CES 2026 didn't disappoint when it came to spectacle, but the most important gaming and AR announcements weren't about brute-force specs. Instead, the show highlighted a clear industry pivot: adaptive hardware, immersive form factors, and AI companions designed to change how players interact with games beyond the screen.
From rollable laptops to holographic AI assistants, this year's CES felt less like a hardware arms race and more like a glimpse into gaming's next evolution
1. Lenovo Changes Portable Gaming With Rollable Displays
Lenovo delivered one of CES 2026's most talked-about concepts with the Legion Pro Rollable, a high-end gaming laptop featuring a horizontally expanding display. Starting at 16 inches, the screen stretches to 21.5 inches and up to 24 inches, on demand.
Built with esports athletes and competitive gamers in mind, the design caters to multiple use cases: compact portability for travel, expanded real estate for training, and tournament-ready immersion without external monitors. It's a bold rethink of what a "portable" gaming rig can be.
Lenovo also leaned hard into versatility across its lineup. The Legion Go running SteamOS pushes handheld gaming closer to desktop-level experiences, while the Legion 7a, powered by AMD Ryzen AI 400 Series processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50-series GPUs, targets gamers and creators who demand high-performance multitasking driven by on-device AI.
2. RayNeo Air 4 Pro Sets a New Bar for AR Gaming Glasses
AR eyewear quietly had one of its strongest showings yet, led by the RayNeo Air 4 Pro. Marketed as the world's first HDR10-enabled smart glasses, the device packs serious specs into a lightweight frame.
With 1,200 nits of peak brightness, a 120Hz refresh rate, and spatial audio tuned by Bang & Olufsen, the Air 4 Pro delivers an immersive gaming and media experience without the bulk typically associated with AR hardware.
Weighing just 76 grams, it reinforces a key CES 2026 message: immersion no longer needs to feel heavy or look awkward
3. Razer Project Ava Introduces AI as a Gaming Companion
Perhaps the most futuristic reveal came from Razer. Project Ava transforms AI from a background feature into a physical presence, a cylindrical desktop device topped with a 5.5-inch animated holographic character.
Designed as a real-time gaming co-pilot, Ava offers live strategy tips, gameplay analysis, and coaching tailored to the player. Customizable avatars like Kira and Zane, influencer collaborations, and expanded productivity features push Ava beyond gaming alone. It's meant to sit beside your monitor, reacting, advising, and evolving with you.
CES 2026 Signals a New Direction for Gaming Hardware
Taken together, CES 2026 showed that gaming hardware is no longer just about performance metrics. The future lies in adaptive form factors, AI-driven interaction, and persistent digital companions that blur the line between device and teammate.
