Best of CES 2017 Awards - GAMbIT Magazine

RetroBit does some pretty neat things into video game space, especially with regards to the retro consoles. The Super Retro Boy is not only their newest offering, but it's also bringing back some old --The Game Boy.

The device is sure to hit you with those nostalgic feels as it looks like the classic Game Boy only much slimmer. In fact, I was surprised when we got our hands on a unit with just how thing it was. The unit feels great in the hands and features a really nice screen. I still have my old original Game Boy and while I love playing it from time to time, I don't mostly because of how poor the screen has become.

The Super Retro Boy fixes this issue while feeling nice in the hands. If you notice the photos you'll see that it features 4-buttons instead of the usual two on the Game Boy. This is not a mistake as the unit plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games. What the RetroTrio did for classic games at home, the Super Retro Boy looks to do with the portable fare.

The best thing about this though is the slim form factor that makes tossing it in a bag or slipping it into your pocket really easy. RetroBit also claim that the device will run for 10 hours on a single charge (via MircoUSB), so you should be able to get some serious game time in. Even better is that RetroBit is bundling in a 10-in-1 cartridge so you'll have games to play straight away.

RetroBit states that the Super Retro Boy should be hitting the market this August with at the pretty reasonable price of $79.99.

Okay, so I'm sure you expected this entry to be about some fancy new television prototype but to be honest, we weren't all that impressed this year with what we saw. Sure, there were 8K screens and televisions so thin you can mount them into panes of glass, but nothing game-changing at a consumer level.

What might be game-changing is the new 'Live Tv' service that Hulu look to be bringing to market in the near future. There are already offering from Sling TV (we reviewed the serve when it launched) and PlayStation Vue, with even some traditional cable providers doing their own thing. But Hulu already has the subscriber base and love from 'cord-cutters' that other services don't

What the company is looking to do is combine the current streaming offering it has with a number of 'Live TV' channels within a brand new menu and interface. This is important because all current offerings on the market force you to switch between live television and streaming content.

Hulu also stated that the service will have Cloud DVR support for certain programs so you don't miss something while you are out. You can even use the Cloud DVR to start a program from the very beginning, even if you started recording after the program has already begun.

The company said that the bundled 'Live TV' service and current streaming offerings will run for less than $40 a month. That seems to be the sweet spot for cord-cutters and if the channel offerings are solid, something SlingTV has struggled with, this could be a game changer.

So, I lied about cool TV technology not catching our eye at this year's show. LG has managed to create a prototype OLED TV that blew people's minds by being 40% translucent. It was one of the weirdest experiences to see with one's own eyes.

I'm not sure of the practicality or uses at home of a television that is only 40% translucent, other than recreating Minority Report or something out of Star Trek in your living room, but the tech is still pretty.

The unit clocks in at 55-inches and can render full HD resolution or 1080p. There is no 4K or anything like that, but you have to remember that this is a prototype and is years away any sort of possible production or application.

While this may never reach the home market, I can see the application for such a device in the medical and educational world. Let's just hope it doesn't turn into a fad with every company next year doing their own transparent thing. Oh, hell, you know that's exactly what's going to happen.

Beyerdynamic might not be a name you know in the gaming headphone space, but the company has an incredibly long history in making high-end professional headphones. Their stuff is made in Germany and now, with the CUSTOM GAME the company is moving to take a major bite out of the gaming market.

It's a crowded space to be sure, but beyerdynamic has one thing that sets them above all the rest --Style. The CUSTOM GAME gaming headphones are some of the classiest things you can put over your ears. You aren't going to find and gaudy designs or prints that feel like they came out of 1995. Instead, you'll find clean styling that scream professional.

But heres the cool thing; the CUSTOM GAME allow you to swap out the head cushion and ear plate for anything you want. This means that any Twitch streamer will be able to custom order their logo on the ear plates and get a matching color for the head-cushion.

Where the headphones really shine is with the impressive feature list it features. You get a built-in Custom Game Sound Slider that lets you adapt to your environment with a number of profiles, and even during a packed CES show floor, the things sounded fantastic. The cable itself has all the standard controls that you would expect, but in thing I appreciated was the ability to remove the attached microphone. Oh, and the professional-quality gooseneck microphone sounds crystal clear when we used it during some LAN play.

All this also means that the CUSTOM GAME are not only fantastic gaming headphones, but you can take them with you and use them as normal headphones. Well, not normal, as beyerdynamic makes high-quality headphones. Plus, you'll feel comfortable wearing these things in any multitude of situation

The world of office lighting hasn't really changed in god know how many years. Sure, we have been blessed with all manner of fancy looking lights and fixtures, and even the occasional smart bulb or two, but what about the lamp itself?

Lumigent is a lamp that looks to change the game by moving with you to set your mood. The lamp is 'smart' because this is CES and everything has some sort of AI inside it. It has a plethora of voice commands so that you can turn it on/off, move its position, dim and brighten, and collect of all, transform!

But the features don't end there as Lumigent also comes equipped with a built in camera so that you can change the way your home of office works. Via voice command Lumigent can use its 8 mega-pixel to act as a sort of scanner that uploads your work.

The world of VR isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It seems like nearly every company out there had some sort of VR unit doing something or other, but only a few were looking to build a more immersive world with VR accessories.

Cerevo (the second time on this list) is stepping into something new with Taclim haptic feedback system. Taclim is the first VR shoes that use haptic feedback to let you feel what you are steeping in within the VR world.

The system can simulate the sense of stepping on the ground in virtual spaces such as deserts, grassland, water, and lots more. The Taclim also features haptic controllers so that you can add even more immersion.

There are 8 tactile devices crammed inside the boots and the gloves/controllers. With three in each boot and one for the palm of each glove/controller. Taclim also uses the Unity plugin SDK so it's easy to have developers get in on the fun.

Who knows if the technology will take on in the gaming space, but the applications in the rehabilitation space for those looking to get back on their feet is promising.

Basslett is the first watch-sized subwoofer that let's you feel the music on the go. There are wearables at nearly every other booth, but the Basslet is the only one that you don't ever need to watch. In fact, it works better if you just ignore that it's there.

They say music is meant to be felt and that's the idea behind the Basslet. Music addicts want to feel those sick beats and so the Basslet is loaded with all sorts of groovy technology. It features a LoSound engine that recreates bass frequencies all the way down to 10 Hz.

It lets users feel the kick of the bass through their body. It's a weird sensation, but one that feels really good after you stop focusing on the device. I know that's weird, not paying attention to a wearable, but it works best that way.

The Basslet is also plug and play, so there is no need for software or configuration of any kind. Simply plug in your phone, load up your favorite track and get ready to feel music in an entirely new way.

We saw a number of electric vehicles this this at CES 2017. From cars to three-wheeled contraptions, to everything in-between. But one cool emerging tech was the world of electronic/smart skateboards.

While there were more than we could count, the standout this year with the team was the Spectra from Walnut. It's a tiny skateboard, only big enough to just fit your stance, but it offers up the only skateboard option that is truly portable.

The Spectra is a tiny little thing measuring at only 19.4 inches in length. It clocks in at only 12 pounds and can reach a pretty impressive speed of 12 miles per hour. The total range on a single charge will give you 11 miles, which means this little guy can get you where you need to go.

What is unique about the Spectra that other boards at the show lack is the 2D posture sensing module. The board features a series of pressure sensors along the edges of the board that use an intelligent algorithm that lets you control the board simply by shifting your weight.

Another cool feature is the integrated brake lights that work no matter the time of day or night. This means that people will be able to notice you when you are pout traveling about on your very on Spectra. The skateboard also comes with an optional backpack that easily fits the Spectra and makes for once heck of a sleek design.

Jooki is a music player with a simple, intuitive user interface for all ages that works much in the same way as the amiibo. Jooki is a standalone jukebox that plays from on-board storage and also a wireless speaker that streams from the phone or the cloud.

The Jooki Stars (the little figures and coins) make Jooki shine. The Stars are figurines and tokens that start a playlist (song, story, album or internet radio station). Perfect for kids: they simply place a Star on Jooki to choose what they want to listen to.

The parents app isn’t required to play music but lets you stay in control and upload the music you want to share with the family. With so many devices out there, settings limits and boundaries on screen time for kids can be hard.

With Jooki they can have their music (hand selected by you) and you can limit it, the volume, playlists and the like.

FlipSnap is a collaborative, social video application that bridges the world of augmented reality and video to create super awesome content.

The neat thing about FlipSnap is that you can remove and replace any part of your video and interact with images or video assets in real time. Enhance or add mood altering artistic filters to your video with the swipe of a finger.

They say that things are more more fun with friends including making and sharing videos, but until now there hasn't been an easy way to do that. FlipSnap addresses this by letting you send your friends your video and they can add themselves to it- no software or video knowledge needed!

Where once these things would takes hours of work within a program like Photoshop, now you can do it via an app in a few seconds. The team behind the project are also a fantastic group of people that have been working on FlipSnap for years, perfecting the underlying technology for iOS.

You can download FlipSnap for iOS right now and get started sharing some amazing videos and GIFs.