HDMI Licensing Administrator is setting up shop at CES 2026 with a booth focused entirely on gaming. They’re showcasing three different HDMI cable types and how they impact gaming performance, including early prototypes of the Ultra96 HDMI Cable that was just introduced in the HDMI 2.2 Specification.
If you’re heading to CES in Las Vegas, the booth is in Central Hall at #15819. They’re running interactive demos designed to show what different HDMI cables actually do for gaming beyond just “transmitting video.”
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What They’re Actually Demonstrating
The centerpiece seems to be a 500Hz gaming monitor running off both an Xbox Series X and a high-end gaming PC. Five hundred hertz is legitimately wild—most people are still on 144Hz or 240Hz displays. The demo’s meant to show ultra-smooth motion and responsiveness, which makes sense when you’re pushing that many frames per second.
They’re also showing portable console gaming on big screens. Nintendo Switch 2 and Atari Gamestation Go will be hooked up to HDTVs, demonstrating how portable systems can seamlessly switch to living room setups. The eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel) functionality will be on display too, routing audio to soundbars and multi-speaker systems without extra cables.
And because nostalgia sells, they’ve got modernized retro gaming systems connected via HDMI. Old-school gameplay but with UltraHD video and audio on large displays—basically showing that even retro-style consoles benefit from current HDMI tech.
The Cable Lineup
Three cable types are getting featured:
Ultra96 HDMI Cable – This is the new one from HDMI 2.2. They’re showing early prototypes, so it’s not commercially available yet. The name suggests it’s designed for the highest bandwidth applications, probably targeting those insane refresh rates and resolutions that are starting to emerge.
Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable – This has been around for a bit and handles 48Gbps bandwidth. It’s what you need for 4K at 120Hz or 8K at 60Hz with full HDR.
Premium High Speed HDMI Cable – The step below Ultra High Speed, typically handling 18Gbps. Good for 4K at 60Hz, which is still what most content maxes out at anyway.
The point of showing all three is probably to emphasize that cable choice actually matters. A lot of people just grab whatever HDMI cable came in the box or buy the cheapest one on Amazon, then wonder why they’re not getting the performance their expensive hardware promises.
Gaming Features That Actually Matter
Beyond just cable bandwidth, HDMI LA is highlighting specific gaming features:
Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) – Syncs your display’s refresh rate with your GPU’s frame output. This eliminates screen tearing and stuttering, which is especially noticeable in fast-paced games where frame rates fluctuate.
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) – Automatically switches your TV into game mode when it detects a console or PC is active. This cuts down input lag without you having to dig through TV menus every time you want to play.
Quick Frame Transport (QFT) – Reduces latency by streamlining how frames get transported from source to display. Less delay between you pressing a button and seeing the result on screen.
These aren’t new features—they’ve been part of HDMI specs for a while. But having them all working together on high-refresh displays with proper cables makes a noticeable difference if you’re into competitive gaming or just want the smoothest experience possible.
Does This Actually Matter to Most People?
Here’s the thing—if you’re gaming on a standard 4K TV at 60Hz, you probably don’t need to stress about Ultra96 cables or 500Hz monitors. Your current setup is fine. Premium High Speed HDMI handles 4K60 without breaking a sweat.
But if you’re building a high-end gaming rig with a 240Hz or 360Hz monitor, or you’re trying to push 4K at 120Hz with full HDR on a PS5 or Xbox Series X, then yeah, cable quality matters. Cheap cables can cause signal dropouts, limit your refresh rate, or just flat-out not work at higher bandwidths.
The Ultra96 cable is clearly aimed at the extreme end—people chasing 500Hz refresh rates at high resolutions, or future 8K gaming scenarios. That’s a tiny percentage of gamers right now, but CES is always about showcasing what’s next rather than what most people currently need.
Why HDMI LA Is Doing This
Trade show booths aren’t cheap, and HDMI LA isn’t exactly a company that needs consumer brand awareness—everyone already uses HDMI whether they know what “HDMI LA” is or not. So why the big gaming push?
Probably because gaming is one of the few areas still pushing HDMI technology forward. Movies and TV content have mostly settled at 4K60 with HDR. Gaming is where you see 120Hz, 240Hz, VRR, low latency demands—all the stuff that requires newer HDMI specs and better cables.
Showcasing this at CES helps HDMI LA demonstrate that the technology is still evolving and relevant. It also educates manufacturers, retailers, and media about what current and upcoming cables can actually do, which hopefully trickles down to better consumer products and less confusion about what cable to buy.
If you’re at CES and care about gaming performance, it’s probably worth stopping by. Getting hands-on time with a 500Hz display might either blow your mind or make you realize you can’t actually perceive the difference from 240Hz. Either way, at least you’ll know.