AMD, Copilot+ set the stage for Xbox AI

AMD has just received approval from Microsoft that its new mobile Ryzen AI 300 series processors will now be able to run Microsoft’s advanced AI applications, which are marketed under the Copilot+ brand name. AMD is also the supplier of Microsoft Xbox, and with Microsoft focusing heavily on AI, it’s only a matter of time before an AI Xbox is announced.

Let’s talk about what to expect when the AI ​​Xbox hits the market next year, and we’ll close with my product of the week, a new AI-enabled processor from Intel Lunar Lake.

AI Xbox

Xbox – and, to be fair, PlayStation – sales have fallen sharply this year, mainly due to a lack of new hardware releases. Normally, a new, lower-cost platform would have been launched by now. However, with processor manufacturing plants (fabs) operating at full capacity, there is no room to manufacture the low-cost processors that will ignite a sales pop this year.

However, the next major release will be fascinating. I expect a low-cost version of the Ryzen AI 300 series with a powerful Neural Processing Unit (NPU) along with an Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) to be available early next year. It will deliver amazing new capabilities to new and revised Xbox games.

AI games are coming, look for AI NPCs

Nvidia is aggressively pushing the AI ​​NPC (non-player character) concept. But right now, Nvidia isn’t into any gaming consoles. Instead, AMD took over both Microsoft and Sony’s gaming platforms. Sony must know that if it doesn’t have AI-enabled games when the AI ​​Xbox launches, it will lose a ton of share because AI games are expected to be game changers.

The concept of an AI NPC is an NPC that behaves like a human. It can engage in conversation. You don’t have to use canned prompts and trial-and-error or spend a lot of time on the web looking for cheats to figure out how to get through a game or solve a puzzle.

Also, with many games, it’s more fun to play with others, but it’s often difficult to find teams that will accept new players or cater to players who may be socially awkward. I’m hoping for a lot of AI tools that can help people learn to flirt appropriately and overcome this social awkwardness without the downside of trying to learn with real people who can be pretty cruel if you get it wrong.

AI party members

So, imagine being able to populate a team with AI NPCs you build over time or based on alternate game avatars. For example, I play a game, I have 61 game avatars that I’ve completely created, and if I can’t find someone online to play with it would be fun to fight them or make a team with them. For many of us who have experienced sadistic, bully and rude players while gaming, this can be a way to have a fun, safe gaming experience for the most sensitive among us. Another benefit of AI NPCs is the game’s ability to be more dynamic.

Most video games these days are pretty scripted, so once we’ve seen them a few times, they feel old and stale But with AI NPCs, even when people aren’t playing, NPCs can interact with each other to change the way you progress through trials, rewards, and games, suggesting that subsequent gameplay will be the same as when you log in, with new surprises. . and play

This same AI-driven approach also points to the ability to AI-enable games beyond NPCs so that games can change themselves based on observations tied to gamers’ feedback and metrics that show players are getting angry or frustrated, and act autonomously on these frustrations and reason for anger

AI mods

Game moderators are few, not very helpful and can be anything but timely. I’ve had mods respond hours or even days later to complaints I no longer need, which is really annoying. You often need answers and help in real time.

For example, say you’ve spent hours trying to complete a quest, and an NPC gets stuck on a wall, floor, or ceiling, preventing you from progressing and forcing you to start over without achieving any goals or rewards. Your time and success will be generated otherwise.

An AI moderator can respond instantly. In fact, it can monitor your gameplay and make suggestions, and when a problem appears, it can proactively prevent that from arising. Have you ever quit a new game after asking a legitimate question, only to be bombarded by tons of people questioning your age and intelligence?

It can be difficult for a new player to ask questions out of sadness, but we’re all newbies at one point or another (noobs). There have been several games where I struggled to understand the gameplay, asked a question, and then stopped playing the game because the feedback annoyed me so much.

Mods have always been overworked because the location tends to be understaffed. Still, an AI mode could scale according to the number of players, which would allow faster ruling and better help for both noobs and experienced players who don’t want to come off as noobs.

Also, this scale will allow the AI ​​mod to respond to bullies and bullies more quickly, potentially eliminating this behavior from games that have this feature.

wrap up

I think AI Xbox will be a huge game-changer. This will enable more dynamic games and NPCs that are human-like and potentially create a safer gaming environment.

Years ago, Microsoft launched an avatar-based social network aimed at young women. I was given an ID and password to monitor the interaction (which made me very nervous, as the girls were all young), only to find a man running around with two girls in masculine avatars. I reported it, and Microsoft pulled the plug soon after.

AI games can be built to instantly identify people who shouldn’t be in children’s games, protect players, and make gameplay more interesting, exciting, and uniquely interesting. AI companions are already available in the market, and I don’t think future gamers have a relationship with their AI NPCs, whatever that may be. response If a game is cancelled.

With AMD’s support for Microsoft’s Copilot+, the AI ​​Xbox is coming, and it will be a game-changer. I can hardly wait!

Intel’s Lunar Lake

Of the three major PC processor vendors — AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm — Intel is the latest to support Microsoft’s Copilot+ features, but late doesn’t mean non-performance. In fact, the part code-named Lunar Lake and marketed under the Core Ultra brand is incredibly impressive.

This processor is unusual in that it was fast-tracked from its original 2026 release date, representing the fastest Intel has ever done. Due to its advanced nature, it will be marketed as a premium product and should be the most advanced laptop mobile processor.

September 3, 2024 — Pavan Davuluri (right), Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows + devices, joins Michelle Johnston Holthaus, executive vice president and general manager of Intel’s Client Computing Group, to introduce the Intel Core Ultra 200V series processors at a launch event ahead of IFA Berlin. (Image credit: Intel)

What is impressive is that the previous leadership did not believe in NPU at all and did not finance the development of one. Intel was aggressively moving towards AI until Pat Gelsinger came on board, and while they were years late in starting work on AI, they were only months late in its arrival.

The work required to make this happen is impressive and a testament to the long hours, focus and hard work of the development team. I’ve worked with teams like this, and they rarely get credit for that effort, resulting in long hours, lost weekends, lost holidays, and family stress.

So, it’s as much about product capabilities as recognizing the work that has gone into this incredible project. The effort was really impressive, so Intel’s new Core Ultra (Lunar Lake) is my product of the week, but really, I wanted to recognize the team that made it happen. Impressive work!