Xbox Officially Accepts the Chaos of AI-Powered Game Ports

Operating-system integration games are currently going through a strange phase, thanks to compilations and recompilations that let gamers move classic titles to new devices or merge code from two different games into a new experience. Microsoft has seen a skateboard turn into Call of Duty, and Halo run in a web browser […]

Posts in this thread will be added to your daily email summary and home page feed.

Microsoft has created a new Xbox Labs group to test decompiling and recompiling games.

Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and home page feed.

Reverse Engineering Games: All news about video game analysis, recomps, VR and web and 3D ports

is a senior reporter and writer for Notepad, covering all things Microsoft, PC and technology for over 20 years.

Retro gaming is having a blast right now, thanks to compilations and re-compilations that allow gamers to port classic titles to new devices, or merge code from two different games into one new experience. Microsoft has seen skateboarding turn Call of Duty and playing Halo in a web browser, and the company is now officially embracing the chaos of this new era of AI-based game modding.

Microsoft is bringing together a new group of Xbox labs to investigate the rapid rise of these mods, many of which use artificial intelligence models to help modders recreate games in ways we've rarely seen before. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma says that Xbox Labs is "a small group of game developers, engineers and scientists tasked with turning emerging ideas into something our players and developers can experience." "We build in the open, we learn from what people are doing, and we measure success by whether more people are playing the game."

Sharma thinks the experiments we've seen in recent weeks, where Windows PC builds have been translated to run on Apple Silicon or ported to run in browsers, "challenge long-held assumptions about our industry: the link between software and hardware, the boundary between creation and play, and how people discover and experience games."

"While it's difficult to predict the future of gaming, it's easy to make great games easier to access, breathe new life into older games, and allow more players to become creators and collaborators," Sharma said. "These are undeniably good outcomes for players, even as they challenge (and sometimes because of) our existing business models."

Modders are now doing what Microsoft has done for decades with its Xbox compatibility program, allowing older games to run on modern hardware. But they do so without the constraints of the business model that Microsoft is tied to. It seems like we're only a model or two away from further advancements that separate more modern games from their intended hardware.

Sharma clearly sees an opportunity here, especially for using the AI agent on Xbox. "I think Xbox has a big role to play here," says Sharma. “Coding became the first major workload for agents because they could write, run, and test software. Games share many of the same characteristics, with people spending more than 72 billion hours a year playing XBOX games, five times the estimated time spent writing code worldwide.

Xbox Labs is clearly a way for Microsoft to test how artificial intelligence will shape the game space, and Xbox will share any tools and learnings with developers. The bigger question is how Microsoft will respond to decompilations and recompilations of games where modders take valuable IP and make it available for free. Modding is fun, but I can't see Microsoft and other publishers seeing the fun side if modern console games show up where they shouldn't.

I asked Microsoft for comment on the unauthorized use of IP, but the company did not respond in time for publication.

The first video games appeared about 75 years ago. There have been booms and busts since then, but every year there are more great games to play, more devices to play them on, and best of all, more people playing than ever before. That growth helped make XBOX what it is today, and we've in turn helped shape the industry, from bringing hard drives to consoles and online gaming through Xbox Live to Game Pass and cloud gaming, along with franchises that have brought millions together.

In recent weeks, we've seen games quickly decompiled and rebuilt to run on hardware they weren't originally designed to support. Windows PC builds have been translated to run on Apple Silicon or ported to run in-browser via WebAssembly and WebGPU, the latter now approaching 90% of global browser support. Perhaps more surprisingly, we've seen many of the world's biggest games converted to another source code.

These experiments challenge long-held assumptions about our industry: the link between software and hardware, the boundary between creation and play, and how people discover and experience games. While the future of gaming is hard to predict, it's easy to see the possibilities in making it easier to play big games, breathe new life into old games, and allow more players to become creators and collaborators. These are undeniably good outcomes for players, even when (and sometimes because) they challenge our existing business models. To explore these possibilities, I've asked Scott to build XBOX LABS, a small group of game developers, engineers, and scientists tasked with turning emerging ideas into something our players and developers can experience. We build in the open, learn from what people are doing, and measure success by whether more people are playing and creating.

I think XBOX has a big role to play here. Coding became the first major job for agents because they could write, run, and test software. Games share many of the same characteristics, with people spending more than 72 billion hours a year playing XBOX games, nearly five times the estimated time spent writing code worldwide. We've spent 25 years learning how to make great games, and I want our game developers to help shape what these new technologies make possible. As we learn, you'll share the tools we build with developers around the industry, just like always.

Our priorities don't change. We remain committed to the 4Cs, making great games, our hardware, and responsible stewards of the IP and communities built around it. LABS gives us a way to explore new technology without abandoning the work in progress.

More at: Reverse Engineering Games: All news about video game analysis, recomps, VR and web and 3D ports

Someone made a native PC port of Silent Hills P.T. Demo version

A free mod for Titanfall 2 makes it one of the best VR games

This Zelda: Wind Waker Recomp makes me question my commitment to originality.

Everything Apple released at its "Welcome Home" event

Apple launched HomeView, its first smart display for the home

All news from Apple's "Welcome Home" event

The new Apple TV 4K has built-in microphones so you can talk to Siri

The new Apple Home suite includes a video doorbell, smart lock, and more

A free daily digest of the news that matters most.

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We use vendors who may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.