Complete Guide to Who Asked For This? PC Gamers Left Wondering After AI Takes Center...

AI and fears of further price increases have made for a strange CES for gamers.

I've covered CES for years and each one feels different to the last. Some are great for PC gamers; others aren't. This year, prototypes, concepts and artificial intelligence dominated the show, which is not surprising, nor different to last year. Though I have seen a bit of a trend in how people are reacting to this year's show.

From the comments on my CES live blog, to those on TikTok, to various threads on Reddit, to our own reaction on team; gamers keep saying similar things.

'Everything is too expensive' is a common response to any announcement from the show. With RAM prices skyrocketing and this being leveraged for price increases elsewhere, there is a sense of existential doom across the entire PC building market. Things aren't that bad—not yet—but it's going to be a bumpy ride for the rest of the year, if not longer, as prices are still on the rise.

I've been scrolling through CES coverage on TikTok and YouTube and sticker shock—the gut reaction to finding out a product's high price—is a constant.

Then there's AI. It wouldn't be CES without a buzzword and that buzzword has been AI for multiple years. So consider me very-not-surprised that, in 2026, we're still talking about the tech world's biggest obsession. But again, looking around, I'm seeing a lot of negativity from gaming audiences.

To summarise in a comment from user 'KingFlippyNipz' on the r/Razer subreddit, in response to the company's Project Ava, a holographic AI desk companion that watches you game: "who the fuck asked for this product?"

The top comment on Razer's TikTok video about it is "pls tell me this isn't real."

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I stand with KingFlippyNipz, and various others on other subreddits voicing similar sentiments. Who is asking for this product? Or smart gaming wearables? Or anything else of the sort? Are big tech firms following in the reasoning of famously honest guy, Richard Nixon, and believing there's a 'silent majority' that actually wants this stuff? Perhaps the sales numbers disagree, but I somehow doubt it.

Source: PC Gamer