Sony’s Consumer Electronics Show is currently happening in Las Vegas, and it includes a surprising collaboration with Nintendo. A least, that’s what it would seem with the presence of their flagship character Mario in a holographic booth, but it doesn’t take much closer examination to realize that’s not the case.
The booth was spotted by an attendee and posted to Twitter. The video shows the AI-powered Mario responding to a few basic questions, and it’s safe to say that it isn’t Charles Martinet or Kevin Afghani. It isn’t even Chris Pratt.
In the video, Mario is asked where to buy a game, to which he says you should go to Target and buy one (Target appears to be a sponsor of the booth). “Let’s make it a fantastic day at Target together,” he says with his robotic, vaguely Italian voice and dead eyes. Classic Mario.
The booth is sponsored by the AARP through its AgeTech program, which aims “to help startups and organizations recognize the benefits of developing products focused on the wants and needs of older adults,” according to a blog post on the AARP website about the CES event. The Mario featured at the event was made by Proto Inc., a company that specializes in AI-based 3D holograms.
Proto and the AARP confirmed to Kotaku that Nintendo had no involvement with the hologram. “The AI hologram animation briefly seen today is an unfinished proof of concept tested for a client to demonstrate technological capabilities and innovation. It is not intended for commercial release,” their statement reads. “AARP and Nintendo were not involved in the inadvertent showing today. The fact that so many gamers of the world have taken notice shows that they are the best fans in the world and we salute them.”
Though it may not take the best fan in the world to notice that something is off about that Mario, the sentiment is nice. Nintendo has not commented on the issue.