There's certainly quite a bit to take in during the four days of the International Consumer Electronics show. With thousands of exhibitors and hundred thousands in attendance, a lot of opinions leave the convention center. Hopefully we've aided in your quest to sift through all that information, and now we are proud to give you our thoughts on the best and the worst we, as gamers, saw during CES 2011.
Best of Show
Gigabyte had something at CES 2011 to scratch every one of my itches: product launch, sneak-peak announcement, booth babes, and even gaming live at their event. The Press Conference was a great experience in general, very friendly people passionate about what they were showing. Gigabyte did an excellent job of mirroring the military theme from the recently launched Killer G1 motherboard series, everything down to the chairs converted into a warzone setting.
Each speaker that took the stage continued the show with great enthusiasm about the technology the offered, and how it made the new boards stand out from the rest. Perhaps the precise definition of the word tease, a slide showing the new OC Orange motherboards from overclocking enthusiasts and award winner Hi Cookie was shown very briefly, and was gone just as quick.
After the presentation, we were free to mingle and meet the minds behind the technology. We also managed our way over to the gaming table, where Wes sat down and went head-to-head with professional gamer David Treacy in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Outside of the press conference, Gigabyte's private showing at the Venetian not only went into further depth on each of the new Killer G1 gaming motherboards, but also show-cased their line of Sandy Bridge boards, as well as the Ghost series of professional gaming peripherals.
I'll be the first one to admit that I can be sweet-talked by video games, and Gigabyte definitely knew how to get me excited. But it goes a little further than the focus on the gamer's needs. The presentation and sheer passion from each member of this team is hard to match, and created an experience that won't soon be forgotten.
Worst of Show
Perhaps not every consumer analyizes mice as much as we do, but there is still a standard of comfort that I have to believe every person upholds. The only thing that could possibly be worse than sacrificing that for a few hundred fake, shiny jewels is assuming the people would sacrifice for a few hundred fake, shiny jewels.
The folks over at Satzuma have commited such a crime, showcasing their Diamante mice line. These are, simply put, your average three-button USB input devices, clad in tiny jewels to make certain designs, such as the American Flag, or the always popular 'straight pink' design. 
Seriously, and we complain about finger positioning? Perhaps the placement of programmable buttons? If you thought professional gamers was a niche market, how about your seven-year-old sister who needs no other excuse not to touch a mouse.
The packaging is, of course, a clear tube allowing you to admire the glittering device. It is will serve well in the crane game prize bin, which is ultimately the final home of this mouse should it ever reach a market.
There were plenty of bad products to be seen at CES 2011 this year. But there was just something special about this. The combination of such an unpractical, gaudy, and cliche product simply was enough to stick with me througout the entire show, and cause me to glare back at the reflective beast each time our eyes met as we walked the floor.
