The annual International Consumer Electronics Convention (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, is the place for some of the world’s largest, and smallest, tech companies to show off their latest and greatest. The event began on the 6th of January with a blunder by Michael Bay and a plethora of 4K (Super HD) televisions, but things quickly picked up as the event clicked into gear.

Audi proudly showed off their driverless car and allowed several reporters to go for a chauffeured joyride. The technology isn’t perfect yet, as the car often switches back over to manual control when it gets confused by irregular traffic patterns.

Wearables, such as smartwatches, are a continuing theme throughout the week with companies such as Razer, ZTE, Sony, LG and Pebble releasing new models. The devices ranged from basic exercise monitors to high end smartphone peripherals and standalones.

Tablet/laptop hybrids and multi-OS computers are also a popular idea that many companies have taken for a spin. Lenovo and Asus have released several in each category which adds to their already extensive product line. Vizio, previously known for their cheap TVs until CES 2013 when they released their first computer models, announced a new line of ultrabooks and hybrids to catch up with the exponentially advancing tech trends.

The popular gaming company Steam attended CES 2014 and proudly presented their latest Steam Machines from fourteen different partners. The company’s goal is to provide powerful computing meant for gaming at a price level that competes with consoles such as the Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

A company doesn’t always need to bring a future product to this international event. CES is largely meant to share ideas as much as it is to publicize upcoming product releases. ZTE took this time to bring forward a prototype of a modular cell phone where every part is user replaceable and upgradeable. Instead of purchasing a new phone every time a bigger battery comes out, a faster processor, or a sharper camera, a customer can simply purchase that single part and plug it in. This idea would save both money and the environment by reducing waste.

Many revolutionary ideas have been presented, but so far, Sony may hold the number one position with their Playstation Now. Soon to be out in beta, Playstation Now will allow Playstation 3 quality games to be played on any device without requiring massive processing power. Computers in warehouses would run the games and stream the video to a customer’s laptop, phone, tablet etc., so the user would only need a decent internet connection to play a game that would otherwise have required a dedicated console.

For more information on CES 2014 releases and awards, phonearena.com is a great resource for the latest tech news.