I WAS A CES NEWBIE: Here's what I learned in Las Vegas swarming with 170,000 nerds

This year, I made my first pilgrimage to CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s largest tech event.

With over 170,000 registered attendees, CES is a daunting trip for anyone.

But if you can survive the crowds, the travel headaches, and the Uber surge pricing, you can learn a lot about the future of tech — from driverless cars to all--smart everything to a Shaq Attack.

Here are the key things I learned at CES 2016.

SEE ALSO: 17 amazing facts you probably didn't know about Apple

Las Vegas is the perfect place to host the world's largest tech event. Not only does it have the infrastructure to handle 170,000 attendees, but the Vegas casino floor is also full of slot machines that are actually showcases for the latest big-screen curved displays and chair-mounted subwoofers.

The hottest technology of CES 2016, beyond a doubt, was anything having to do with cars. Faraday Future kicked things off with its 1,000-horsepower electric car concept...

...but really, it seems like a lot more of the showfloor buzz was around the more mundane, but still crucial, technology that goes into connecting cars and smartphones, including Google Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.