CES 2017: Intel Press Event Live Blog
by Ryan Smith & Ian Cutress on January 4, 2017 7:01 PM EST07:05PM EST - Ian and I are here at Intel's CES 2017 press event
07:05PM EST - As you can see from the pictures, this is a very different kind of event
07:05PM EST - Everyone gets VR headsets
07:05PM EST - And here we go
07:05PM EST - This should run for 45 minutes or so
07:06PM EST - Brian Krzanich is apparently going to run everyone through VR demos
07:06PM EST - So this is going to be a very different kind of live blog
07:06PM EST - We'll see what we can actually post in terms of photos and text
07:07PM EST - Intel says they'll be releasing a number of photos after the event
07:07PM EST - Now on stage: Intel CEO Brian Krzanich
07:07PM EST - Brian's goal: to show us what Intel is thinking about the future of technology
07:08PM EST - "What's driving these new experiences is Moore's Law"
07:08PM EST - Brian is here to refute the notion that Moore's Law is dying
07:09PM EST - Brian is holding a Canonlake (10nm) equipped laptop
07:09PM EST - First time Intel has shown a live 10nm demo
07:09PM EST - Intend to ship products before the end of 2017
07:09PM EST - "Moore's Law: alive and well"
07:10PM EST - All of this technology is generating a ton of data
07:11PM EST - 650MB/person/day today, over 1GB by 2020
07:11PM EST - Intel's 3D recording system for sports generates 2TB of data per minute
07:12PM EST - All the VR headsets are attached to laptops running Kaby Lake processors
07:13PM EST - I've been instructed NOT to open this MSI laptop
07:13PM EST - But I'm guessing these are running a discrete GPU, especially given the size of many of these laptops
07:14PM EST - (sorry, photo upload is slow, so there's a delay)
07:14PM EST - Not many people get to go on amazing travel adventures, so the first VR experience will be traveling in VR
07:15PM EST - Starting things off with a helicopter view of the desert. And we're jumping
07:15PM EST - Intel provided sick bags. I guess that was for a good reason
07:16PM EST - I'm not getting a good sense of depth on this video, but it's hard to test this in real time
07:17PM EST - And done with the first video
07:18PM EST - Now talking about the future
07:19PM EST - Intel wants volumetric 3D video, so that users can move through a video instead of working on a fixed track
07:19PM EST - Now on stage: Ted Schilowitz, co-founder of Hype VR
07:20PM EST - (my head is warm from the laptop behind me blowing hot air)
07:20PM EST - Next demo is going to be walking through Vietnam
07:21PM EST - Demoing how this is a real 3D experience, not a 2D 360 degree video with no depth
07:22PM EST - And I broke the script on my headset
07:23PM EST - In any case, it's very convincing. 3D depth is all but required for real VR experiences
07:24PM EST - Now how VR can impact the work environment
07:25PM EST - Solar panel inspectors
07:26PM EST - This will be a live feed off of a drone
07:26PM EST - Brian likes to take risks with presentations
07:27PM EST - This is another 2D 360 degree video, from the looks of it
07:28PM EST - Much easier and more cost effective than sending up real people, obviously
07:29PM EST - "One example of how work can be transformed by virtual reality"
07:30PM EST - 3rd demo: sports & entertainment
07:31PM EST - Intel is going to use Voke technology here. Voke is a company they acquired last year
07:32PM EST - Brian wanted to do a live sports event, but it's halftime..
07:33PM EST - Butler vs. Villanova in NCAAM basketball
07:34PM EST - It looks like they're doing a form of simulated 3D, judging from how depth is working
07:35PM EST - First time Voke has been used on the Oculus Rift
07:36PM EST - This is a product of Intel's sports group
07:38PM EST - Intel is working with La Liga, the Spanish pro soccer league
07:38PM EST - Now on to the subject of merged reality
07:39PM EST - Intel is continuing work on the Project Alloy headset
07:39PM EST - It looks like they have a newer revision of the prototype ready for CES
07:40PM EST - Doing a deeper stage demo of Alloy
07:40PM EST - Showcasing inide-out tracking. No external sensors. No cables either
07:42PM EST - Switching from a model of the room to a pure virtual enivronment
07:42PM EST - And that's it for the Alloy demo
07:43PM EST - Summing up alloy: VR without the isolation
07:43PM EST - Alloy will become a product
07:43PM EST - Intel wants to get it out with partners by Q4 2017
07:45PM EST - Intel will be letting the press try out Alloy at a private booth on the CES showfloor
07:46PM EST - Now on to VR gaming
07:46PM EST - Next demo will be an Arizona Sunshine runthrough
07:47PM EST - Live rendered game trailer
07:48PM EST - I'd suggest some Valkyrie, but I don't think everyone is ready to be a space pilot
07:48PM EST - A conservative, but good demo
07:49PM EST - Time for more basketball
07:50PM EST - Looks like combining a 2D feed with a depth sensor reading
07:51PM EST - Interesting, but not engorssing due to a weak 3D experience
07:52PM EST - "We believe Intel is leading this unprecedented change"
07:52PM EST - Thanking their tech partners who provided the hundreds of VR setups
07:53PM EST - And that's a wrap. Up next: the CES prime keynote, which is being presented by NVIDIA this year
23 Comments
View All Comments
Michael Bay - Thursday, January 5, 2017 - link
A honest AMD trainwreck can be an antithesis to "boring", I guess.fanofanand - Thursday, January 5, 2017 - link
Nice trolling MB! You managed to somehow work in an AMD diss where none could be found. Bravo! Your bridge is getting lonely, go on and crawl back under there.Michael Bay - Friday, January 6, 2017 - link
Could you please stop flaunting your hurt backside?Pretty please?
Meteor2 - Saturday, January 7, 2017 - link
You never used to be this boring.Michael Bay - Thursday, January 5, 2017 - link
Was there at least one presser not reeking of desperation?All those people have literally NOTHING TO SHOW. Disgusting.
137ben - Thursday, January 5, 2017 - link
"Moore's Law alive and well"Except that it's taking 3 years to get from 14nm to 10 nm. Moore's law would predict only 2 years. So no, Moore's law died when Cannon lake got delayed.
Meteor2 - Friday, January 6, 2017 - link
Moore's law has nothing to do with processes.Meteor2 - Friday, January 6, 2017 - link
I'm intrigued that Oculus were supporting a demonstration of what will be a rival headset. Unless Oculus are going to build Alloy headsets?andychow - Tuesday, January 17, 2017 - link
Isn't VR dead yet? Are they still holding on to the dream? 3D televisions don't even exist on the market anymore, because people don't want to wear glasses except for novelty for 10 minutes, but they are going to be willing to wear big heavy headsets? Nope, sorry, never going to happen.helvete - Friday, February 3, 2017 - link
With a batteries that huge, let's enjoy the 15 minutes of VR before recharging..