Scary Gaming AI, Solar-powered Hats, Extendable Laptops & Much More!

One day down! CES 2025 is well on its way, and companies from all around the world are showcasing their best tech, their most ambitious ideas, and their… creepiest AI-powered gaming coaches? That’s right! We’ve seen some rather interesting announcements from top tech brands, and it can be hard to keep up with everything. So, here’s a rundown of some of the most interesting tech announcements from the first day of CES.

Razer’s AI can help you game… but has a creepy vibe

It’s no surprise that many of the companies announcing tech have unveiled some sort of AI tech. Among the companies showing off their new AI, there’s the gaming company Razer. Known for its hardware, the company ventured into new territory with Project Ava. Project Ava is an AI assistant that will live on your computer. It’s important to note that this is a concept at the moment, so you shouldn’t expect a launch soon. For all we know, we might see it at next year’s CES.

So, who is Ava? She’s your personal AI gaming coach. According to Razer’s vision, Ava will be able to analyze your gaming in real-time. While it’s doing that, it will be able to give you advice on what to do right in the moment. If you’re fighting a boss, it will tell you what moves to perform and when. If you’re playing an FPS, it will give you hints on what to do next.

This sounds like something out of a sci-fi film, but then again, so does pretty much every AI product since ChatGPT hit the market. Adding to Ava’s utility, the chatbot will be able to do post-match analysis. This means that it will look at your performance during a match and tell you how you did. Ava will be trained on data from the top players, so it will likely give you good advice.

The only thing is that it has this rather unsettling robotic voice that has the vibe of a sinister AI in a sci-fi movie. Ya know, the kind of AI that eventually wants to wipe out the human race. What makes it worse is some of the things it says in the announcement trailer. We hear things like “My knowledge is limitless” and “By analyzing millions of simulations within seconds, I will always have an answer…” Doesn’t that give you iRobot vibes?

LG’s air purifier can tell you how lazy your cat is

We know LG for several things: amazing displays, smart home devices, and rather strange devices that only eccentric wealthy folks will buy. Indeed, LG is no stranger to the stranger side of tech, and this product reaffirms that.

Meet the LG AeroCatTower. It’s an air purifier, so it’s tasked with the duty of cleaning up the air in your home. It will take in dusty or dirty air and push out fresh clean air. That’s the core functionality of an air purifier.

What makes this device unique is the fact that it doubles as a cat perch. Let’s be honest, pretty much ANYTHING can double as a cat perch because cats can climb onto and sleep on any surface. However, this device is specially designed for your furry friend. It’s specifically shaped to be comfortable for your cat, so it’s likely to feel at home here.

LG went the extra mile to make the AeroCatTower as much for your cat as it is for you. It actually has built-in tech that can monitor your cat’s health. It will monitor your cat’s weight and tell you if your cat is gaining or losing weight. Along with that, it can also keep track of how long your cat spends sleeping. If your cat falls asleep on the tower, it will switch to a lower-powered state so that it makes less noise.

We don’t know how much this device will cost, but we’re sure that it will cost a pretty penny. We’re sure that it will be worth it for cat lovers.

This hat can keep you cool while charging your phone

EcoFlow is a company supplying power to many homes around the world, and the company also made a stop at CES. While its devices are typically designed to power your home, its latest piece of tech is designed to power YOU. Breaking away from its typical slew of power stations and solar panels, EcoFlow just showed off a solar-powered hat.

That word combination sounds rather odd, but EcoFlow has a rather useful device on its hands, and hopefully, you’ll have it on your head. Named the EcoFlow Power Hat, this device/fashion piece is pretty straightforward. It’s a typical outdoor hat that’s designed to block as much sunlight as possible. It has a large brim that extends a fair bit from the hat and completely surrounds it. It’s enough to completely block the sun at certain times of the day.

There’s something special about the brim, however. It’s divided into eight sections, and each section has a small solar panel. These panels supply electricity to two USB charging ports under it. The EcoFlow Power Hat is primarily designed to charge your phone when you’re out. It’s able to charge up to two devices at a time, and it can output up to 5V/2.4A (12W). Obviously, that’s not exactly fast-charging, but it can come in handy when you’re in a pinch. Maybe, you’re at the beach, and your phone is dying.

What happens if it rains? Well, the EcoFlow Power Hat has an IP65 water and dust resistance rating. This means that it can withstand some rain like a light drizzle. However, we don’t recommend taking it out in a downpour. Speaking of ratings, it’s UPF50+ for sun and UV protection.

The EcoFlow Power Hat is available to buy today. If you want it, it will set you back $129.

This is the pool cleaning robot of your dreams

One rather interesting device to come from CES is the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra. This is a 5-in-1 pool cleaning robot that addresses the issues you’d see with other pool-cleaning robots. It comes with a bevy of brushes that can properly sweep up debris and dirt in and around your pool. This way, you can be sure that you’ll come out to a clean pool when it’s time to go for a swim.

Adding to this device’s utility, there are a whopping 27 sensors onboard. These are crucial for the robot to detect its surroundings. Most typical pool cleaning robots can’t really see the world around them. This means that, if they run across a pool that’s not regularly shaped, they won’t be able to properly clean it. This results in missed spots and debris in your pool. However, the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra can properly see around itself, so it will be able to map out its surroundings and hit every corner of your pool, no matter how it’s shaped.

Among the sensors, there’s an AI camera that can recognize the objects. It can recognize debris like leaves and identify them. As time goes on, it’ll train itself on more types of debris and get even better.

The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra will go on sale on January 24, and it’ll cost $3,450.

This laptop can extend its screen

One of the more futuristic devices to show up at CES is the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable. That’s a mouthful, but that’s not all it is. This is an Intel Core Ultra 9-powered beast of a laptop with up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM and 3TB of SSD storage.

It comes with a Thunderbolt 4 port, five USB-A ports, a USB-C port, two HDMI ports (version 2.1 and version 1.4), a display 1.4 port, a card reader, a headphone jack, and an Ethernet port. As for the display, it has a good-looking QHD IPS panel. Rounding out the specs, there’s Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and Wi-Fi 7 support. So, it’s a powerful computer, but what makes it unique?

Well, that display that was just mentioned can actually extend! When you activate the mechanism, the top part of the display will move upward, allowing the display to grow to a large 16.7 inches. This is something that Lenovo has been showing off since 2022, and it’s finally ready to hit the market.

After the screen fully extends, it will give you 50% more screen real estate, making for a square-ish aspect ratio. Looking at the image above, you see two applications stacked one on top of the other. It’s the opposite of an ultrawide display that allows you to place apps side-by-side.

Coming in at 3.72lb, this device is still pretty light compared to the competition. The Macbook Pro 14 is only 0.22lb lighter than it. So, you won’t have to worry about traveling with it.

If you want to buy this computer, you’ll be paying Apple Vision Pro money. It costs $3,499, and that’s the cheapest model. So, if you REALLY need an extendable screen on your laptop, you’ll be paying some serious money. The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable will go on sale later this quarter.

Lenovo’s gaming console is the best of both worlds

Move over, Steam Deck! Lenovo has established itself as a competitor with the Legion Go handheld gaming console. It’s a great piece of technology, but the company has unveiled its latest model in the line, and this one has a pretty neat advantage for people who want it all (well, people who just want to play a bunch of games).

The Lenovo Legion Go S is a handheld gaming console that runs PC games just like the Steam Deck. You can run AAA titles on it, which is pretty great. Obviously, it’s not as powerful as a dedicated gaming desktop. However, it’s perfect for some gaming on the go.

What made the original Legion Go different from the Steam Deck is the fact that it ran Windows rather than Steam OS. This basically makes it a portable desktop. The Legion Go S also runs Windows 11, but there’s also a version of the device that runs Steam OS. This is pretty significant, as many gamers are pretty particular about the operating system they’re using. Different operating systems behave differently and they handle anti-cheat software in different ways. So, if you’re not happy with Windows as a gaming operating system, you can opt for the Steam OS version. This is also good for Steam Deck owners who are thinking of switching over to the Legion. They’ll feel more at home with a familiar operating system.

Moving onto the processors, you’ll have the option between the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme and the AMD Ryzen Z2 Go. The former powered the first Legion Go. This is backed up by 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of storage. As for the display, it has an 8-inch 1080p display. Powering this device, there’s a 55.5Wh battery which can charge up to 80% in just an hour. Also, there are two USB 4 ports, a headphone jack, and a MicroSD card reader.

As for the price, the Windows version will run you $729.99 and it will hit the market in January. However, the Steam OS version costs 31% less at $499.99, and it will hit the market in May.

This toaster can charge your phone in seconds

Rounding out the list of interesting Day-one CES announcements, we have the Swippitt. This is a device that can double your phone’s battery life in just two seconds. That sounds like magic, but it’s not. Do you recall those charger cases that were all the rage around the mid to late 2010s? These were cases with batteries built right into them. Well, the Swippitt pretty much revitalizes that concept while adding an interesting spin to it.

The Swippitt has three primary components. Firstly, there’s the case. Called the Swippitt Link, the case has a protrusion on the back that houses the external battery. When the battery is in the case, it will charge your phone.

Once the battery is depleted, this is where the Swippitt Hub comes in. The hub is the device that looks like a toaster. You’ll place your phone into the hub and it will automatically swap out the depleted battery for a fresh one. The process only takes a couple of seconds, and you’ll be able to be on your way promptly. Each battery has a 3,500mAh capacity, which isn’t large by today’s standards, but it’s enough to add serious mileage to your battery life.

If you’re planning on picking up this device, you’re going to have to dig deeply into your wallet. The Swippitt Link costs $120. It comes with one battery, so you can use it separately. You’ll just need to manually swap and charge the battery. However, if you want the full experience, then you can pick up the Swippitt Hub for an additional $450. This comes with five batteries.

At the time of writing this, the company is offering 30% off of the entire purchase with an extra $100 off as a CES special. This means that you could get the full package for under $400 if you take advantage of the offers.