(Credit: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)
Don't miss out on our latest stories. Add PCMag as a preferred source on Google.
If you're reading this, there's a good chance you’ve used AI to help you at work, at school, or with planning your personal life. Now, Microsoft thinks it should help users beat video games.
From today, Xbox Gaming Copilot will begin its general rollout to gamers outside mainland China across Windows PCs in beta. However, mobile users on Android and iOS will need to wait until next month for the feature. Microsoft first started testing Gaming Copilot in May, under the working title Copilot for Gaming.
Gaming Copilot will access data from your Xbox account, such as your play history, your achievements, as well as where you are in the game in real-time. Using this data, Gaming Copilot can provide walkthroughs on getting past challenging levels, as well as recommendations on what games you should play next or how to get certain achievements. Microsoft says the feature will even be able to remind you of the backstory of any in-game characters you encounter.
To enable the feature, first, you'll need to make sure you have the Xbox PC app installed on your Windows device. Then you'll need to press the Windows logo key + G to open Game Bar over your game. Look for the Gaming Copilot icon in the Home Bar, then open the widget, and log in to your Xbox account to activate the feature.
Gamers will be able to interact with the Gaming Copilot using their voices via the "Push to Talk" feature mid-game. To do this, go to the “Hardware and Hotkeys” settings page, where you can set your own keybind shortcut to “Push to Talk." In the Xbox mobile app, you'll need to navigate to the Gaming Copilot tab, then push the “Microphone” icon to talk, and ask Copilot a question to begin the conversation.
Copilot's entrance into the gaming world becomes increasingly hard to avoid for Windows users. From early October, Microsoft’s Copilot app will start installing itself on all Windows devices with 365 desktop apps onboard, including staples like Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
Gaming Copilot has already attracted mixed reactions on social media, with some gamers on Reddit accusing it of being "bloatware"—preinstalled software that can slow your device down.
