{"id":963,"date":"2026-01-09T04:53:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/09\/razer-put-a-waifu-in-a-bottle-at-ces-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T04:53:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:53:15","slug":"razer-put-a-waifu-in-a-bottle-at-ces-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/09\/razer-put-a-waifu-in-a-bottle-at-ces-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Razer put a waifu in a bottle at CES 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last year Razer showed off Project Ava as a digital assistant<\/a> that lived inside your computer to help adjust settings or provide gaming tips. But now at CES 2026, the company\u2019s AI companion platform has gotten a major glow-up while moving into some new digs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, in lieu of being constrained entirely to your PC\u2019s screen, Razer has given Project Ava<\/a> a real home in the form of a small tube that can display a 5.5-inch animated hologram of the AI\u2019s avatar. You\u2019ll still need to connect it to your computer via USB-C to provide Ava with the power and data it needs. However, all of your companion\u2019s other components are built into its abode, including dual far-field mics so you can talk to it, a down-firing full-range speaker so it can talk and an HD camera with an ambient light sensor so the AI can see and react to its surroundings.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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But perhaps the biggest upgrade to the project is that instead of just Ava, who Razer describes as \u201ca calm, reliable source of energy to help you keep things clear, efficient, and always on point,\u201d there are three or four new personas (depending on how we\u2019re counting) joining the roster. Kira looks like a TikTok e-girl decked out in a frilly outfit complete with Razer neon green accents, while Zane is her edgy masculine alternative who kind of reminds me of the Giga Chad meme<\/a>, but with extra snake tattoos. Then there\u2019s Sao, who appears to be directly inspired by iconic Japanese salary woman Saori Araki<\/a>. Finally, there\u2019s an avatar made in the likeness of Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok), the most successful and well-known League of Legends player of all time and one of Razer’s sponsored esports athletes.<\/p>\n

\"The
The new peripheral for Project Ava is a cylinder that can display a 5.5-inch hologram of an AI companion.<\/figcaption>
Sam Rutherford for Engadget<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The idea now is that instead of being trapped inside your computer, Ava or one of Razer\u2019s other personas can sit on your desk and be your companion for everything. They can remind you of upcoming events, respond to questions or even comment on your outfit using Razer\u2019s built-in camera. That said, if you need some privacy, the device\u2019s mics can be muted and the company says its planning on putting a physical camera shutter on final retail models. Of course, Ava or any of the other avatars can still hang out while you game and give you advice. During my demo, Kira helped pick out a loadout in Battlefield 6<\/em> based on user criteria and even provided pros and cons for some of the game\u2019s other equipment options.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Project
Project Ava’s expanded roster of AI companions<\/figcaption>
Razer<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Unfortunately, while I did get to see Kira and Zane talk, dance and sway in their little bottles, Sao and Faker weren\u2019t quite ready to make their holographic debuts. But according to Razer, that\u2019s sort of by design as Project Ava is very much a work in progress. Currently, the avatars\u2019 responses are generated by X AI\u2019s Grok (yikes!<\/a>), but the platform was created as a sort of open-source project that will support other models like Gemini or ChatGPT. <\/p>\n

Down the line, Razer is hoping to add the ability for users to create their own unique avatars and companions based on their input or inspiration from real-world objects. Meanwhile, for avatars like Faker’s because he\u2019s also an actual person, Razer wants additional time to make the AI companion helpful with topics like real-time League of Legends coaching.<\/p>\n

\"Say
Say hello to Giga Chad, I mean Zane. <\/figcaption>
Sam Rutherford for Engadget<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

That said, while some folks might find Project Ava a bit weird or unnerving, it actually feels pretty tame (almost cute even) in an era where people are already marrying their AI partners<\/a>. And if you\u2019re the kind of person who prefers digital companions over flesh-and-blood alternatives (you know, people), I guess it\u2019s kind of nice to have a more tangible representation of your electronic waifus and husbandos.<\/p>\n

\"Faker's
Faker’s avatar was only viewable in this nearly life-size mock up. <\/figcaption>
Sam Rutherford for Engadget<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Sadly, Razer has not provided full pricing for Project Ava\u2019s holographic peripheral, though a representative said that it will be in the same ballpark as the company\u2019s other peripherals. I\u2019m estimating a final cost of around $200. Reservations for Project Ava are currently live<\/a> with a $20 deposit before official shipments begin sometime in the second half of 2026. <\/p>\n\n

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/gaming\/pc\/razer-put-a-waifu-in-a-bottle-at-ces-2026-205315908.html?src=rss<\/p>

Please credit: OBA Blog<\/a> » Razer put a waifu in a bottle at CES 2026<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last year Razer showed off Project Ava as a digital assistant that lived inside your computer to help adjust settings or provide gaming tips. But now at CES 2026, the company\u2019s AI companion platform has gotten a major glow-up while moving into some new digs.\u00a0 Now, in lieu of being constrained entirely to your PC\u2019s screen, Razer has given Project Ava a real home in the form of a small tube that can display a 5.5-inch animated hologram of the AI\u2019s avatar. You\u2019ll still need to connect it to your computer via USB-C to provide Ava with the power and data it needs. However, all of your companion\u2019s other components are built into its abode, including dual far-field mics so you can talk to it, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-share"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/obagg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}