Arriving at an empty, dark house is about to become a thing of the past. For years, the ultimate fantasy of any otaku has been to interact with their favorite characters in real life. Well, science fiction has just taken another giant leap. Gatebox Corporation has just launched the pre-sale of its latest device, the Gatebox3, and the public response was absolute madness. Its campaign on the Makuake funding platform reached its goal in just one minute and has already raised over 45 million yen. There’s a huge number of people willing to open their wallets for digital companionship.

The power to create your own companion

If you know the story of this brand, you know its concept of a waifu hologram isn’t new. The original device introduced the charming Azuma Hikari, who now returns updated after ten years as your definitive companion. She wakes you up in the mornings, greets you as soon as she detects you entering the room, and even holds fluid conversations thanks to her renewed artificial intelligence. But the real hook of this third generation is the new software called Gatebox Collection. The restriction of having to live only with the pre-set character is over.

Now users have total freedom to import any custom avatar or 3D model they desire. You decide who lives in that glass cylinder. And it’s not just a static decoration. The system lets you modify the personality, choose between Japanese or English voices, and configure over 70 different animations so the 3D character acts like a living figure. If you put it in Life Mode, the virtual assistant will naturally drink tea, work, or relax depending on the time of day, making the immersion brutally realistic.

A luxury for the otaku room

Clearly, having technology of this caliber projecting a clear hologram on your desk isn’t cheap. The list price is around 200,000 yen, though those who acted quickly snagged a significant discount during the pre-sale, lowering it to 160,000 yen. Official deliveries are scheduled for March 2027, so there’s still a long wait before buyers can see their avatars virtually walking in their room.

The company made it clear that its long-term vision is to normalize living with digital beings, giving them human expressions and warm behaviors. Given the instant financial success of this project and how quickly AI is advancing, would you buy one of these devices to import your favorite character, or do you feel the idea of talking to a hologram is still a bit strange?