Meet the tiny AI hologram ready to be your esports coach and life planner
Razer’s Project AVA provides AI assistance in the form of an animated desktop hologram.
(Image credit: Razer)
- Razer showcased an upgraded Project AVA animated holographic AI assistant at CES this year
- Project AVA has a selection of avatars with their own simulated personalities that can engage in conversation, see your screen, and track your gaze
- Razer is widening Project Ava's role beyond gaming coach to everyday tasks like scheduling and organizing your life
AI assistants right now mostly take the form of a wall of text or a disembodied voice, but Razer thinks people would prefer to talk to a small, animated hologram with a matching personality sitting on their desk.
It brought its Project AVA to CES this year to showcase exactly that. AVA first debuted at CES last year as an esports coach inside a gaming rig, but the glowing, 5-inch holographic avatar can now live on your desk, conversing with you and offering help on everything from your daily schedule to the perfect outfit of the day.
AVA's cylindrical home sits next to your keyboard, appearing to house a lively hologram looking like one of a handful (so far) of assistant forms, such as original Razer characters, AVA, Kira and Zane, or recognizable esports figures.
The holograms have facial expressions, lip-synced speech, and personalities that Razer says go "from bold and sassy, to calm and friendly."
Razer Project AVA: Your AI Desk Companion - YouTube 
The built-in camera, far-field microphone array, and “PC Vision Mode” enable AVA to see your screen, hear your voice, and follow your gaze. According to Razer, the hologram isn’t just for show. The projected avatar mirrors your interactions with subtle head movements, blinking, lip syncing, and expressions designed to feel alive without veering into the uncanny valley. The eye-tracking hardware lets it maintain “eye contact,” giving conversations a surprising sense of reciprocity.
Despite its gaming roots, AVA is designed to be a full-service assistant. Along with analyzing in-game footage and suggesting strategy tweaks in real time, it can organize your schedule, remind you of appointments, and suggest entertainment options based on your browsing.
Hologram AI
AVA is supposed to use what it learns about you, from your speech patterns to your on-screen activity, to adapt to your mood and habits. Razer suggests AVA will leverage that information, and its screen access, to give you ideas to help with making spreadsheets, editing code, or putting together presentations.
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