The Better of CES 2026 – and Some Weird and Wonderful Devices, Too

It’s CES time once more, which suggests one other version of our annual roundup of probably the most eye-catching devices seasoned with a serving to of bizarre tech. I’m positive it is going to come as no shock that robots, AI, and TVs are among the most outstanding themes at CES in 2026, however there’s much more, so buckle in for a tour of what to anticipate from the gadget world within the coming months.

AR Glasses

I first tried Xreal AR glasses shortly earlier than the Vision Pro was launched. The expertise on the time wasn’t nice, however you might see the potential for what has turned out to be one of many Vision Pro’s biggest strengths: engaged on an enormous digital show. There’s additionally loads of potential for gaming.

It appears just like the tech behind AR glasses is lastly getting to a degree the place I could dip in once more this yr. Xreal up to date and reduced the price of its entry-level 1S glasses, which can make the class accessible to extra folks.

The firm additionally launched the Neo dock, a ten,000 mAh battery that additionally serves as a hub for connecting a recreation console or different system to its AR glasses. Notably, the Neo is appropriate with the Nintendo Switch 2, which caught my eye instantly.

For its half, Viture is releasing The Beast subsequent month. The $549 AR glasses supply a 58-degree area of view, electrochromic tint with 9 adjustment ranges, and a built-in digital camera, they usually weigh solely 96 grams. Unfortunately, The Beast doesn’t embody built-in nearsightedness correction, so you might want prescription lenses, too.

Rokid goes extra Meta with the Style, a pair of glasses that helps prescription lenses and makes use of a built-in Qualcomm chip for AI and taking images and movies with a 12MP digital camera. At $300, the glasses, which will likely be out in slightly below two weeks, are far more reasonably priced than Xreal and Viture’s glasses, however they’re additionally serving a really completely different viewers.

I’m not completely offered on AR glasses but, however Xreal and Viture have made strides which have me intrigued once more. Their performance is restricted, however there’s so much to be mentioned for an enormous digital display that you may take with you.

The Smart Home

Just like final yr, Aqara is displaying off a bunch of new smart home devices, together with the U400, the primary good lock to function Apple’s ultra-wideband performance. With UWB in-built, the $269.99 U400 will have the ability to sense once you method your door from the skin and unlock it for you once you’re inside six ft of the door. This is tech that I’ve been impatiently ready for since I moved into our new home, and I can’t wait to get my fingers on it.

Aqara additionally confirmed off the FP400, an replace to the corporate’s mmWave wired presence sensor; a thermostat that helps Wi-Fi, Thread, and Zigbee; the corporate’s first Matter-compatible digital camera, which appears like a rabbit; and the P100 Spatial Multi-State Sensor, a high-precision sensor with 9-axis sensing and built-in algorithms that may sense issues like door openings, knocks, and extra.

SwitchBot throws a lot at the wall yearly at CES, and 2026 is not any completely different. The firm, finest identified for gizmos that press buttons and flip switches, is displaying off:

• a humanoid robotic that improbably claims to have the ability to fold laundry, fetch you bottled water, and make you breakfast,
• locks that unlock by way of facial recognition,
• a squat, rectangular robotic that may play tennis,
• a desk lamp that appears like a retro pixel snowglobe,
• an AI lapel pin to creep out your family and friends,
• an e-ink climate station that’s harking back to the TRMNL, and
• a colour e-ink image body.

UGREEN is expanding into the smart home this yr, too, with indoor, out of doors, and doorbell cameras. There’s no phrase on the out of doors digital camera’s decision, however the indoor fashions are 4K, as is the doorbell, and all the cameras will work with UGREEN’s SynCare Smart Display D500 and retailer information domestically utilizing UGREEN NASync. The firm hasn’t mentioned which good house applied sciences will likely be supported, nor has it introduced pricing or availability. My guess is that these merchandise are a great distance off nonetheless however price keeping track of.

Narwal introduced the Flow 2 robot vacuum and mop at CES this yr, which provides a few 1080p cameras to the system. That’s good to see, and I’ll have an interest to learn the way properly it really works as a result of, as I famous in my assessment of the Freo X10 Pro, certainly one of its solely downsides in comparison with my older Roomba is that as a result of it depends on LiDAR, the Freo X10 Pro doesn’t see cords and cables as properly.

Gaming

As we lately predicted on NPC XL, we’ll see much more of AMD’s Strix Halo chips in gaming handhelds sooner or later. To date, the adoption has been restricted as a result of the chips run so sizzling that some producers resorted to separate battery packs to handle warmth.

However, with the new lower-end Ryzen AI Max Plus chips (the 392 has 12 cores, and the 388 has 8 cores), AMD is particularly concentrating on handhelds. Although they’ve fewer CPU cores, the chips have the identical graphics compute models because the higher-end chip in my mini PC, which ought to permit them to push loads of pixels, albeit in gadgets that can undoubtedly value over $1,000.

NVIDIA additionally introduced that its recreation streaming service, GeForce NOW, is coming to Linux and Fire TV. I can’t say I’m too excited in regards to the Fire TV, however the service is constructed into my LG TV, which does give it a sure Netflix-like comfort of being related to all my screens. But what’s actually attention-grabbing is the Linux introduction. That strikes me as preparation for Valve’s upcoming Steam Machine. It wasn’t that way back that NVIDIA added official GeForce NOW help for the Steam Deck, so it appears possible we’ll see the app on the Steam Machine too.

I’m additionally eager to strive 8BitDo’s FlipPad iPhone controller accessory that attaches by way of USB-C and folds as much as lay flat towards your iPhone, trying a bit like a Game Boy. There have been earlier makes an attempt at one thing much like this with extra within the works, all of which we’ve lined on NPC, however 8BitDo’s monitor file of manufacturing good controllers makes me optimistic that this could be the perfect of the bunch for emulating previous methods in portrait mode. Sadly, it received’t be out till this summer time.

Weird and Wonderful

I’ve handy it to Dell. Computer screens don’t often make my bizarre listing, however a 52” 6K display that prices $2,900 suits the invoice. My neck hurts simply trying on the images. It’s additionally a Thunderbolt hub and KVM swap. It doesn’t actually have the type of specs you’d count on from a gaming show, however you might all the time watch TV out of your sofa after which KVM over to a mini PC to indicate off your Excel expertise, I suppose.

There are robots throughout CES this yr, however Agibot’s can dance, in order that’s the one I need. It additionally is available in two sizes in case you favor hobbit-sized bots.

Mui Board is a plank of wooden you should utilize to manage your good house. I just like the pure wooden look, however what am I presupposed to do with this? Mount it on the wall with a dangling twine, as you possibly can see from the picture in this story from The Verge, or go away a random piece of wooden mendacity on the espresso desk like a carpenter got here by and left it behind? Knock on wooden that this factor truly will get launched sometime after displaying up at CES for the past seven years.

Do you bear in mind the “nib nib” cat that chewed in your fingers, the headless cat pillow, or the pillow that breathed? Well, the corporate that introduced you all of these CES classics is again with Baby FuFu, a faceless bear that blows air at infants. Like all of Yukai Engineering’s CES reveals, it’s vaguely creepy and appears designed to draw little fingers. My children are too huge, so perhaps I’ll get one for Myke to check – you recognize, “for the content.”

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Of every part proven off at CES thus far, I’m most instantly enthusiastic about Aqara’s U400 deadbolt lock. Based on Jennifer Pattison Tuohy’s hands-on story for The Verge, it seems like an enormous enchancment over older good lock know-how.

I’m additionally very curious about what handheld firms will do with AMD’s cheaper Strix Halo chipset. To date, Strix Halo handhelds have been too huge and too costly for my style, and whereas I’m positive gadgets with the brand new chips will nonetheless carry a premium value, it ought to be a step in the suitable route towards balancing measurement, energy, and value.

It’s good to have devices again. There was an extended dry spell when every part was diminished to apps. Don’t get me improper: I’m a fan of apps, however devices are nice, too, even after they’re principally pie-in-the-sky vaporware or simply plain bizarre. CES is simply getting began. Tune into the subsequent episode of MacStories Unwind for extra of my finds.