Microsoft and its partners rolled out Copilot+ PCs this spring, which include functions such as creating AI-generated pictures and videos.
Under the hood of the new laptops is a hardware change. Instead of the Intel chips that have powered Microsoft Windows PCs for nearly four decades, the initial Copilot+ PCs to hit the market use Qualcomm chips, which in turn rely on designs from UK-based Arm.
Most PC games, including popular multiplayer are made to work with Intel’s x86 chip architecture, which has been the standard for many personal computers for decades.
To make some of these programs function on the Qualcomm-Arm system, they must be run through a layer of software that translates Intel-speak into Arm-speak. Chip experts say the approach isn’t perfect and can result in bugs, glitches or games simply not working.
The problem is widespread. Research outfit Omdia analyst James McWhirter said more than 1,300 PC games have been independently tested to see if they work on Microsoft’s new Arm-powered PCs, and only about half ran smoothly.
Many other less-popular games haven’t been tested.
Henry Chang, an analyst with Taiwan-based research firm Digitimes, said gamers are power users of PCs, accounting for about 15 per cent of laptop users and tens of billions of dollars in business each year.
Microsoft confirmed that some games, including titles requiring demanding graphics, may not play on Copilot+ PCs. It said it was “committed to making a quality gaming experience” on the PCs but for now, “players who want a high-performance native gaming experience may choose an alternate PC optimised for gaming.”
Qualcomm had a similar comment, saying the type of chip powering the new AI PCs “is not currently considered a gaming platform” but that it was working with partners to improve the situation.
The companies said many games already work with Copilot+ PCs without requiring a translation layer. At an industry event in June, Qualcomm Chief Executive Cristiano Amon mentioned titles such as “Baldur’s Gate 3,” a fantasy role-playing game. However, near the end of his hourlong speech, Amon spent less than two minutes discussing video games.
One frequent cause of problems is the DRM software built into some games to prevent “cheating.” Even if the game can be translated to run on Arm, the anti-cheating software may be incompatible.
Qualcomm said it was working with anti-cheating software makers to optimize their code for better compatibility, and Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite, said it was discussing the issue with Qualcomm.
Analysts said the problem can’t be fixed with a quick software patch because of the fundamental structure of the current Arm-Qualcomm chips.
Intel aims to introduce its chips for PCs with Copilot+ AI functions in September, and computer makers expect widespread sales of those Intel-powered models next year. At that point, gamers could purchase one of the Intel devices and avoid the Qualcomm-Arm issue.