For global gaming hardware brand Razer, CES 2026 was a platform to showcase a bold suite of AI-driven gaming tech that signals the future of human and machine interaction. One of the innovations that drew the most attention was Project Motoko, a wireless headset concept that brings AI to everyday life.
A revelation that demanded more attention after Project Motoko was Project AVA, an animated holographic AI companion, nicknamed by commentators as 'AI anime waifu'. Project AVA, per Razer's official page, is an everyday AI companion designed to stay beside users 24/7.
Day 1 of #CES2026Razer is here! Come by and check out our newest concepts released this morning.
— R Λ Z Ξ R (@Razer) January 6, 2026
📍Booth 2101 Bellini at The Venetian pic.twitter.com/VONofZjeng
'Powered by advanced AI, AVA features a dynamic personality that learns and evolves based on your interactions. Brought to life as an animated 5.5" 3D hologram, she uses human-like vision and audio sensing for full contextual awareness. AVA simplifies life by organizing your schedule, consulting on work tasks, and guiding you to victory as your enthusiastic gaming wingman,' Razer announced in their newsroom's official release of Project AVA.
AVA is capable of a tenfold of organisation tasks in daily life, work, and play, including proactively managing calendars and wardrobe selections, tracking wellness habits and moods, two-way brainstorming conversations, complex data analysis, multi-language translation, real-time game strategy coaching, AI quest assistant, and even gaming wingman who offers encouragement to gamers.
Meet Razer Project AVA, your all-in-one AI companion: https://t.co/6R28ZLTVdz
— R Λ Z Ξ R (@Razer) January 6, 2026
From planning your day to analyzing spreadsheets and game starts, Razer Project AVA leverages advanced AI inferencing and reasoning that dynamically evolves based on your personal interactions. Select… pic.twitter.com/3HdC8bAJwf
Project Motoko's AI Vision
Boarding the global eSports industry this year, Razer is proving to be a name that refuses to be ignored in competitive gaming. Razer has leveraged in its reputation for producing high-performance peripherals to establish a foothold in gaming tournaments, highlighting its commitment to the gaming industry.
Project Motoko augments human vision and audio via artificial intelligence. Razer's Global Head of Mobile Console Division, Nick Bourne, described Motoko in Razer's Newsroom official release as 'more than a concept, it's a vision for the future of AI and wearable computing.'
Razer has partnered with Qualcomm Technologies to enhance gameplay and transform the integration of technology in daily life. Ziad Asghar, SVP and GM of XR at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., said, 'Snapdragon delivers the advanced AI and XR capabilities that make Project Motoko possible.'
'As we transition to an era of multiple AI powered Personal devices such as Project Motoko, that can see and hear and work together with an AI agent to anticipate your every need. We're thrilled to collaborate with Razer to enable this vision and push AI wearable computing into a new era where intelligence, performance, and immersive experiences converge,' the message continued.
Project AVA: AI 'Waifu'
In a simultaneous debut with Project Motoko is equally attention-grabbing Project AVA, a holographic AI companion for desktop. Razer presented AVA at CES 2026 using animated 3D avatars, including 'Kira', later dubbed as an AI 'waifu'.
According to The Verge, Kira, the avatar, featured natural movements and even facial expressions, and, more importantly, constantly looked at the user and the user's screen via its built-in cameras to answer questions and perform the 'AI assistant' tasks in daily living, gaming, and work.
Razer is releasing an AI anime girl assistant for your desk that gives gaming and life tips
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) January 6, 2026
You can even change the hologram avatar to be Faker pic.twitter.com/J5sQTKa9Tp
Apart from AVA, users can choose other avatars to accompany them: KIRA, a 'lovely gaming partner', ZANE, the 'steady gaming wingman', FAKER, the 'GOAT' that will help users create their own gaming legacy, and SAO, an 'idol' capturing hearts everywhere.
Project AVA's voice and personality utilises xAI Grok. Per Razer, 'Project AVA currently utilizes xAI's Grok engine to demonstrate its sophisticated reasoning and dynamic personality.' Razer reiterates that while AVA is powered by Grok, it is built with an 'open, future-ready architecture intended to support compatibility with other leading AI platforms — including a dedicated Razer AI — to give users intelligence flexibility upon commercialization.'
Project AVA only works with Windows and requires a direct Windows PC connection via a USB-C cable.
