Technologies

Microsoft’s Gaming Copilot AI Now Can Help You Beat That Tough Boss on PC

Gaming Copilot won’t play the game for you but it will give you advice.

Microsoft’s Gaming Copilot, a beta AI assistant meant to help gamers, is out now on PC and will come to the Xbox mobile app next month, the company said in a blog post on Monday. Microsoft says Gaming Copilot will launch on PC gaming handhelds, like the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox consoles in the near future.

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Gaming Copilot is still in beta and is available to users 18 and older and in all regions except China. Players can ask Copilot questions using the AI assistant’s voice mode for recommendations, help and other insights.

PC players will now see Gaming Copilot in the Game Bar, an on-screen overlay that you can call up during a gaming session. Gaming Copilot launches next month on the Xbox app for iOS and Android.

With voice mode, you can have a conversation with Copilot about your gaming, asking for tips and guidance on quests or boss battles. There’s a push-to-talk feature that lets you assign a key to quickly bring up Gaming Copilot. It’ll also be possible to pin a Gaming Copilot widget on-screen, which Microsoft calls Mini Mode, to interact with the AI assistant.

«When you ask Copilot a question, it combines this understanding with your player activity on Xbox and public sources of information from the Bing search engine for its response,» a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement. «We are also working on a way for creators to contribute and curate the information that Gaming Copilot shares for their games.»

It’s uncertain if Gaming Copilot is pulling information from game guides found online, on sites such as CNET’s sister site IGN, Polygon or The Gamer. Writing game guides is often time-consuming and labor-intensive. These sites gain a substantial amount of traffic through guides, however, often via search engines. AI giving users answers directly could eat away at this significant traffic driver.

With Microsoft investing heavily in AI, throwing $13 billion into ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, the company is finding ways to put the technology in everything from Windows to Notepad. AI is also helping Microsoft’s Google Search competitor, Bing.

Microsoft’s continued AI investments, along with its strong cloud support and dominance in enterprise, led Wall Street to shower the company with support. AI hype, along with other factors, helped propel Microsoft to a $3 trillion valuation last year.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Microsoft Research also showed off a new AI model, Muse, that could generate gameplay visuals, mainly for video game ideation.

How to use Gaming Copilot on PC

Install the Xbox app on PC.
Press Windows + G to open Game Bar.
Click on the Copilot icon.
Log in to your Microsoft account for full functionality.

How to use Gaming Copilot on mobile

Install the Xbox app.
Tap on the Copilot icon.
Begin conversing with Copilot. It should sync with the game you’re playing on PC.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Jan. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s not too tough, but 8-Across stumped me, so I had to pass on that and fill in the Down answers to solve it. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Abruptly stop texting
Answer: GHOST

6A clue: Shaving kit item
Answer: RAZOR

7A clue: 2024 film role for which Mikey Madison won Best Actress
Answer: ANORA

8A clue: The ancient Chinese used compressed blocks of tea leaves as this
Answer: MONEY

9A clue: Shape of a round chart
Answer: PIE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Dad’s dad, informally
Answer: GRAMP

2D clue: Capital of Vietnam
Answer: HANOI

3D clue: ___ layer, part of Earth’s atmosphere
Answer: OZONE

4D clue: How you might wake up after sleeping funny
Answer: SORE

5D clue: Cafeteria food carrier
Answer: TRAY

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Technologies

Google Could Revive Last Year’s Bright Pink Color for the Pixel 10a

Google’s upcoming Pixel 10a is expected to launch in February with some new colors, including one popular ask.

The Google Pixel 9a is one of Google’s most affordable Pixel phones, and it includes one of the most frequently requested colors — bright pink. With the Google Pixel 10a rumored to launch in February, we’re already getting a hint at the colors the new model will come in.

According to Roland Quandt, a regular mobile leaker on Bluesky, the Google Pixel is expected to be offered in obsidian (black), berry (pink), fog (light gray), and lavender colors. However, it’s the berry hue that is intriguing customers.

A representative for Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

«I always love to see phones come in vibrant colors, and it’s especially welcome in more budget-friendly options,» said Abrar Al-Heeti, senior technology reporter at CNET. «Yes, we tend to slap a case on our phones anyway, but just knowing your phone touts a bold color can make it feel like more of a statement piece, rather than a bland piece of tech.»

Pink is one of the most requested color options for the Pixel phones. CNET sister site Mashable loved the color when it debuted on the Pixel 9. Phone rivals like Apple and Samsung are usually expected to offer a pink color option in their flagship and midrange phone lineups, so it’s not surprising to see the berry color on the Pixel 10a.

«I’ll say that Google loves having Pixel phones in pink,» said Patrick Holland, CNET managing editor. «The Pixel 9 and 9a come in peony (a bright, bold pink) and the 9 Pro in rose quartz (a more muted pink). The Pixel 10 series lacks any pinkish hues.»

Quandt also says that the Pixel 10a will have 128GB and 256GB storage models, and will launch in mid-February. That’s earlier than expected compared with the Pixel 9a, which was revealed in mid-March 2025 for a launch on April 10. In terms of specifications, we expect the Pixel 10a to be a modest upgrade compared with previous generations. According to leaks, the Pixel 10 is unlikely to feature a newer Tensor G5 chip, and it’s likely to retain the same overall design as the Pixel 9a.

One leaker, Mystic Leaks on Telegram, expressed disappointment and revealed additional specs, including the absence of a telephoto lens, UFS 3.1 storage, a Tensor G4 chip, a 2,000-nit display and no Magic Cue, which is Google’s AI feature for the Pixel 10.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 14, #948

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Jan. 14 #948.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough. The blue category, not the purple one today, expects you to find hidden words in four of the words given in the grid. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: That’s not going anywhere.

Green group hint: End user or customer.

Blue group hint: Ask a meteorologist.

Purple group hint: Not noisy.