Amazon’s popular Alexa voice assistant is hiding plenty of cool features. Beyond the ability to tell jokes or check up on the news, there’s a little-known Easter egg for the platform known as “Super Alexa Mode.” While it won’t unlock any new features or ramp up Alexa’s performance, Super Alexa Mode is a fun party trick — especially if you’re a fan of video games.
From how to activate Super Alexa Mode to details on what the Easter egg means, here’s everything you need to know about the quirky Alexa feature. Once you’ve activated Super Alexa Mode, be sure to check out other tips and tricks to get the most out of the assistant.
What is Super Alexa Mode?
This is a fun Easter egg that causes a unique response from the Alexa speaker you are using. When activated, Alexa will say, “Super Alexa mode activated. Starting reactors … online. Enabling advanced systems … online. Raising dongers. Error. Dongers missing. Aborting.” If you are using an Echo Show, the screen will also change to reflect this.
If you already get it, then you get it. If you don’t, we’ll explain below.
How do you get Alexa to say this?
You have to use the voice command, “Alexa, up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start.”
That’s right. And, of course, it has to be an exact input — uh, we mean those precise words. If you make a mistake and say “left, left, right, right” or something else in the wrong order, Alexa will tell you you’re “so close,” but she won’t activate until you say the exact code.
What’s the significance of all this?
It’s a bit of gamer humor. Let’s start with the voice command, which is, of course, a reference to the famous Konami Code, created by Kazuhisa Hashimoto in the 1980s. This was a developer code meant to be input on the gaming controller for the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), usually somewhere around the Start screen. The code was left in the first games even after shipping and soon became a very popular cheat code, often used to access secret menus, invincibility modes, infinite ammo or lives, and so on. It became so popular that a wide variety of games through the ’80s, ’90s, and even beyond included secret modes that could be activated using the Konami Code.
Then we get to Alexa’s response. This is basic spaceship computer talk, with the voice assistant simply acting like she’s engaging some super special mode to deal with a bigger threat. At least until she gets to the “raising dongers” line, which is a deep dive into the online gaming zeitgeist.
Let’s start at the beginning. There is a very popular League of Legends player that goes by the handle Imaqtipie. He has a large streaming audience on Twitch that watches him play League of Legends maps live. In this team-based MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena), Imaqtipie is famous for playing the champion Heimerdinger. In his back-and-forth with his audience, Imaqtipie eventually started calling the champion “Donger,” which became a popular nickname. At one point, Imaqtipie created the catchphrase “raise your dongers,” accompanied by a specific emote, and everyone decided they loved it. “Raise your dongers” became a common saying throughout League of Legends, Twitch itself, and beyond. It’s primarily a nonsense phrase that can mean something akin to “let’s get ready” or is used as a call to salute.
Phew! We told you it was a deep dive.
Does Alexa actually get any new abilities with this command?
Unlike the games where the cheat code worked, saying the Konami Code will not give Alexa any special abilities, unlimited lives, or new cheats. Alexa settings themselves remain entirely unchanged.
So it’s not an actual Alexa mode, is it?
No. It’s really best referred to as an Easter egg. If Alexa actually does get any new modes, such as entering the Alexa Guard security mode, we’ll be sure to let you know all about them.
Can you even play games with Alexa?
If you have an Echo device, especially an Echo Show, there are a variety of Alexa skills that function as games, especially RPGs with an emphasis on exploration and decision making. You can check our guide here for a better idea of what’s available. We haven’t heard anything about the Konami Code working with any of them, but it’s certainly possible!
Does Alexa know any more gaming Easter eggs?
She sure does, although none are quite so in-depth as this one. For example, you can ask her, “Alexa, do you know GLaDOS?” (Spoilers — she does). Or you can say, “Alexa, all your base are belong to us,” another deep cut from gaming culture. Check out our full list of little tidbits here to get an idea of all Alexa is capable of.
