It was a quiet year for CES — the show wasn’t filled with any blockbuster product announcements, or marked by any explosive new trends. Technology has arrived at an awkward middle period: things like smartphones and tablets and laptops are mature, while new things like VR and self-driving cars are in their earliest stages.

Maybe that’s why we spent so much of the show talking about turntables and headphones and Super 8 cameras: we’re bringing back tech that doesn’t demand we fall even deeper into our phones, or invest in potential futures that just seem a bit incomplete right now.

But: there’s still a lot to love about CES. The industry is here in force, and the vision of the future that lies just beyond the doors of the convention center still creates a sense of wonder and awe. We don’t come to CES to make lists of new products; we come here to go on adventures. Here’s what we found this year.

— Nilay Patel