Quake 2 can now be played with Microsoft Copilot

Play the classic shooter Quake 2 with Copilot: Now you can, but it's still extremely jerky. Strictly speaking, the game published by id Software in 1997 is only simulated by an AI model. This is done in a resolution of 640 × 360 pixels in the web browser.

Users can access the game via Copilot, which is based on the WHAMM (World and Human Action MaskGIT Model) AI model, an extension of the WHAM (World and Human Action Model) presented by Microsoft in February 2025. Both belong to the Muse AI model family, which is designed to generate visual elements and controller interactions in video games. According to Microsoft, this makes it possible to make mouse or controller interactions immediately visible so that users can play within the model. However, in the case of the Quake 2 simulation in Copilot, this is only possible with a keyboard, although Xbox controllers are also shown in Microsoft's videos. This is a shame for Quake fans, as real 3D control with a mouse was one of the new features of Quake and Quake 2, which are based on a fully three-dimensional engine, unlike Doom, for example.

Microsoft switches to Quake 2

While the model for WHAM was trained with significantly more training data from the video game Bleeding Edge, Microsoft switched to Quake 2 for WHAMM and adapted Muse so that it could manage with significantly less training data. According to Microsoft, the Quake 2 simulation also manages just over ten frames per second, a significant improvement on WHAM, which only managed one frame per second. This puts it close to the PDF version of Doom, which manages 12 frames per second. In addition, WHAMM generates numerous tokens in parallel, while WHAM only managed one token at a time.

Of course, it is clear that these requirements are still a long way from unbridled gaming fun. In the test, the game was extremely jerky, especially the movement control with the arrow keys was – apparently extremely difficult to get used to due to strong input delays –. It can also take a long time to search for enemies, but one of them was finally spotted and struck down without resistance. However, Microsoft itself notes that there is still a lot of room for improvement here, especially with the blurred display of enemies and the combat.

Not intended for gaming, only as a test

Microsoft also makes it clear in its press release that it is not the aim to offer a real browser version of Quake 2 with the help of AI. In reality, users are only playing the AI model and not the real Quake 2, as it is merely an approximation of the original with the help of existing training data. It is also a test of what can be achieved with current machine learning approaches.

Nevertheless, Microsoft delivered something much more unusual than the new Copilot functions that were announced on the software manufacturer's 50th anniversary and are already available from other AI providers. For example, Actions, which can be used to promptly buy tickets for events or order a gift for a friend. Amazon is already testing something similar: its shopping app searches and orders in third-party online stores based on the company's own AI Nova Act.

(nen)