GAMBIT’s “Best of CES 2025” Winners

It’s that time of year again and GAMBIT has you covered on all the best and coolest things announced, launched, or refreshed at CES 2025. As always, we strive to bring you the fun and interesting while trying to highlight a lot of the tech you may have missed from other publications that love riding trends, focusing on what gets clicks, and highlighting the tech that advertisers pay for.

GAMBIT Magazine is always fully independent and everything on this list is chosen by members of the team live on the floor at CES. There are no affiliate links and no company or corporation paid or influenced getting onto this list in any way. With that out of the way let’s get onto our “Best of CES 2025” winners!

 

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Best In Automotive Winner

Automotive tech has been in a sort of slump the past couple of years. We were driven around in a self-driving car down Las Vegas boulevard in 2015 and have taken a Waymo around San Francisco only a few weeks back making it old(er) tech now. Sure, we can add more screens to a car but what does that really change the driving experience? So, it’s pretty refreshing to see AC Future do something different and actually try to combine the motoring world with the home world thanks to their line of transforming vehicle homes.

The most interesting of their line is the AI-THd. This little bad boy expands the main driving unit from a small recreational vehicle and turns it into a large mobile living space that can be set up anyplace. Users are provided with flexible living space with a 400-square-foot, one bed, one bath mobile apartment. The unit includes a full living room, kitchen with full-sized fridge, range, microwave, shower and washer/dryer combo.

The cockpit can be easily converted into a mobile office or secondary bedroom. The entire thing is solar powered with panels embedded in the roof of the vehicle that can generate 25 kWh of energy per day. AC Future also states that every member of the lineup will be able to produce 13 and 15 gallons of water a day with built-in atmospheric water generators alongside water storage tanks and grey water recycling.

The AC Future line really does look like it can be your all-in-one living unit that you can pick-up-and-go anywhere that you’d like. While the cost is no doubt going to be huge in the first couple of generations, the chance for more affordable living, especially off-grid, might just begin to be in reach.

 

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Best Mini PC

We’ve covered a number of mini PC’s over the years because we love the idea behind them. When most every other technology is working to shrink things down, the PC space, especially the gaming side of things, has seen parts getting larger and larger. This is why the idea of mini PC’s excites us as that’s were we see a lot of innovation thanks to the recent rise of mini gaming machines, as they are the closest things to actually having Steam Machines again that we currently see.

And while mini PC’s are getting smaller and are incredible investments for offices, schools, and for those short of space, the gaming side is currently blowing up with rigs that can comfortably run the latest and greatest AAA titles. Of all the mini PC makers at CES, ACEMAGIC caught our eye and had us spending a good amount of time talking with the team at the booth.

The standout unit at the show that had gotten a recent refresh is their M2S Starship mini gaming PC. It has all the requisite specs to handle anything that you can throw at it, but the most striking thing for us was the design, evoking a science fiction starship look and feel. Back in the 90s computer makers were always taking design risks. Packard Bell had a triangle PC that fit into a corner, Compaq was losing its mind with their all-in-one Presario, and who can forget Patriot with their Hot Wheels are Barbie PC line.

ACEMAGIC though, hits it out of the park with the stunning M2A Starship (and their Tank 03 for that matter which is as impressive) with a look that feels futuristic and refined at the same time. When we were kids this is what we thought the PC of the future would totally look like. The fact that it is also a beast of a machine to game on only makes it that much better thanks to the included i9-12900H and RTX 3080 graphics card. Let’s hope ACEMAGIC keeps taking stylistic risks because it’s paying off!

 

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Best AI Robot

 

The rise of the AI machines is upon us and it’s hard to ignore our new overlordswhen they are looking more and more cute with each passing year. LOOI is one such AI companion robot, and while it won’t take over the world like SkyNet, it is a little bit different than most we’ve seen hit the market in recent years for a couple of reasons. The most important thing to know about LOOI is that you probably already have most of the parts needed for this little companion already in your pocket -a smartphone.

You see, LOOI is a small desktop robot that keeps you company while you work, rolling around your desk with its tank-like tread base. It serves as your AI companion thanks to having over 1,000 built-in behaviors by using what the team describe as a biomimetic behavior system. And thanks to ChatGPT support, LOOI doesn’t just travel around being cute, it can also chat with you and be a physical personal companion that can help you play and get work done.

To make it all work you simply need to download the LOOI app for you iOS or Android device and attach your phone to the base unit. LOOI will then take over and become your personal AI robot companion. Add in its built-in facial recognition, tactile sensors, and gesture support, and LOOI is packed with features in a very small scale. But the very best thing, and the one thing that might see LOOI really break into the home market, is the cost. A single LOOI robot unit will run you less than $200 (currently on sale for $169.99) making it a fairly affordable first robot for the home!

 

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Best In Display Tech

   

Gaming monitors have been getting better and better at an almost alarming rate. Just when we were thinking the 120Hz displays we use here in the office were pretty good, KOORUI comes along and announces their 24.5-inch G7 monitor that claims to the the world’s first 750Hz 0.5ms response time monitor!

We had never heard of KOORUI before, but you can bet we know of them now with this announcement. We actually spent some time at the booth with the team talking about their moves into the US market and the monitors upcoming planned Q3 release. The company makes their own panels in-house meaning that the quality should be better than those that outsource their panel tech.

The G7 is a TN panel (the oldest and original LCD tech) meaning you’ll have some minor viewing angle issues and possible contrast color shortcomings, but the panel on display looked great from our general inspection. This might be because the new monitor features HDR400 support and 95% DCI-P3 coverage, something pretty wild for a TN panel as colors tend to be the weakest on this type of display.

Gamers should keep an eye on the G7 as TN panels are popular in the space thanks to their much faster response times. So, if you are planning on getting a new graphics card announced in the last couple of months, then the G7 might be the panel to wait for if you really want that competitive edge online.

 

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Best In Gaming Winner

MyArcade has become a staple at CES. When so many other gaming companies have moved to having their own digital shows, MyArcade brings actual goods to a show floor for the world to not only see but play with. We got the chance to sit down with a member of the development team and got hands on with the Gamestation line of consoles and accessories. We were incredibly impressed with the quality and feature set that makes this line a must-have for retro gamers.

The big star was the Atari Gamestation Go that will come preloaded with a ton of classic Atari titles (200+) as well as several of the newly released Recharged line of releases that came to console and Steam. But this isn’t some cheap gaming handheld like offerings from others, rather, it’s a full console with all the controls to handle any Atari release for any of their machines and TV output. The Gamestation includes a directional pad, a trackball, spinner knob, and number-pad for 5800 releases.

It also features what MyArcade is calling their Smart Glow technology that will highlight the correct controls for whatever game is selected. MyArcade says this technology is there to help those new to these classic consoles and games, many of which needed their own controller to play. It’s a neat feature that is sure to assist kids and new players. The Gamestation Mega takes that tech and puts it inside a bartop arcade machine featuring wood construction for a very premium feel.

 

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Best Gaming Peripheral

I think we are getting close to reaching peak video game controller quality. Long gone are the days of cheap plastic controllers that dig into your skin and only come out when your little brother or sister wants to play with you. BIGBIG WON is a maker on high-end controllers that come with just about every bell and whistle that you could want and wish came with your $1000+ video game console.

Their top tier BLITZ2 features 16 fully mechanical buttons designed for professional gaming and feel more like mechanical keyboard keys than a mushy controller button. We played some Black Myth and it was a game-changing experience. There is nothing like feeling a definite click to a button press. Now you’ll never have to wonder if you missed pressed a button while playing.

All of this is powered by BIGBIG WON’s proprietary chip that allows the BLITZ2 controller to achieve a polling rate of 2000Hz for both wired and wireless connections. In wired mode you’ll get a lightning-fast response time of just 0.0005 seconds. The BLITZ2 controller is also highly customizable with PC software and mobile app for quick and easy parameter adjustments no matter where you are playing. It also includes joystick mapping, a adjustable anti-shake coefficient for aiming, and a redefined center point thanks to the built-in chip to eliminate dead zones.

Release Date: Available Now

 

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Best In Kids Tech

Another year means another visit to myFirst to see what the team have in store in the exploding kids tech space. This year they have two impressive offerings in the Fone S4 and Camera 50. The Fone S4 expands on their popular Fone S3 line with a 1.65″ AMOLED touch display, 4G LTE, and advanced real-time GPS tracking to always know where your child is. But the new feature that we haven’t seen in a device before is the myFirst magiCode system.

This messaging system allows for distraction free messages using a vibration language. This allows parents to draw or tap a quick patterns that will then be sent to the Fone S4. This way quick messages can be sent through vibrations allowing your child to not be distracted while in class, or to know a message is coming in a loud or active environment. Parents can set custom vibration patterns to send messages, like “I love you” or “Time for dinner,” directly to their child’s wrist.

The Fone S4 is always fun to use thanks in part to the myFirst gamified fitness tracker app. This allows parents to turn things like chores and assignments into games that reward the user points that they can then redeem on the smartwatch for new wallpapers and other perks. You can even set up leaderboards among connected users as well as set daily missions and weekly bonuses for completed tasks.

On the safety front you can set safe zones through geo-fences for the locations your kids are at most and be altered when those zones are left. The Fone S4 also features a simple one-touch SOS Alert function to get help in the case of any emergency. And because the Fone S4 is on a closed environment the user can’t download any third-party app that could put a user at risk. This is all thanks to the myFirst Circle, a closed social media for kids and parents to stay connected while staying safe with instant video and image sharing and strong parental controls.

 

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Best In Home Tech Winner

The vision of a robot future looked endless in science fiction media for decades, but when it finally came it really just ended up being vacuums that bumped into walls a lot and picked up a minimal amount of dust and dirt. While we aren’t quite yet at the humanoid housekeeper stage, we are living in an age where robot vacuums are getting damn impressive and effective. The Roborock Saros Z70 looks little different than other roving vacuums thanks to what Roborock call its OmniGrip arm that comes out from inside the unit.

This arm unit allows the Z70 to pick up and move small, non-vacuumable objects out of the way when they would have previously presented an impasse. The OmniGrip folds away and rests on the top of the Z70. When it’s necessary, it unfolds, with the arm offering five axis motion. It comes equipped with precision sensors, a camera, and an LED light.

The OmniGrip is capable of lifting up to 300 grams (a little over half a pound), allowing it to move objects that would otherwise interrupt its cleaning, like tissues, socks, or towels. It performs its regular duties first, logging these obstructions, and then goes back to clear the areas it missed. While this may not be the fastest or most efficient method of doing things, it beats having to do it yourself, right?

 

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Best In Wearables

 

The Even G1 is the first eyewear designed to seamlessly blend stunning aesthetics with digital functionality. You get undisturbed, real-life experiences while still being connected. You’ll feel free, just on standby mode. So you can focus on the details that matter, when they matter. Where other glasses still look and feel a little bulky the Even G1 look as good as any high-end pair of glasses that no one would think are loaded with technology.

The Even G1 glasses beam a basic image that only you can see in a very retro-futuristic Game Boy font that help stay out of the way while enhancing your daily life. The TouchBar can capture a quick spoken note and turn it into text you can see through the glasses while storing the note in the app for later retrieval and listen via built-in AI with any questions you might have.

Built-in translation allows you to see what someone is saying to you, in real time, and the teleprompter allows a script to scroll in front of you, a potential game-changer for presenters. You can also project simplified navigational icons while you’re on the go all without looking at your phone. Notifications can pop-up when needed and when you don’t want to be disturbed, like when reading, simple gesture of raising your head gives you a quick look at a potential important message.

 

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Best In Tablets

The 8-inch tablet market is what we feel the perfect place for a tablet. We think the Apple iPad Mini is a near perfect tablet that Android tablets in the same size just can’t match, for whatever reason. So, it’s refreshing that Lenovo is coming in hot in the small tablet front with the Legion Tab Gen 3, boasting an 8.8-inch 2.5K touchscreen display with an eye-popping 165 Hz refresh rate.

The real star of the show is the CPU: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It seems to be the current king of the hill, even beating out Apple’s A18 Pro, the current processor the company uses in their iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. It’s even capable of advanced ray tracing, so whatever games you can find that actually use it will look pretty dang good.

Why all the power, you ask? Well, as you might expect, there’s not much available for Android systems that it can’t run, especially for hardcore gaming. You’ll also be able to emulate all your PS2 and GameCube/Wii games with relative ease. But with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, you may be surprised to find that it can emulate a Windows PC and run relatively recent AAA games. Lenovo may have just announced the most exciting tablet from anyone in years!

 

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Best In Smartphones Winner

 

One of my favorite devices of all time has turned out to be the Kindle 4 that was released all the way back in 2011. I’ve gone though several phones, tablets, and countless other tech, but this humble little e-reader is still going strong to this day. The creation of the E-Ink display was a game-changer for readers who could now fit a library in their pockets. But that e-reader is showing its age and I’ve been looking for something to take its place that isn’t just some bright screen that’s bad on the eyes.

That’s where TCL comes in with their TCL 60 XE NxtPaper 5G phone and tablet line. Long name aside, this little phone has two built-in screen modes that you can switch between. Your standard phone with a color screen and a mode that mimics a traditional E-Ink screen. This e-reader mode allows you to use your phone just like normal but with a minimal visual style and with reduced consumption allowing for extended use.

As someone who has a minimal launcher on their Android and an old E-Ink Kindle in my bag, this lineup is just to good to not want to get my hands on. And I haven’t even mentioned that TCL plans on launching the phone at $200 making it a pretty nice budget offering for avid readers and those looking for something different.

 

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Best In Health Tech

The 733 rehab chair was a hit at CES 2025 and always had a crowd while in action. This chair is more than some simple massage chair, instead it enables full-body movement that aids in the rehab process. The entire chair essentially exercises you smoothly and gently. This is a fantastic piece of kit can exercise your arms, your legs, and can even stand you up to get the body moving.

The 733 isn’t cheap at $20,000 but it might change how healthcare operations care for our ever aging population. Laying in a bed all day is hard on the body and the mind and getting a patient moving can be difficult depending on their conditions. Getting some full-body engagement all from the comfort of a robot chair might just change lives in the long run. Maybe in 40-years we’ll all be keeping active in a chair like this.

 

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Feels Like The Future Winner

 

There is always a lot of cool technology announced at CES. A lot of the time it’s something we’ve seen before only made a little bit better, a little bit faster, and maybe with a new coat of paint. What we don’t often get anymore is something bold that not just a concept. I miss seeing a product or device that feels ripped out of the screen from an 80s sci-fi movie or mid-tier anime set in the far future. Mi-Mo feels exactly like all of those things and makes us want it even more.

Mi-Mo is the world’s first general-purpose AI robot that thinks and acts on its own based on visual, audio, and movement inputs it registers with its camera that’s shaped like a desk lamp. What makes Mi-Mo so interesting as a robot is that it’s powered by multiple AI models working together to enable its voice and motion systems. It also looks like a robot spider from some long lost anime film you swear you remember.

What’s cool in terms of AI robots is that Mi-Mo is customizable thanks to community-driven expansion, making the unit smarter over time. Users will also be able to add additional sensors and attachments, presumably so it’s not a nightmare spider walking freely throughout your home at night. Mi-Mo will also have an open development so that anyone can develop applications for the robot. We have no idea if this little guy will ever hit market, but if a spider robot with a lamp head can bring us a beer at night, we sure hope it does because we want one!

 

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This Time It’ll Work Winner

Tony Hawk was at the peak of his video game power when he decided to take a huge risk with Tony Hawk Ride, a game that featured an actual motion skateboard as a controller. This “innovative” controller barely worked thanks to the poor game it was bundled with and players hated it. Sure, it was probably ahead of its time and players were used to playing Tony Hawk with a traditional controller. But now in 2025 Boardrop is bringing this lost technology back for another go, and this time it works with all sorts of games and isn’t locked to a single mediocre title.

With Boardrop’s plug-and-play accessories, switching up your sport is as easy as snapping on your next adventure! Whether you’re into snowboarding, skateboarding, or balance training, Boardrop lets you customize your ride to match your mood. Just snap, switch, and go. Boardrop revolutionizes board sports by seamlessly tracking your every move. Whether you’re pulling off a clean Spin 180, nailing a smooth Spin 360, popping an impressive Ollie, or mastering the art of a perfectly balanced Manual, Boardrop knows exactly what you’re doing.

Whether you’re shredding on virtual snow, mastering skateboarding skills, or competing with friends in board-based games, Boardrop looks to redefine what’s possible. With 15-years of innovation since, maybe this time the motion board will make it into homes and players will take to the digital slopes and rails.

 

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Biggest Surprise

There was a time when all the major game developers would stop in at CES to show off the latest games and consoles they were working on. Then came E3 and games shifted to that show before it eventually went the way of the Dodo and everyone went to a digital reveal show. This is why it was quite the shock to see the first footage of a possible Virtua Fighter 6 on the stage at CES thanks to NVIDIA and their keynote.

This is all pre-development and just a fun teaser to show of the power of the upcoming NVIDIA graphics cards, but it’s exciting to see for fans of the long dormant series. And if the engine can pull off the moves seen in the demo footage then we’ve got a really slick looking game on the way. We really are living in the new golden age for fighting games!

 

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Thanks for reading and making it down here to the end of our “Best of CES” winners list. If you still want more from CES 2025 then feel free to check out our walking tour of the CES show floor to see the winners and a lot more weird and wonderful tech below!

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