The console that will follow the Xbox Series (perhaps only one model, rather than two like the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S) will be able to handle AI tasks more easily.

Windows Central editor Jez Corden reports on Windows Phone based on reliable sources. He said that Microsoft was premature in stopping this project, because if the company were to produce such a product now, it would benefit from the NPU, or AI accelerator. According to Corden, the next-generation Xbox will have an NPU that can perform several AI-related tasks, such as Auto SR.

“Reliable sources tell us that the next Xbox will have an NPU that can handle some AI tasks, such as auto super resolution, without burdening the CPU or GPU. The next Xbox will also have some form of Copilot to provide in-game guidance without having to use websites like ours (RIP Windows Central). Still, the number of people likely to use these tools on Xbox is minuscule compared to the default setting on iOS or Android,” wrote Corden, who initially thought Qualcomm would make it, but thinks it’s more likely the NPU will come from AMD.

Corden didn’t give any further details, but last week it was rumored that Microsoft’s next console will be quite different from the current one(s), using a reference design to allow manufacturers to create their own products. We’ve seen something like this before, when the 3DO was produced by several companies (Panasonic, GoldStar, Sanyo, Creative Labs, Samsung…). One of the main criticisms of that console was its price ($700 in 1994!). Will Microsoft make the same mistake?

Meanwhile, Microsoft is rumored to be working on an Xbox chatbot to automate certain tasks (like handling the refunding process), but that’s not official either.

Source: WCCFTech, Windows Central