CES 2025 Day 3: The Future Is Expensive

Day three of CES 2025 is in the books, and today, we have a bit of futuristic tech for you. Technology often tries to blaze new trails, and the devices we saw today are no different. Of course, the key to blazing new trails is to not overshoot your targets.

Some of our picks today are very large, while others are tiny and adorable. From wireless TVs to ultra-portable gaming gear and a pair of e-bikes that punch above their weight class, our tour of the show floor (and beyond) introduced us to a lot of tech that will set the bar for future devices.

Fair warning: some of the devices have a pretty high price tag, which is not uncommon for new tech. But overall, the convenience the devices offer outweighs the pocketbook hit.

Two years ago, we wrote about TVs that were worth getting excited about. That included Displace TV, a company that was building a truly wireless TV that could be mounted anywhere. Displace saw a lot of early backers and got a lot of feedback about its design. Finally, in 2025, Displace is looking to start shipping its TVs to early backers, with some changes based on feedback.

The concept of the Displace TV is a wire-free TV that you can take anywhere, from your living room to your patio. There are now two types of Displace TVs — Basic and Pro. The Displace Pro uses vacuum suction technology to literally stick to any wall — glass, drywall, etc. If you don't want to do that, there are hidden legs that can pop out of the bottom of the TV to help it stand up on its own.

The TV is a smart TV with built-in Wi-Fi and a few covered ports like HDMI for attaching external systems like a gaming console. Displace uses two internal batteries that can last about two days. Displace is also selling an additional soundbar/speaker system that can also augment your batteries to make them last up to 25 days. If you buy the Displace Pro 55", it comes with the soundbar; with every other version, you need to buy it separately.

Meanwhile, the Displace Basic TV is similar in most respects, but it loses the vacuum suction system and relies solely on the legs to stand up. You also diminish the battery capacity by about half. Overall, we like what Displace is doing here, but I'll know more once we get a unit in for testing, which, according to the company, should be in just a couple of months.

Snapdragon has been developing its Digital Chassis for years now. We got a look at it at CES last year when Qualcomm surprised us with two cars on the show floor. Since then, there have been some improvements in its AI. Qualcomm walked us through a series of scenarios that its digital chassis can take care of — and even let some members of the press jump in and ask questions.

The questions the AI handled are fairly typical fare — "How do I adjust the seatbelt" kinds of stuff. The AI was programmed with, in addition to a number of things, the owner's manual of the car, which helps it understand your question, but it goes further.

You can tell the car to look ahead and capture a photo of something. You can then ask the AI what it was, and other questions about it. When you ask, the image gets frozen so that the AI can focus on that image and not anything else you may be driving by.

It also has sensors built in to warn you of when you're losing focus and can warn you to pull over if that happens. Finally, with your credit card stored in the car, you can order takeout while driving using voice commands. It's pretty slick, and we can't wait to see it in a car that consumers can buy.

We are MagSafe fans here at SlashGear, so when a MagSafe accessory comes our way, we stand up and pay attention. OhSnap came to our attention last year when it released its phone grip, with a metallic ring that not only served as a circular grip on the back of a MagSafe phone, but also passed through MagSafe charging, so you don't have to remove it when you need to charge. The magnet is also so strong that you can stick your iPhone to your refrigerator if you want to.

At CES, OhSnap introduced the Mcon, which is a Bluetooth-connected joystick that sticks to the back of your phone. With the press of a button, the phone pops out, revealing hall-effect joysticks and other control buttons, turning your phone into a cute little gaming rig for gaming on the go.

Mcon is a little on the thick side; it's thicker than your iPhone, which is not ideal, though Ohsnap indicated that the design is still being refined while it goes through Kickstarter. OhSnap plans to ship the device around the August 2025 time frame for about $150, though if you order it on Kickstarter, you can pick it up for $100.

Cuktech (pronounced "Chew-Tech," apparently) is an electronics manufacturer specifically focusing on charging tech of all shapes and sizes. It built an adorable little charger with a flip-out plug that is almost unbelievable. The plug measures just 3" x 1.5" x .5", but it's capable of charging at 65W of output. That is crazy for a charger that is the size of a tall Zippo lighter.

The device has a plug that folds into the body — as if it wasn't small enough already. On the other end are two USB-C ports. That's it. There's not a lot more to this charger — it's just tiny and ridiculously powerful for its size. It will slip into the coin pocket on your jeans or get tucked into a corner of your backpack. Sometimes, the simplest things are the best things.

Electricity is one of the critical elements for society today. While the power grid provides us with all the power we need, that power can't always be depended on. Solutions like Tesla's Powerwall or EcoFlow's Delta Pro Ultra both provide whole-home backup power, but they also cost quite a bit of money. Biolite has developed a new system that is small, easy to install, and comparatively inexpensive.

Backup by Biolite is a large, modular, and expandable backup battery system that is basically a large uninterruptible power supply (UPS). You mount the battery pack to your wall and plug it into an outlet. Your home's power charges the battery to capacity, and in the meantime, there are two outlets on the side where you can plug in your appliances. Biolite envisions a refrigerator will probably be the usual use-case, but it can power anything — your freezer chest, computer, modem, and router, or your hair dryer if you have very different priorities. Biolite even includes a magnetic power strip with A/C, USB-C, and USB-A outlets to plug in your other devices.

The best part is the battery is thin enough to live behind an appliance, like the aforementioned refrigerator. The price is also attractive — $3,000 for a battery with an inverter and an expansion battery, bringing your total power available to 3,000W of power, which is usually good enough to qualify for a 30% rebate from the government, bringing the total cost down to $2,100.

This battery pack won't run your whole home, but it will keep your food fresh for up to 40-60 hours. Plus, it doesn't require professional installation.