Phil Spencer Comments On The Possibility Of Xbox Game Pass Coming To Nintendo Switch

Shout out to Giant Bomb making news coverage on NintendoLife!

Meh, don't want Microsoft on Switch, I want originally Nintendo games (ie Banjo Kazooie, Perfect Dark, etc) back on the Nintendo system

Banjo in Smash is certainly a promising first step and who knows what it will lead to considering it's taken almost 20 years to get there! Microsoft are ultimately about making money and if they think they can make more by using their IP - be it Banjo, Conker or the Xbox Game Pass - on a Nintendo system then they inevitably will.

@Bunkerneath sadly not going to happen

So wait they say that Android is a perfect fit for this service......yet the Switch, an actual game system, isn't?

Switch OS is Android, isn't it?

Phil Spencer seems like a good dude. He said E3 wasn't the same without Sony or Activision.

So glad the console wars are mostly over.

All I personally want from Microsoft is Rare Replay, or more specifically, Banjo Kazooie. Also port Diddy Kong Racing (aka the best kart racer) on Switch.

@patbacknitro18 How many Android devices are out there compared to the amount of Switch consoles? I think you already answered the question yourself.

@Mattbunting Never say never. I can't say much but keep this in mind for the near future. Banjo in Smash isn't the only Banjo and Kazooie collaboration Microsoft is doing with Nintendo. Let's just say that Nintendo and Microsoft are partnering up on a few fun projects.

Gotta love how one way this relationship is, Microsoft is desperate and Nintendo is realizing they can work them for nothing, if I’m Nintendo right now I’m in full predation mood regarding this. Microsoft it’s time to fully commit on realizing that the way forward isn’t Xbone Two Electric Bungaloo and accept the inevitability you set up for yourselves back in 2013.

@Jeronan Or, rather, why prioritize a mobile platform over an actual game console? I think my question remains valid.

@patbacknitro18 Because they have cellular connections to stream the games on the go.

@GloomyGus There's way's to do that with the switch as well. Either by turning your phone into a hot spot, or just taking your switch somewhere with Wifi.

Whenever Sony and Microsoft talk about Nintendo, it’s always like they’re patting a dog on the head that they feel sorry for, but don’t really want the responsibility of looking after 😅

@SalvorHardin to be fair, how many people buy digital these days? If anything they were ahead of their time.

"Hey, why don't you make your streaming tech work with a handheld that has buttons?"

"Nah, I wanna make it for a touchscreen device, so that when I'm sat on a couch, I need to levitate the screen on my knees whilst playing with a separate controller."

If Rare Replay comes to Switch in 2020, it should include five more games to mark the company's 35th Anniversary. As for which games, DKC1-3, DK64, and Diddy Kong Racing.

@jswhitfield8 it's a stripped down version of Linux. Android is also Linux based. Windows 10 is NT based, and OSX is Unix based.

@SalvorHardin In a way, your kinda right. Other companies are more willing to share stuff with Nintendo, but I personally don't recall Nintendo doing the same very often. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

I don't know if I can say they're doing it in a predatory way though?

Rare Replay is an inevitability. Achievements and friends would be a very welcome addition imo

So it wouldnt come to Switch in the near term, and thats ok. Id rather let them take their time to fully implement their stuff on to Nintendo. Id rather let MS have their input and assistance into making the online infrastructure and even Nintendo’s next generation system. One step at a time, folks, one step at a time.

@Pichuka97 We can only hope.

@KayFiOS Why? Viva Pinata is a good game and why ditch Xbox games, not every game on Rare Replay were originally from Xbox or Nintendo. Atic Atac and Sabre Wulf are Spectrum games. If anything they could add the Nintendo Rare games plus Conker's Pocket Tails, the GBA version of Sabre Wulf, Killer Instinct 1 & 2 from the arcade, Battletoads in Battlemaniacs, Grunty's Revenge, and Banjo-Pilot to the list to make it a better package.

Kinda dumb imo - playing Xbox games on your phone would suck. And half of the android phones totally suck. Sounds like a terrible job to have to optimize Xbox games to run on all those devices.

@retro_player_22 Sorry, thought about that and was editing the post while you replied. Assuming the collection released on Switch in 2020, it could potentially include 5 more games to celebrate 5 more years of Rare.
EDIT: Although, Grunty's Revenge would make for a better inclusion than DKC3, or it could replace Nuts & Bolts if the Switch can't handle XBOX 360 emulation.

@Judgedean No.

Just bring ORI to Switch, and call it a day.

@Trajan Actually, its based on Free BSD UNIX, with some Android components like the Stagefright multimedia framework.

But it's neither Android or Linux. It's kernel is Free BSD.

@napabar That's interesting, I didn't know that. That said, if true, Switch OS has more in common with Mac OSX than with Android.

He clearly said natural first step which it is. If they can get it running on Android which uses mobile architecture than the Switch would be child's play in comparison. They need to first build it and get feedback then they can implement that feedback. This is a focused approach compared to spreading the development team thin on getting it to work on Android, Switch, iOS and everything between.

I think Microsoft is preparing for a console-less future and wants to create a realm where the big three can work together to reach consumers. I feel Nintendo is okay with this relationship because Phil Spencer has been so open about his love for Nintendo, the market they have carved and the history of Rare on Nintendo. After this E3 a world where Master Chief and Mario shake hands might not be as distant as once thought.

ETA till "Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games + Master Chief and Pals", begins now.

@Wexter honestly that’s the same sense I got. As everyone keeps pointing out the digital future, despite Stadia launching, is quite some time a way. From the sound of it, MS is planting the groundwork but knows it’s going to be a while.

I cannot imagine an average phone playing top of the line games via streaming, and actually having the battery last more than 1 hour. Further, for say traveling where WIFI is usually suspect, I doubt I’ll be able to play Red Dead 2 streaming’s at the free WiFi in any airport. Or hotel.

To me, this is still a pipe dream outside of using a switch, as streaming and battery limitations will make your android gaming session last an hour at best. With switch you can download the games or play straight out the cartridge. That saves energy on streaming and lets you enjoy longer game sessions.

@Bunkerneath I do. As someone who subscribes to gamepass, having the ability to play those (even if just the indie ones) on the go as well would be the best value in video games... ever..

@Prizm I do from sony, absolutely. I feel more like MSoft is genuinely excited about the switch.

@Agent721 I feel whatever the proper Switch follow-up will be able to do that. We might see Nintendo produce a device that is capable of doing it by 2022 or 2023. I think Microsoft is being smart by just working on getting the infrastructure in place now so that way it is just a case of implementation later and they have worked out the kinks. That and North American network infrastructure is years behind South Korea and Japan who are already getting a taste of this technology properly.

Surely the fact that it's streaming service means it's not suited to switches portable nature. If your in the park or on a bus you're unlikely to be on a high quality internet connection

I think it would make good sense for Microsoft to bring the streaming/cloud-based version of Game Pass to Switch in the future if it can.

@Expa0 I agree with you, except that those 2 games are too dated. I want Microsoft to either remake Banjo Kazooie and Diddy Kong Racing on the Switch or allow another dev team to remake them. I have strong nostalgia for N64 games, but I bought DK64 on Wii U and it's not what I remembered so I'd rather have them remake it and deliver what I remember as opposed to reality.

@Fred13
Both of those games have aged quite gracefully considering, BK does greatly benefit from the QoL improvements they gave it in the Rare Replay.

DK64 just isn't a very well designed game in general, not back in the day and certainly not now. Both BK and DKR are far more playable today.

@Judgedean
LOL no

@Trajan that’s because Phil Spencer is on the ESA board who run E3. He has to say those things as part of that job so the show does well...

@Wexter It's more than "years behind", in many areas it's simply never going to arrive. The geography and distance spread, just don't work for that kind of infrastructure in the US. IT likely never will as a universal solution. And as @Heavy-Arms has noted, it's not even as ubiquitous in Japan as we tend to think.

@Agent721 I think by and large the whole industry (and especially investors) are banking 150% on 5G wireless being the be all end all that will link every device everywhere all the time. They prattle on and on about this.

The problem is the dream and the tech aren't even close to remotely related. Expect a lot of stock bubbles to burst when they flip the 5G switch on and.....the reality is just like 3G and 4G but faster (where service is good.)

What investors and executives THINK 5G is is instantaneously gigabit fiber, over the air, to every device no matter where it is, creating a new connected internet of things previously unimagined on previous tech, with no limits or interruptions.

What reality will be: The same wireless we've had for 20 years, but with better throughput. When not congested. When close to a tower. And frequent dropouts.

I mean it's a system that literally can't cover more than 5-20 houses per transceiver depending on house density. Imagining that solves connectivity across the massive expanse of the US and every home is laugable. We need broader RANGE, not ultra-short range high throughput antennas that only work if you live on the antenna.

@Trajan Oh.. they're well alive in the community...

@NEStalgia Yep geography is a major problem when looking at this issue. By years behind I meant even at just sampling this kind of service in a way that's even comfortably playable we are not even where South Korea or Japan are. North America has a long way to go before our infrastructure is even close for this to be wide-scale adoptable hence why I do not see Stadia being successful in any location, but the East Asias (namely metropolitan locations) and some parts of Europe.

Understandable, Phil. I'll take Rare Replay on Switch in the meantime, then. :3

Phil Spencer really IS a nice guy. He isn't saying nice things about Nintendo because he has to, or because he's part of the E3 committee. He's just sincere, and genuinely interested.

For people who want to see and hear the ACTUAL interview, here's the video:

Translation: “If android isn’t a technical nightmare and it makes us oodles of cash, we’ll do switch.”

@Wexter

We’re also a much bigger country. Korea and Japan are smaller than many states and as such I would anticipate they’d stay ahead for that reason alone. I really hope we see gamepass on the Switch one day though.

@agent721 Japan is smaller than three states. That's hardly many. I feel like you don't know how big Japan is.

@NEStalgia

I agree. Hopefully it can happen at some point, but the other part of this is battery life. And that goes for all gadgets, as when streaming and then viewing high fidelity and high definition media, my batteries, no matter the device, drain way too quickly to truly be something I could depend on long term. Even with the Switch, I played Doom while traveling last year and it plays great, but the battery life is quite small and that's without any streaming involved. I actually chose to stop playing Doom so I would have more juice left over for other games and settled on The Messenger (great game) as it drained the battery much less, letting me enjoy true long playing gaming sessions. But Messenger is 8/16 bit....imagine trying to play RDR2.

@Kal_el_0724

If thats accurate (I didn't check), fair enough, but we have 50 states to worry about and then the entire mainland as a whole. And many are not top technology states such as Idaho, Mississippi, Alabama, etc...You get my point. I live in LA, CA and I've been to West Virginia where I could not find 1) a single WIFI spot and 2) 3G anything. My iPhone stopped being able to send any data, as there was no way to hook up to a stream that handled data. WV look to be stuck in the mid 1970s to mid 1980s and many other states are the same.

how about vice-versa? i want to play nintendo on xbox then too. lol

@Judgedean i have to confirm that, but i think its a linux based OS diferent from android

@agent721 Yep... not arguing with your point that the U.S. is huge. Just had a problem with your size comparison of Japan is all.

In regards to wireless internet parity across the board, the speed of light is the real limiting factor that cannot be overcome. Currently when it comes to playing multiplayer games there is already lag called ping. I live in the midwest for example so no matter how good my internet speed is, I have a ping in the 30's to 40's no matter what since the two main servers for games like Fortnite are on the East and West coasts.

So say there are many more servers to combat this per each game, that would eliminate the ping problem. However, you are now dividing up communities of people even further in the nation creating shallower pools of people.

Say you have a friend you want to play with on the East Coast and you're on the West Coast. Never gonna happen. One of you will have a ping in the 80's.

Now take into consideration what streaming is. Even with great internet you will have lag unless people like Google, for instance, set up streaming servers all across the country. And even then, that too will create disparity because it will effectively make smaller and smaller pools of people to play with online.

The best streaming can ever be is say Google sets up a server in L.A. because of course they will. People in L.A., even under horrible internet services, should have a relatively good experience. But the further away you are from that server, the worse and worse input lag and ping you will have.

TL:DR - The speed of light determines whether real-time game streaming fails or not.

Spoiler: It fails.

@Agent721 That's a good point about batteries. Switch isn't too bad but I have one of those giant sized USB-C PD power packs...I could run like 6+ hours playing Doom while charging my phone too.

But yeah that's the other thing with "streaming is the future"...radios aren't power-light. The mobile everywhere gaming future has a problem there until someone invents new battery tech. But even if they do, who really wants enough power to run a blender for an hour stuffed in their pants?

@Kal_el_0724

No worries, I learned something today about the size of Japan. Now I know its just slightly smaller than California. I agree with you on PING...I play SF Collection with Switch friends, some all over the globe, and unless they are in the US, the lag on that game is so bad its unplayable. We have to be in the same continent to have it play well. Hopefully they find a way to overcome all theses issues in the long run, as the dream is now out in the open and we want it to work...we just know it won't currently. God bless them for trying though!

@Alucard83

I think that's even less likely to occur!

@NEStalgia

Yeah, next time I travel on a long flight, I'm bringing battery backup. Lesson learned!

I now this is a Nintendo sight, but I like Phil Spencer. I think he is a welcome addition to the industry, and he's done a pretty good job of telling you something is going to happen and making it.

This is a great time for gaming period. I lived through the console wars (Nintendo vs. Sega). It was enjoyable to see the two sides bicker, but the idea of owning the system you want to own and being able to play a Rocket League or Fortnite against or with someone on another system is great.

The only Microsoft games I'd be interested in aside from classic Rare titles are the first 3 Halo titles and Halo Reach. Everything else... Eh.

@Tempestryke
Predator is probably too strong a word I mean with the way you things they can are they can get Banjo in Smash without much trouble, I imagine they get a ton out of this without having to give anything back hence why I was thinking of it being predatory.

@Rob3008

I agree, as this has always been M$ MO across all their business. They have always been less proprietary than their competitors.

I think they see Switch as not direct competition and that it and XB could be complimentary devices for many USA users.

So why not license Forza Horizon for Nintendo to publish a Switch game, that PanicB would dev. Nintendo systems are always lacking in good racing games, a well made racer with Forza name would surely be a success.

At least put Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie on the Switch and I'll be happy.

Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, Conker and Perfect Dark.
And one can dream: Goldeneye 007 on switch.
<3

Just let them come to a licensing agreement for RARE properties. For both Switch and a N64 mini.

Rare Replay and Diddy Kong Racing please. I'll give you my money.

Since Microsoft and Nintendo are being discussed I recently bought the first Xbox from a friend with 3 games and 2 controllers. I forgot how fat it is 😂😂😹😹 all for $40 👍

@Claytonbob I miss Diddy Kong Racing 😞😢

It feels like there is a push where companies are trying their best to get streaming out there as the next big thing. The previous thing was VR and it did not become mainstream, even though I think it was interesting. Microsoft is trying to be in the forefront of streaming. Whether it helps people get into the whole video game streaming thing remains unknown. I played batman Arkham origins on PS Now, and it was working fine and all. Until, my internet started to lag, which led to my TV receiving a still image, even though I was pressing input commands. That is the problem with streaming, that these type of things can happen, particularly with those who have bad internet connections. But I hope that somehow this Xbox Game Pass leads to us getting Rare ips on Nintendo consoles. Then, the Nintendo family of games would be all back together.

I made a video on this topic if any are interested:
https://youtu.be/5lj5PXKZGdE

No streaming nonsense, just some Microsoft games in the e-shop (and on cards). But most importantly: New Banjo and Replay, both on a card!

Game Pass would make Switch the ultimate console!

In my eyes, it should've been that from the beginning, but Nintendo's approach to third party companies is still disheartening.

And then there is a ton of indie junk on the system nobody's asked for. Instead, we should talk each day about real, grand third party game releases like The Witcher III or the Spyro Trilogy.

With the Game Pass, we would have the best of both worlds. AAA games that we won't ever have otherwise and portability, too.

What more could we want?
Yeah, achievements.
Thanks if you'll ever do it, Microsoft.
You could be the company lifting Nintendo to the 21th century online space with real online services.

@Agent721 @NEStalgia I have to disagree on the point of battery usage. While I can't say with certainty, I am very confident that streaming will use much less power than local gameplay. While the radios will certainly drain power, they will be far less power hungry than rendering games locally. Again, I don't have any hard numbers or research to share with you, but anecdotally, I was in the Google Project Stream Beta, and the resource utilization, fan speed, CPU temps, etc... were all extremely low on my laptop. Everything was whisper quiet running Assassin's Creed Odyssey, even though attempting run even simple indie games often causes it to sound like a jet taking off.

@roadrunner343

Ok, that’s good to know, but I meant more on an Android or iPhone, which is what MSFT appears to be targeting first. When I stream video from a live feed, my iPhone battery goes down rather quickly, so I’d assume it be even worse streaming games?

@Agent721 My best guess is that it should be comparable to streaming other video streams. Battery life will be better than running games locally, but if you're having battery drain issues while streaming media currently, you'll likely have the same issue with streaming games.

@roadrunner343

Yeah, I figured that too. That’s very cool you got to try it out early though.

@Agent721 @roadrunner343 yeah, streaming is certainly less power consuming than local rendering, but it's still painful for phones and the like with that tiny battery... It's still doing 4k video decoding, radio etc. And gaming will eat more power than movies since it's going to have to run the TX antenna full power, and the BT antenna for any controllers at Max speed. Switch would fare better than phones... Bigger battery, much lower than average power state, lower res screen, and hard connected controllers.