“This is the future of AI wearables!”
That’s what the Razer rep told me as they put a pair of otherwise unexciting headphones on their ears. Except that this isn’t a regular pair of gaming headphones. This is Razer’s Project Motoko, a concept pair of headphones with two 4K cameras, near- and far-field microphones, and built-in AI. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, although Razer has not said anything about this WhoThis is because by the time the device hits the shelves, it may be slightly different from the one shown at CES 2026,
The Razer representative told me that headphones, for a few reasons before becoming obvious, are a better choice for on-the-go AI than smart glasses. For starters, the headphones have a long battery life. While Razer has declined to give us official battery details, I’m told they achieved up to 36 hours in testing. If this holds, that’s a significant gain. By comparison, the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses get about six hours on a single charge. Some smart glasses have long battery life, but I have yet to see a pair of smart glasses last an entire day. Theoretically, you can even use these headphones while charging – this is something you can’t even do with smart glasses.
Supposedly, placing the cameras in the box also provides footage with a more natural perspective. I doubt it because it depends on smart glasses. This may be true for glasses that house the cameras in a single hinge, but it’s a questionable claim for glasses that have cameras in the bridge of the nose.
Finally, because these are true over-the-ear cans, no one can hear your conversation replies. A representative told me it’s more private than the open-ear audio found in the glasses.
Otherwise, it works the same way as AI glasses work. You can take photos with the press of a button, and from there, talk to or ask questions of whatever AI assistant you choose. The demo model I’m looking at has ChatGPT pre-loaded.
Like many CES demos, this one is a bit off track. I got to see a translation of a cafe menu written in Japanese at Project Motoko. It correctly identifies a tablet as a miniature version of the Rosetta Stone. At one point, it translates into Japanese saying “One Matcha Latte, please” and repeats it in slow motion with accented phonetics. (The said translation is accurate.) I’m told you’ll also be able to use it to ask for recipe suggestions or generate workout recommendations. Some basic AI queries can be performed locally on the headphones, while more complex queries will require your phone or PC’s Internet connection. In any case, I’m told that Project Motoko will require minimal connectivity. Big, if true.
When I ask about privacy, Razer points me to a small recording indicator light. I didn’t see it turned off at all during the demo, and I doubt whether it would be completely visible in bright environments or if you have a thick head of hair. Speaking of luscious locks, I’m curious to see how this one might disrupt the camera’s views. On smart glasses, my bangs are a constant, unwanted intrusion in video and photo footage.
I blame Sam Altman and Jony Ive for this. Last year, the duo announced that OpenAI is working on a mysterious AI hardware product No Have glasses. So far, we only know that it will be screen-free and about the size of a phone, but early on, many people (including me) speculated that headphones might be in the mix. Now it looks like Razer has taken that idea and run with it. Razer has already done used with smart glassesAs for a lackluster response, perhaps that’s another reason the company is eager to branch out.
For a concept product, Razer is confident that it will actually reach consumers. While Razer declined to reveal an estimated price, the company says Project Motoko is expected to arrive later this year.
