CES 2017: Intel Press Event Live Blog

07:05PM 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