Microsoft’s next Xbox console is said to feature an AI accelerator to handle AI tasks.
At least, that’s what WindowsCentral’s Jez Corden writes to have heard from reliable sources in a freshly-published feature article about Windows Phone. According to Corden, this neural processing unit (NPU) inside Microsoft’s next hardware will be able to perform some AI tasks, including Auto SR – Microsoft’s own resolution upscaling tech. “Reliable sources tell us that the next Xbox will sport an NPU for handling some AI tasks, such as automatic Super Resolution, for example, without detracting from the CPU or GPU”, Corden writes. “The next Xbox will also have some form of Copilot, offering guidance in-game without having to use websites like ours (RIP Windows Central). Still, the amount of people likely to use these tools on Xbox is minuscule compared to the default setting on iOS or Android.”
Although Corden initially said the AI accelerator (NPU) would come from Qualcomm, he later clarified that the manufacturer isn’t known at this point. “Currently, the manufacturer is unknown at my end, but it’s most likely AMD”, he later added.
Further details haven’t been shared by Corden, but it’s interesting information nonetheless. As covered last week, Microsoft’s next Xbox console is said to be very different from the current console and will be a “reference design” for manufacturers to make their own game devices.
Back in April of this year, we reported that Microsoft is seemingly working on an Xbox AI chatbot that helps automate certain tasks. According to The Verge, this bot can, for instance, help automate game refunds. Whether this AI Chatbot is related to the copilot that Corden mentioned, is not entirely clear. ““We are testing an Xbox Support Virtual Agent, an internal prototype of an animated character that can query Xbox Support topics with voice or text,” Xbox general manager of gaming AI, Haiyan Zhang, told the Verge last month. “The prototype makes it easier and quicker for players to get help with support topics using natural language, taking information from existing Xbox Support pages.”
We’ll update you as soon as we learn about Microsoft’s next Xbox.
