**CES 2023: A Year of Innovation and Experimentation**

As I sat through the keynote at CES this year, one thing that caught my attention wasn't even related to Virtual Reality (VR). Razer's project, Carol, was on display as a vibrating sound headrest that can be attached to a desk chair. This innovative product uses near-field surround sound technology to create an immersive audio experience without the need for speakers. While I'm not sure if this will become a mass-market product, it's certainly an interesting concept that could revolutionize the way we experience sound in our homes.

The idea of haptics, or the ability to control and input things beyond just controllers, is also gaining traction. This technology has the potential to change the way we interact with virtual objects and environments. I had the chance to try out a pair of haptic gloves that work with Oculus Quest, which provided a unique sense of feedback but didn't quite reach the level of pressure-based feedback that some of the more advanced systems I saw at the show. However, I was impressed by the potential of these technologies to enhance our VR experiences.

I also had the opportunity to try out a device called Ultraleaf, which uses ultrasound to create a buzzing feedback effect when you pass your hand over a sensor. This technology has the potential to be used in a variety of applications, including virtual reality headsets. While it's still in its early stages, I was excited to see where this technology could go and how it might be used to enhance our VR experiences.

**The Future of Haptics**

As we move forward into the world of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), haptics is going to play an increasingly important role. The ability to feel tactile feedback will be crucial for creating immersive experiences that simulate real-world interactions. I saw a number of demonstrations at CES that showcased this technology, from pressure-based systems that use massive backpacks to smaller, more affordable options that use vibral tactile feedback.

One of the most exciting developments I saw was the potential for haptics to be used in standalone VR headsets. A company called HaptX is working on a system that uses micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) to create a pressure-based feedback experience that's similar to traditional gaming controllers. The goal is to make this technology small enough to wear on your hands, allowing you to interact with virtual objects in a more intuitive way.

**The Metaverse and the Future of VR**

As we look to the future of VR and AR, there are many questions about where these technologies will go. Will they become ubiquitous and revolutionize the way we experience entertainment, education, and communication? Or will they remain niche products that appeal only to a select few?

I was intrigued by the prospect of error glasses, which use micro-LED displays to create a see-through screen. These devices are small enough to wear on your face, but powerful enough to run complex software applications. It's clear that these technologies are still in their early stages, and it'll take a couple of years for them to mature.

However, the potential for error glasses to transform the way we experience virtual reality is enormous. Imagine being able to see and interact with virtual objects in a seamless way, without the need for cumbersome headsets or controllers. It's a tantalizing prospect that could revolutionize the way we work, play, and communicate.

**The Big Players**

As I looked around at the various booths and exhibits at CES, it was clear that some of the big players were absent from the show. Meta, Apple, Google, and Samsung were all noticeably absent, which may be due to a variety of factors including the fact that they're typically more secretive about their plans.

However, I did see some interesting products and demonstrations from other companies that could potentially shape the future of VR and AR. From vuzix's tiny micro-LED displays to Ultraleaf's innovative use of ultrasound technology, it's clear that there are many talented innovators working on these technologies.

As we look to the future, it's exciting to think about what these technologies might bring. Will they revolutionize the way we experience entertainment and education? Or will they remain niche products that appeal only to a select few? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: CES 2023 was a showcase of innovation and experimentation that will leave us eagerly anticipating what's next.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe metaverse what is it where's it going who's using it how do we Define it nobody really knows I mean right now we're at a point where everybody's trying to figure out this immersive future their definitions of the metaverse but a lot of it is software and a lot of it is still emerging Hardware we're at the beginning of 2023 where a lot of devices like PlayStation VR 2 the quest 3 Apple's expected headset are supposed to arrive this year and a whole bunch of others we don't know a lot a lot of that stuff yet but we are getting Peaks at what some of the players around the landscape are thinking about and here's what we're starting to notice aside from the questions of the metaverse there's a lot of interactive stuff and a lot of Concepts that are pointing to some things that we're getting to think about I also tried some really weird stuff too like this crazy control chair that put me in a mech suit that I could push forward on and it was supposed to help me with motion sickness and I don't know it could be good in an arcade I wanted to hunt out a couple of particular things that I had heard about first mixed reality headsets and Hardware two things caught my eye one is the lynx R1 this is a startup small company that makes a little tiny flip down AR headset mixed reality headset that's now shipping unlike something like the metaquest pro this is really small and has a tiny flip down visor that fits really nicely over my glasses also it's not quite the same level of mixed reality um that I saw on the quest Pro but it's good enough to use color pass through cameras layer things on top of it and you know possibly do it in a much smaller size I also took a look at the pimax portal this company you've never heard of that's making a Nintendo switch meets VR device that has a switch-like tablet that's an Android gaming device that will detach and go into a set of VR goggles this reminds me the server stuff that you would have seen back in the days of gear VR but pimax is a VR company that's looking to optimize this to work better I just think it's an interesting idea because what if future Nintendo switches or other types of devices start doing this better maybe that phone tablet VR comes back I'm also really interested in haptics and inputs there's a lot of that here at CES one thing I saw that isn't really VR at all is the Razer project Carol project Carol is a vibrating sound headrest that goes on the back of a desk chair it's razer's you know new secret project idea that may not really come to Market or may come to Market soon it's it's something to create like near field surround I wanted to check it out I sat back in a chair sounded really nice felt comfortable the movie sounded good I wanted to nap I actually it feels like it makes sense if you don't want to set up speakers in your home I don't know what it'll cost I don't know when it'll come out haptics the idea of being able to control or input things Beyond just controllers is something that will start to become a question as we do things like AR glasses or think about how to walk around and interact with things I saw things on three ends of the spectrum haptics makes these massive eighty thousand dollar pressure-based liquid pneumatic resistance rigs that I put on my hands and I played VR Jenga it's crazy experience it's weird it feels like with 133 different pressure zones then it's like touching you with fingers and I could feel stuff on my hand and I played with someone else and I felt their finger against my hand and my finger bent back weirdly but I could feel it anyway it's very extra sensory but this type of Technology requires a massive pressure backpack although haptics is going to be making a pair of Standalone five thousand dollar ones what a bargain that will be coming out that will allow you to interact with with things on the go the goal is to make these smaller this is kind of like the the dream goal for for haptics then you get into more affordable uh ones that use sort of a vibral tactile type of a buzzing feedback be haptics the tack gloves are ones that are are much smaller about three hundred dollars and they work with the quest too they're really cool they do give a sense of feedback however they don't do any of that cool pressure-based feedback all around your hand they're just giving you a little buzz but if you press a button you do things like that they actually do give a sense of feedback but what about no haptic gloves at all Ultra Leaf has a demonstration they've been showing for years of using ultrasound or Ultrasonics to give you a sense of vibrating feedback when you pass your hand over a sensor this type of technology is almost like some super powered version of holding your hand over a fan you know you can kind of feel blasts of stuff that begin to create a buzzing feedback now right now Ultra leap is putting this technology into cars or they're looking for other types of interfaces it's quite an array to assemble but what if this technology were to go into headsets what if you could actually project that field out and then as you were to interact with stuff get little buzzing bits of feedback that let me know when I'm doing stuff right now when you do hand tracking and Via ER and AR it's hard to tell when you're there right when you did it wrong I think the goal is that eventually you could put this in headsets that's what Ultra leap wants to do but when you'd have to shrink it down even further and figure out how not to over tax the battery and those are some of the wildest Things that I saw at the show and they got me thinking about the future I mean sure you've got crazy panoramic displays hovering Holograms roller coaster rides and things like that and we didn't give in to the fact that you're at a show like this and none of the big players are here you know where's meta where's Apple obviously where's Google that's still laying quiet what about Samsung all these people in the landscape that are going to be making different projects and different products that will start to determine where we're going I didn't get into Microsoft or Amazon but these players around that are showing where the thinking is going and plus what about error glasses they're getting smaller much smaller I looked at a pair from vuzix that was using micro LED and they are as light and as small as my glasses which is crazy and they really felt tiny and I think they're going to get tinier so they're going to get small but how powerful would they be will they be able to run off your phone that's going to take a couple of years but we're getting closer and as far as the rest of the software in the metaverse it's a wait and see so those are some observations and thoughts at the very beginning of 2023 there's a whole bunch more to come what do you find interesting what do you find fascinating what do you find annoying let us know Below in the comments make sure to like And subscribe thanks for watchingthe metaverse what is it where's it going who's using it how do we Define it nobody really knows I mean right now we're at a point where everybody's trying to figure out this immersive future their definitions of the metaverse but a lot of it is software and a lot of it is still emerging Hardware we're at the beginning of 2023 where a lot of devices like PlayStation VR 2 the quest 3 Apple's expected headset are supposed to arrive this year and a whole bunch of others we don't know a lot a lot of that stuff yet but we are getting Peaks at what some of the players around the landscape are thinking about and here's what we're starting to notice aside from the questions of the metaverse there's a lot of interactive stuff and a lot of Concepts that are pointing to some things that we're getting to think about I also tried some really weird stuff too like this crazy control chair that put me in a mech suit that I could push forward on and it was supposed to help me with motion sickness and I don't know it could be good in an arcade I wanted to hunt out a couple of particular things that I had heard about first mixed reality headsets and Hardware two things caught my eye one is the lynx R1 this is a startup small company that makes a little tiny flip down AR headset mixed reality headset that's now shipping unlike something like the metaquest pro this is really small and has a tiny flip down visor that fits really nicely over my glasses also it's not quite the same level of mixed reality um that I saw on the quest Pro but it's good enough to use color pass through cameras layer things on top of it and you know possibly do it in a much smaller size I also took a look at the pimax portal this company you've never heard of that's making a Nintendo switch meets VR device that has a switch-like tablet that's an Android gaming device that will detach and go into a set of VR goggles this reminds me the server stuff that you would have seen back in the days of gear VR but pimax is a VR company that's looking to optimize this to work better I just think it's an interesting idea because what if future Nintendo switches or other types of devices start doing this better maybe that phone tablet VR comes back I'm also really interested in haptics and inputs there's a lot of that here at CES one thing I saw that isn't really VR at all is the Razer project Carol project Carol is a vibrating sound headrest that goes on the back of a desk chair it's razer's you know new secret project idea that may not really come to Market or may come to Market soon it's it's something to create like near field surround I wanted to check it out I sat back in a chair sounded really nice felt comfortable the movie sounded good I wanted to nap I actually it feels like it makes sense if you don't want to set up speakers in your home I don't know what it'll cost I don't know when it'll come out haptics the idea of being able to control or input things Beyond just controllers is something that will start to become a question as we do things like AR glasses or think about how to walk around and interact with things I saw things on three ends of the spectrum haptics makes these massive eighty thousand dollar pressure-based liquid pneumatic resistance rigs that I put on my hands and I played VR Jenga it's crazy experience it's weird it feels like with 133 different pressure zones then it's like touching you with fingers and I could feel stuff on my hand and I played with someone else and I felt their finger against my hand and my finger bent back weirdly but I could feel it anyway it's very extra sensory but this type of Technology requires a massive pressure backpack although haptics is going to be making a pair of Standalone five thousand dollar ones what a bargain that will be coming out that will allow you to interact with with things on the go the goal is to make these smaller this is kind of like the the dream goal for for haptics then you get into more affordable uh ones that use sort of a vibral tactile type of a buzzing feedback be haptics the tack gloves are ones that are are much smaller about three hundred dollars and they work with the quest too they're really cool they do give a sense of feedback however they don't do any of that cool pressure-based feedback all around your hand they're just giving you a little buzz but if you press a button you do things like that they actually do give a sense of feedback but what about no haptic gloves at all Ultra Leaf has a demonstration they've been showing for years of using ultrasound or Ultrasonics to give you a sense of vibrating feedback when you pass your hand over a sensor this type of technology is almost like some super powered version of holding your hand over a fan you know you can kind of feel blasts of stuff that begin to create a buzzing feedback now right now Ultra leap is putting this technology into cars or they're looking for other types of interfaces it's quite an array to assemble but what if this technology were to go into headsets what if you could actually project that field out and then as you were to interact with stuff get little buzzing bits of feedback that let me know when I'm doing stuff right now when you do hand tracking and Via ER and AR it's hard to tell when you're there right when you did it wrong I think the goal is that eventually you could put this in headsets that's what Ultra leap wants to do but when you'd have to shrink it down even further and figure out how not to over tax the battery and those are some of the wildest Things that I saw at the show and they got me thinking about the future I mean sure you've got crazy panoramic displays hovering Holograms roller coaster rides and things like that and we didn't give in to the fact that you're at a show like this and none of the big players are here you know where's meta where's Apple obviously where's Google that's still laying quiet what about Samsung all these people in the landscape that are going to be making different projects and different products that will start to determine where we're going I didn't get into Microsoft or Amazon but these players around that are showing where the thinking is going and plus what about error glasses they're getting smaller much smaller I looked at a pair from vuzix that was using micro LED and they are as light and as small as my glasses which is crazy and they really felt tiny and I think they're going to get tinier so they're going to get small but how powerful would they be will they be able to run off your phone that's going to take a couple of years but we're getting closer and as far as the rest of the software in the metaverse it's a wait and see so those are some observations and thoughts at the very beginning of 2023 there's a whole bunch more to come what do you find interesting what do you find fascinating what do you find annoying let us know Below in the comments make sure to like And subscribe thanks for watching\n"