Update 12/28/2021: We just received late-breaking word that AMD is also pulling out of in-person events at CES 2022. AMD provided Tom's Hardware with the following statement:
"After careful deliberation, AMD has decided to cancel our in-person presence at CES 2022 in Las Vegas and will instead transition to a virtual experience. While the AMD 2022 Product Premiere was always planned as a digital-only livestream, our in-person engagements will now transition to virtual in the best interest of the health and safety of our employees, partners and communities. We look forward to sharing all our exciting news as scheduled on January 4th.”
Original Story:
MSI on Tuesday joined a growing list of companies that will not physically attend CES 2022 due to the increasing number of SARS CoV-2 Omicron variant cases in the United States. Instead, the company will announce and demonstrate its new products online.
One of the leading makers of motherboards, graphics cards, and other gaming gear, MSI said that it would cancel its in-person presence at CES this year to ensure the safety of all employees, customers, and fans. The announcement was made from one of MSI's social media accounts (via VideoCardz).
Instead of announcing its new products at a press conference, MSI will host an online event called Gameverse that will cover gaming hardware.
MSI is not alone in its decision not to physically participate in the world's largest consumer electronics trade show. Last week Intel, Lenovo, Amazon, Facebook/Meta, AT&T, T-Mobile, and several others dropped out. We also hear that Thermaltake might cancel its booth at CES, citing health concerns. Meanwhile, many other leading makers of PC hardware have not announced their decision to cancel physical attendance of CES (at least not yet).
The International CES 2022 show will kick off on January 5, 2022, and run through January 8, 2022. Keeping in mind that there is still a week before the show starts, we fully expect more companies to bail on in-person exhibits as the Omicron variant spreads. What remains to be seen is how many big companies will actually participate in the trade show and whether the event will still be interesting enough to attend without all those big names.
