The Most Over-the-Top Booths of CES 2023

CES is known for excess, and despite COVID giving presenters a bit of a break the past couple of years, the world’s premiere tech convention has not changed one bit. Walking around to the various booths on display across Las Vegas during CES 2023, tech companies were using some extravagant tricks to get consumers and industry folks alike to stop off at their booths.

Predictably, there were plenty of massive screen displays from the likes of Samsung and LG, and there was no shortage of strobing lights from any number of companies in the dark halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center and beyond.

Some booths still had some charm with how much energy (and money) they put into standing out, but other companies were so focused on standing out that it was hard to tell which tech was actually a part of their product lineup and what was there just for show. As much fun as it is to make fun of big tech’s fascination with excess and spectacle, at a certain point, the product has to shine through. Considering all the tech companies on display this past week, there was only so much that really caught our eye.

There’s something about the way big tech brands have tried to “mainstream-ify” that makes me yearn for the days of unapologetic dorks from the late ‘90s and early 2000s. At least those early tech keynotes had a sense of earnestness when we watched folks from Microsoft get jiggy on stage. Unfortunately, I don’t think there was any one display this year that will become an instant classic like they have in the past.

CES is known for excess, and despite COVID giving presenters a bit of a break the past couple of years, the world’s premiere tech convention has not changed one bit. Walking around to the various booths on display across Las Vegas during CES 2023, tech companies were using some extravagant tricks to get consumers and industry folks alike to stop off at their booths.

Predictably, there were plenty of massive screen displays from the likes of Samsung and LG, and there was no shortage of strobing lights from any number of companies in the dark halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center and beyond.

Some booths still had some charm with how much energy (and money) they put into standing out, but other companies were so focused on standing out that it was hard to tell which tech was actually a part of their product lineup and what was there just for show. As much fun as it is to make fun of big tech’s fascination with excess and spectacle, at a certain point, the product has to shine through. Considering all the tech companies on display this past week, there was only so much that really caught our eye.

There’s something about the way big tech brands have tried to “mainstream-ify” that makes me yearn for the days of unapologetic dorks from the late ‘90s and early 2000s. At least those early tech keynotes had a sense of earnestness when we watched folks from Microsoft get jiggy on stage. Unfortunately, I don’t think there was any one display this year that will become an instant classic like they have in the past.