Razer thinks you’d rather have AI headphones instead of glasses

“This is the future of AI wearables!”

That’s what I’m told as a Razer representative slips a pair of otherwise nondescript headphones over their ears. Except this isn’t a regular pair of gaming headphones. This is Razer’s Project Motoko, a concept pair of headphones that has two 4K cameras, near and far field microphones, and built-in AI. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, though Razer is tightlipped about exactly which. That’s because by the time the device hits shelves, it might be a slightly different one than the one its showing off at CES 2026.

Headphones, the Razer rep tells me, are a much better choice for on-the-go AI than smart glasses before rattling off some reasons. For starters, headphones have longer battery life. While Razer declines to give us an official battery spec, I’m told that they’ve achieved up to 36 hours in testing. If that holds up, that’s a significant advantage. By comparison, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses get about six hours on a single charge. Some smart glasses achieve longer battery life, but I’ve yet to see a pair of smart glasses truly last all day. Theoretically, you could also use these headphones while charging — that’s something you can’t do with smart glasses either.

Supposedly, placing cameras in the cans also offers more natural point-of-view footage. I’m skeptical about that as it depends on the smart glasses. That may be true of glasses that place cameras in a singular hinge, but it’s a dubious claim for those that house cameras in the nose bridge.

Lastly, because these are actual over-the-ear cans, no one else can hear the answers to your conversations. A rep tells me that’s much more private than open-ear audio you get in glasses.

Otherwise, it works similarly to how AI glasses work. You can take photos with a press of a button, and from there, talk or ask questions to whichever AI assistant you choose. The demo model I see has ChatGPT preloaded.

Like many CES demos, this one is a bit on rails. I get to see Project Motoko translate a cafe menu written in Japanese. It identifies correctly a tablet as a miniature version of the Rosetta Stone. At one point, it translates how to say “One matcha latte, please” in Japanese and repeats it slower with the phonetics enunciated. (Said translation is accurate.) I’m told you’ll also be able to use it to ask for recipe suggestions or to generate workout recommendations. Some basic AI queries can be done locally on the headphones, while more complex queries will require your phone or PC’s internet connection. In any case, I’m told Project Motoko will require minimal connectivity. Big, if true.

When I ask about privacy, Razer refers me to a teeny tiny recording indicator light. I hadn’t noticed it going off at all during the demo, and I’m skeptical of whether it’ll be fully visible in bright surroundings or if you happen to have a voluminous head of hair. Speaking of luscious locks, I’m curious to see how that might impede camera views. On smart glasses, my bangs are a constant, unwelcome intrusion in video and photo footage.

I sort of blame Sam Altman and Jony Ive for this. Last year, the duo announced Open AI was working on a mysterious AI hardware product that wouldn’t be glasses. So far, all we know is it’ll be screen-free and about the size of a phone but early on, many (including myself) speculated that headphones might be in the mix. Now it seems Razer’s taken that idea and is running with it. Razer has already experimented with smart glasses, to a lackluster response, so perhaps that’s another reason why the company is keen to branch out.

For a concept product, Razer seems pretty confident that this will actually reach consumers. While Razer declined to name an estimated price, the company says to expect Project Motoko to arrive sometime later this year.