CES, one of the world's largest tech shows, is going fully digital for 2021. Held annually in January in Las Vegas, CES is known for its high-profile product launches by the world's leading companies. Since then, the show has attracted more than 175,000 visitors each year, but even before the newly digitized version, the show was in a precarious situation amid the global coronavirus crisis.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced today that CES 2021 will be an all-digital experience, online only, citing health concerns from the global tech press and professionals crowding not only the convention center but also hotels all over the Strip at once. The company announced that the event would be held exclusively online. Instead, attendees will be able to "enjoy a front-row seat to groundbreaking announcements and insights from the world's tech leaders, entirely online."

So what does this mean for PC gaming technology? The gaming PC industry and its major players, such as Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, often take the spotlight at this technology show and use this opportunity to announce major upcoming product releases.

At the very least, these major players are likely to continue with their plans, assuming they were prepared to make some sort of announcement at the show; the Dell Alienware UFO was the star of this year's CES, and we expect more of the same (i.e., shiny prototypes that are destined never to be commercialized) will be announced more. Whether these will be distributed digitally as part of CES or as stand-alone events remains to be seen.

Hands-on events and product experiences by smaller companies that may not have the clout to host stand-alone events may fall short of normal expectations CES is a great opportunity to see many products one after another, often in a pre-production model CES is "a showcase for live demos" and promises "dynamic product showcases," so there may still be some hope.

After all, CES serves as a touchstone for the year's releases. What is announced at the show is often months, if not years, away. From gaming monitor panel technology to next-generation mobile processors, CES is the show that sets the expectations for the year.

So expect digital events to have the same impact on the calendar. After all, health is paramount, even if some tech shows have to be cancelled or moved online in the process.

CES is currently scheduled to return to Las Vegas in 2022.