Microsoft's CoPilot+ PCs Struggle with Gaming Compatibility Issues

Performance Insights

At the heart of the CoPilot+ PCs are Arm-based Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, which integrate the CPU, GPU, and a Neural Processing Unit. This shift from traditional Intel processors has led Microsoft to face similar hurdles that Apple users have experienced with their Silicon Macs. Specifically, the inability to run many PC games designed for the x86 chip architecture poses a challenge, particularly for the approximately 15 percent of laptop users who identify as gamers.

In an effort to mitigate this issue, Microsoft introduced “Prism,” a solution akin to Apple’s Rosetta 2. This software allows Arm-based machines to execute applications intended for the x86 platform. However, Prism has not proven effective for gaming purposes. A test involving 1,300 PC games revealed that only half were able to run smoothly, with many experiencing bugs, glitches, or launch failures.

Moreover, the anti-cheating software integral to popular titles such as Fortnite and League of Legends cannot be adapted for Arm architecture, rendering these games unplayable on the new CoPilot+ PCs. Currently, there is no available fix for this limitation.

Beyond gaming, other Windows applications are also facing difficulties on the CoPilot+ platform. According to a report from The Verge, Adobe Premiere Pro was described as “practically unusable,” while rendering projects in Blender yielded “terrible” results. Additionally, the game Shadows of the Tomb Raider frequently crashed, and several other titles—including Halo Infinite, Destiny 2, and Fall Guys—failed to launch entirely.

In response to these challenges, Microsoft acknowledged to The Wall Street Journal that while they are striving to deliver a “quality gaming experience” on the CoPilot+ devices, they recommend that gamers seeking high-performance experiences consider alternative PC options.