(Image credit: Shutterstock/Mojahid Mottakin)
The Copilot+ PC series from Microsoft is designed to do AI tasks remarkably quickly and offers noteworthy benefits like longer battery life. But how does it fare in the world of video games?
It’s true that these laptops are more suited for AI tasks than for playing games, but is it really ridiculous to think that they could manage a little PC gaming? Microsoft has a history of making dubious software design decisions, and a recent report has raised some red flags. It implies that even with more relaxed gaming, the first generation of Copilot+ PCs, sporting Arm-based Snapdragon X CPUs, could not fare well.
As MacRumors has pointed out, The Wall Street Journal suggests that these laptops with Snapdragon X processors, called Copilot+, would have trouble running a wide range of PC games. The Wall Street Journal’s A detailed analysis showed that barely half of the 1,300 PC games examined ran without noticeable hiccups or performance problems.
(Image credit: Arm)
Compatibility challenges for Arm devices
The problem, as you may know, is that standard x86 chips—which are usually used for PC games—use a different architecture than Arm. Microsoft needs to use a software layer called Prism to convert x86 games and apps into an Arm-compatible version in order for these games to operate on an Arm device.
Prism acts as an emulation layer, continuously translating commands meant for x86-based Windows systems into instructions that Arm processors can understand. Similar software is used by Apple for Macs; it’s called Rosetta, and it’s now in its second version. It lets Macs with M-series (Arm-based) chips run x86 apps.
Emulation, however, frequently results in performance overhead, and this procedure may cause compatibility problems. As stated in a report according to the Wall Street Journal, Prism has had difficulty in this regard. Only half of the evaluated games ran without major bugs or difficulties on Arm-based Copilot+ PCs. Furthermore, certain well-known games—like League of Legends and Fortnite—are now incompatible with Arm-based devices; one particularly difficult component of this is the anti-cheat system.
These limitations highlight the challenges associated with porting software created for one architecture to another, particularly in the context of high-performance gaming. Emulation’s performance cost can result in lower frame rates, slower load times, and a less fluid experience overall, all of which are major negative effects for players.
Furthermore, since anti-cheat technologies are essential to preserving fair play in online games, the situation with them is especially troubling. These systems can malfunction when the underlying architecture changes, like it did from x86 to Arm, because they are usually created with certain hardware and software environments in mind. Users may become frustrated as a result of this if it either stops the game from launching or crashes while they are playing.
Microsoft surely knows about this problems and is probably trying to enhance Prism’s general game compatibility. Gamers wishing to use Arm-based devices for PC gaming, however, may have to put up with these limitations or seek into alternatives that are more appropriate for their gaming requirements until these upgrades are implemented. The circumstance also emphasizes how difficult it may be to switch from one popular computer architecture to another, particularly in fields as demanding as gaming.
It is obvious that Microsoft has to keep working on this problem. Even though it might seem apparent, having unrestricted access to the various programs and games that are accessible is essential to making any computer device actually useful for people.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Copilot+ PC expectations and the future
Microsoft now advises consumers that a Copilot+ PC might not be the ideal option if they want to play games that require a lot of graphical power. Notably, Copilot+ laptops were never designed with high-end gaming in mind, so this limitation isn’t totally shocking. But as a recent WSJ piece made clear, the condition is rather significant, which raises some concerns.
While Rosetta is currently on version 2, I hope Microsoft will take on these gaming difficulties on Arm chips and keep improving its still-emerging Prism emulation technology. Going forward, we should start seeing Copilot+ PCs with x86 chips—like ones based on AMD’s Ryzen AI and Intel’s Lunar Lake processors—that don’t have these compatibility problems.3000 silicon. Therefore, even though Arm chips are the source of this issue at the moment, Copilot+ PCs as a whole are not the problem.
Kristina Terech
Writer Kristina Terech is a UK-based computer specialist. She is very interested in mathematics, physics, software, computers, and technology in general. She has written about a variety of subjects in the past, such as economics, popular culture, and more.
Kristina’s personal interests lie in the history of science, technology, and mathematics. She really enjoys having philosophical conversations and keeping up with advancements in AI.
