Head of Nintendo documentary, praising the gaming giant. He also spoke to some of its stranger elements. In particular, the Xbox exec noted the Nintendo 64 controller was an extreme oddity and that even to this day, it still doesn't make much sense to him.
Xbox began competing against Nintendo in the early 2000s, right around the time of the GameCube's release. The GameCube underperformed while Xbox went on to dominate, spawning a household name with iconic franchises such as potentially spawning collaboration between Microsoft and Nintendo in the future. That said, it's hard to imagine that would've come close to happening just a couple of decades ago.
Spencer noted in Xbox has usually been good at deg hardware, such as controllers and headsets, so it's no surprise the Nintendo 64 threw Spencer for a loop.
That said, Spencer praised Nintendo for the Wii and noted how it was a major point of inspiration in how to design its platforms with the Wii. “I seeing it and I’ll tell you, I could have never designed the Wii… I don’t have that in me. I don’t know if I’m not brave enough or whatever as a platform holder now to go and do something as just completely different, and to be just so all-in on a new paradigm was just amazing to see," he said. Speaking about the effect it had on Microsoft, he said that the Wii "gave us a real jolt that we can’t just be great at what others are doing, we have to have to some unique things that are important for our platform.”
Phil Spencer's comments don't come as a total surprise, as he's always been open about his positive feelings towards competitors like Microsoft. Even though Xbox went on to mimic Nintendo with the Kinect, the company has thrived in unique ways under Spencer's leadership. Innovations like Game have helped make the console stand out from the very similar PlayStation, allowing for a more bang-for-your-buck kind of approach with numerous services that pack all kinds of long-term value. Xbox Series X and S have also allowed Microsoft to offer unique options to its players by giving two new consoles that allow for either a more hardcore, experience or one that still gives an enhanced performance, but without breaking the bank.
Nintendo is also exploring a similar approach with the heavily rumored Nintendo Switch Pro. The console will reportedly add a 7-inch Samsung OLED screen and provide 4K output when docked. The beefed-up console/handheld hybrid is reportedly going into production this June, meaning it could be released sometime within the next year. Nothing is confirmed, but it's likely more will be revealed this summer.