Microsoft just announced that AMD’s mobile Ryzen AI300 series processors can now run Microsoft’s advanced AI apps, which are marketed by the brand name Copilot+. AMD is also a supplier for Microsoft Xbox. With Microsoft’s focus on AI, the AI Xbox will be announced soon.
We’ll discuss what we can expect from the AI Xbox when it hits the market in the coming year. And, as a final product, I’ll show you my Product of the Weekly, a new Intel Lunar Lake AI-enabled chip.
The AI Xbox
Xbox — and, to be fair, PlayStation — sales are down sharply this year, mainly due to the lack of new hardware releases. Normaly, a lower-cost platform should have been released by now. The processor factories (fabs), which are currently operating at maximum capacity, have not had the space to produce the low-cost processors that would have driven a huge sales boost this year.
But the next big release is sure to be exciting. I expect a cheaper version of the Ryzen AI 300 Series accelerated processing unit with a powerful neuro processing unit (NPU), to be available by next year. It will give Xbox games new and improved capabilities.
AI Games are Coming: Look for AI NPCs
Nvidia is pushing AI NPCs. Nvidia doesn’t have any consoles at the moment. AMD is now the dominant gaming platform for both Microsoft and Sony. Sony has to know that without AI-enabled gaming when the AI Xbox launches it will lose out on a lot of market share. AI games have been expected to be game changers.
AI NPCs behave more like human beings. It can converse. It is not necessary to use trial-and error and canned prompts or spend time searching online for cheats or hacks in order to complete a game.
It is also more fun to play games with other people, but sometimes it’s hard to find a team that is willing to accept new players, or accommodate players who are socially awkward. I am expecting AI tools that can help people to overcome their social awkwardness by learning how to flirt.
AI Party Members
Imagine having the ability to create AI NPCs based on alternate avatars or ones you’ve built over time. If I cannot find anyone online to play, it would be interesting to build a game team or fight my 61 fully-developed avatars. Many of us have had to deal with rude, aggressive, or even bullying players. This is a great way to ensure that we have a safe, fun gaming experience. AI NPCs can also make the game more dynamic.
Video games tend to become stale and old after a while. This is because they are usually scripted. AI NPCs would allow the NPCs to interact even when the players are not playing. This could change the rewards, trials and the progression of the game.
This same AI driven approach also points towards the ability to AI enable games beyond NPCs. Games can then modify themselves in response to player feedback and observations tied with metrics that indicate players becoming frustrated or angry, and they will work autonomously on addressing and removing the causes of this frustration.
AI Mods
Moderators tend to be scarce, unhelpful and slow. It’s really frustrating when mods answer complaints days or even hours after I’ve no longer need them. You may need immediate help or answers.
Say, for example, that you have just spent hours trying to finish a quest and an NPC becomes stuck in the wall, ceiling or floor. This prevents you from moving forward and forces you to restart without earning any rewards or goals.
A moderator AI could react instantly. It could actually monitor your gameplay, make suggestions and, when a potential problem is spotted, prevent it from happening. You may have quit a game because you asked a legitimate question only to get a barrage of rude people who questioned your intelligence and age.
New players may be reluctant to ask questions due to the negative feedback they might receive, but everyone has been a noob at some point. It’s happened that I have asked questions about games when I didn’t understand them, but then quit playing because of the answer.
Because the role is understaffed, mods are always overworked. An AI mod could be scaled up to accommodate the number of players. This would help both newbies and players who do not want to appear as noobs.
The AI mod should be able to respond faster to those who are bullying and causing grief, potentially eliminating the behavior in games with the feature.
Wrapping up
I believe the AI Xbox will change gaming forever. It will allow for more dynamic games, NPCs more similar to humans, and create a potentially safer gaming environment.
Microsoft launched a social networking site based on avatars for young women many years ago. I was given both an ID and a password to view the interaction. (This made me feel very nervous as the girls all were underage) Only to discover a man running around with his two daughters, wearing a penis avatar. Microsoft removed the feature shortly after I reported it.
AI games are a great way to protect children, identify inappropriate characters, and create a more engaging and exciting gaming experience. AI companions already exist on the market and it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine future gamers developing relationships with AI NPCs. repercussions If the game is subsequently canceled.
The AI Xbox will be here soon, thanks to AMD’s support of Microsoft’s Copilot+. It’ll change the game. I can’t wait!
Intel’s Lunar Lake
Of the three major PC processor vendors — AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm — Intel is the last to support Microsoft’s Copilot+ features, but late doesn’t mean non-performant. Lunar Lake, marketed as Core Ultra under the Core Ultra brand name is an incredibly powerful part.
Intel is announcing a new processor that will be released in 2026. It’s the fastest Intel has ever produced. It will be a premium product, and the most advanced mobile laptop processor.
Sept. 3, 2024 — Pavan Davuluri (right), corporate vice president for Windows + Devices at Microsoft, joins Michelle Johnston Holthaus, executive vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group at Intel, at a launch event in advance of IFA Berlin to introduce Intel Core Ultra 200V series processors. (Image Credit: Intel)
It is amazing that the previous leadership did not fund the NPU and didn’t even believe in it. Intel didn’t make a major shift towards AI until Pat Gelsinger joined the company. They were a few months behind on AI when they started, but years behind on its arrival.
The team that worked so hard to bring this to life deserves credit for their long hours and dedication. I have worked with such teams and they rarely get credit for their long hours, missed weekends, missed holidays, or family stress.
This is as much to recognize the hard work that was put into this project as it’s about the capabilities of the product. Intel’s Core Ultra, (Lunarlake) is my Product Of The Week. But I also wanted to thank the team for their hard work. Impressive job!