CES 2026 is in Las Vegas, and while “Agentic AI” is the buzzword of the week, the show floor is packed with hardware that you can actually touch, hold, and play with. The CES Innovation Awards often highlight the coolest concepts before they hit shelves, and this year’s gaming honorees are a mix of practical upgrades and futuristic experiments.
We’ve combed through the winners list to find the five pieces of gear that matter most to PC and mobile gamers. From the “endgame” desktop to a controller that fits in your pocket, here are the top 5 gaming gadgets to look out for in 2026.
Also read: CES 2026: The 7 most futuristic smart home gadgets you can actually buy
We all love mobile gaming, but we hate carrying bulky controllers like the Backbone or Kishi. The MCON by OhSnap solves this by being impossibly thin. It attaches to the back of your phone via MagSafe (or an adapter for Android) and sits flush when not in use.
When you’re ready to play, you slide it out to deploy ergonomic grips and crucially full-size Hall Effect joysticks. These use magnets to detect movement, meaning they will never develop “stick drift.” OhSnap also designed it to be repairable; you can open it up with a simple Torx screwdriver to swap parts. It’s the first mobile controller that feels like a permanent part of your phone rather than a clunky accessory.
If you play competitive shooters, this is your new dream screen. ASUS has unveiled the ROG Swift OLED PG27AQWP-W, a 26.5-inch monitor that combines the perfect blacks of OLED with esports-grade speed.
The standout feature is the “TrueBlack Glossy” panel. Unlike most gaming monitors that use a matte anti-glare coating (which can make the image look slightly grainy), this uses a glossy finish that makes colors pop with incredible vibrancy. Under the hood, it uses Tandem OLED technology to boost brightness and lifespan, reducing burn-in risk. With a 0.02ms response time and AI-powered “Dynamic Shadow Boost” to spot campers in dark corners, it is arguably the fastest display on the market.
Also read: CES 2026 begins soon: What to expect, how to watch live and key details
The original Cloud Alpha Wireless was legendary for its 300-hour battery, and the sequel is here to keep the crown. The Cloud Alpha 2 boasts a massive 250-hour battery life, meaning you could game for 8 hours a day for a month without charging it once.
But the real upgrade is the Base Station. Instead of a simple USB dongle, it now comes with a desktop hub that features reprogrammable buttons and RGB lighting. It handles simultaneous 2.4GHz (for your PC) and Bluetooth (for your phone) connections, so you can take a call without pausing your raid. With dual-chamber 53mm drivers, it promises to be the new gold standard for wireless audio.
If you don’t want to build your own rig, the OMEN MAX 45L is the pre-built to beat. It features the returning “Cryo Chamber” – a unique cooling module separated from the main chassis that pulls in fresh air to keep the CPU radiator icy cold.
Inside, it’s a monster. Specs include the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (powered by the Blackwell architecture) and AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D processor. HP has also added a customizable LCD screen to the liquid cooler pump, letting you display temps or GIFs inside the case. With a 1200W PSU and tool-less access for future upgrades, this is as “future-proof” as a PC gets in 2026.
CES always has one weird, wonderful entry, and this year it’s SPORTRACK by Newjak. It won an Innovation Award for “XR & Spatial Computing,” blending the physical world of board games with AI and Extended Reality (XR).
While details are still emerging from the show floor, SPORTRACK uses “Physical Learning” and AI to project game elements into the real world. It represents a new genre of “active gaming” that moves beyond VR headsets, using projection or AR glasses to turn your living room table into an interactive, digital playing field. It’s a glimpse into how we might play tabletop games in the future, where the pieces on the board are just the beginning.
Also read: From fields to fridges: Physical AI takes center stage as CES 2026 kicks off
