As I sit here getting prepared for my appointments at CES, I realized there are quite a few questions I HOPE to get answered while in Vegas. How to play (let alone win) win at Pai Gow isn’t one of them. My focus this year will be primarily on the gaming experience as a whole, including the sights and sounds we experience while playing games. While games, consoles and peripherals will be on display, we probably won’t see anything earth-shattering or announced while there. This CES will be unique in that Bill Gates will be giving the keynote for the final time as the Head of Microsoft. I imagine he will have at least one ace up his sleeve, and I can only imagine what it is. Finally, the aura of the tradeshow and Vegas as a whole should provide some of those moments you remember for years to come (or want to forget.)

With that, I give you eight Questions I would like to get answered at CES 2008…

1. How good are the 120Hz refresh LCD TVs?
This one has been bugging me since the 120Hz refresh TVs were introduced earlier this year at retailers. Having spent the last seven years selling Home Theater products at a major big box retailer, I am always leery of the first generation of any new product. I have seen first hand how slick and smooth 120Hz images are displayed, and hope to secure one of these for review. I can’t help but wonder if the LCD panel life expectancy is getting shortened by manipulating the refresh speed. I am meeting with both Sharp and Samsung reps, so I should be able to get a pretty good idea of what the expectations are. If they smooth out gameplay as much as they do Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs, then owning one could provide a distinct advantage during multiplayer action.

2. What thunder will Microsoft bring during Bill Gates last keynote as head of Microsoft?
Microsoft has always used CES as a platform to announce new products or services and most recently for the gaming division announcements such as the original Xbox (2001) and IP TV for the Xbox 360 (2007). So far last year, Microsoft has released Vista, second gen Zune players and Microsoft Home Server. So what big announcement can we expect at CES? Obviously, the public unveiling of the Surface technology will be forthcoming as there is little info on the device since its announcement. Maybe some final plans for the IP TV and Xbox 360, which has been lurking in the shadows since last year. However, I would like to finally get the announcement of the long overdue Microsoft handheld gaming device that has been rumored to be in works. What we may end up with is a hybrid device of some sort, but I will take anything at this point. We will know for sure on Sunday night.

3. When will OLED become more than a developing technology?
I know many of you are going WTF is organic light-emitting diode (OLED)? Well, it is the latest flat-panel technology that doesn’t require backlighting like traditional LCD panels. While it has tons of advantages over the current flay-panel systems (less than .01ms response time, cheaper and easier to manufacture and greater range of colors, brightness and viewing angles, it has this nasty little side-effect of limited lifetime. Technology has currently upped it to a potential of 20,000 hours for blue POLEDs, but normal lifetime is around 5,000 hours (six times less than Plasma and LCD). Why does this matter to gamers? Well, OLED tech could make gaming displays, bigger, brighter and faster. It can also improve handheld and portable devices such as phones and MP3 players’ capabilities as a gaming device.

4. Next-generation gaming consoles are launched and mainstream, so what now?
For the last couple of years, the gaming industry has been able to count on the introduction of new devices and celebrate their first year in service. Now that the Nintendo Wii...