a screen larger than 65 inches
- TCL exec advice: “Buy one size bigger than you think you need”
Yet prices have crashed; the CTA’s Gary Shapiro jokes sets are “cheaper than wallpaper,” so CES buzz now centers on newer categories.
When CES Invented Time-Shifted TV
Philips’ 1970 N1500 VCR let viewers record broadcasts onto cassettes, seeding the idea of “watch whenever you want.” The price? £600-about $13,000 today. VHS (launched at CES 1977) eventually beat Betamax, leading to:
- Blockbuster-era home video
- DVRs such as TiVo that auto-skip commercials
- Cloud DVRs inside Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu Live-first demoed at CES 2015
Consoles That Took Gaming Home
Atari’s 1977 VCS (later 2600) debuted at CES months before Star Wars hit theaters. It sold 30 million units and birthed the home-console business. Follow-ups unveiled on the same show floor:
- Nintendo Entertainment System, June CES 1985
- Microsoft Xbox, Bill Gates keynote 2001
- After E3’s launch in 1995, major console makers drifted to their own events, but PC and VR gaming hardware still premieres in Vegas every January.
The Newton That Paved the Way for iPhone
Apple’s lone CES splash came in 1992 when CEO John Sculley unveiled the Newton MessagePad. The PDA introduced:
- Handwritten notes converted to text
- Fax and email on the go
- A $700 price (≈ $1,500 now)
Handwriting bugs and high cost sank Newton, but its DNA survives in every smartphone. Palm Pre tried a similar CES comeback in 2009, winning Best in Show before Apple itself upstaged CES in 2011 by announcing Verizon’s iPhone in New York during the show.
CES 2026: Where Concepts Become Commonplace
From January 5, expect:
- Household robotics and AI health aides
- Electric aircraft and autonomous shuttles
- Salt spoons, smart mirrors and other oddities
Most will flop; some will ship; a handful will redefine daily life. The road from booth curiosity to living-room staple is long, but it reliably starts in Las Vegas.
Key Takeaways
- 4,500-plus exhibitors will vie for attention at CES 2026
- HDTV, VCRs, game consoles, DVRs and streaming all premiered here before reshaping entertainment
- Giant TVs once drove headlines; today affordable 65-inch+ sets are routine, so focus shifts to AI, robotics and mobility
- Even as Apple, Sony and others host solo events, CES endures because breakthrough hardware still needs a stage
Whether you crave impossible lobster or flying robot AI cars, CES remains the crystal ball for gadget lovers-and the proving ground for the next big thing.
