Mario appeared at CES 2024 and fans don’t know how to feel

❘ Published: 2024-01-10T14:56:39

Twitter/X, Pexels

Attendees at CES encountered an interactive hologram version of Mario at a booth, but something is not right and fans are baffled.

At big events like CES there are so many different booths competing for the attention of the attendees, you have to really pull out all the stops In order to get those eyeballs on your product. One common way of doing this is to use recognizable characters, as this will usually make visitors stop to look, even for a moment.

One exhibitor at CES decided this was the correct route, and decided that the eye-catching mascot for their booth demonstrating an interactive AI-powered hologram would be… Mario.

The booth was sponsored by AARP, formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons. The booth was intended to showcase advancements in “AgeTech” or technology that can improve the lives of elderly persons. This includes ProtoHologram, a device that was created with the intent of combating social isolation in the elderly by giving them someone to talk to.

Attendees baffled at Mario’s voice

While a nice idea on paper, the execution left something to be desired, judging by the response on Twitter/X. Twitter user ProbChild managed to grab some footage of the hologram on the show floor at CES, where he found a slightly rubbery-looking Mario hologram.

When asked a question, the Mario hologram spouted a response that sounded like something from a poorly programmed Alexa or Siri, and with a truly baffling and unfitting AI-generated voice with an unidentifiable accent.

So Mario was at #CES

But uh… who approved this abomination? 💀 pic.twitter.com/diG3axCJIG
— Greggory (@ProbChild_) January 10, 2024

The sound of the AI-generated Mario voice prompted several responses from Twitter users, ranging from confused laughter to utter horror, with many questioning if the hologram was licensed by Nintendo. TheRealBackLog said: “Listen, I know Charles Martinet is out, but surely we can do better than this.” and user KeijiKG quipped, “It is I, Artificially Intelligent Superior Athletic Plumber Man.”

The absolute crowning response came from user Bryan Rose (@br26) who said “Can we have Chris Pratt back?”

Stay locked in on Dexerto for more CES 2024 coverage, where we expect new laptops, graphics cards, monitors, and more.