Original Xbox co-creator talks about the Nintendo Switch, has advice for Microsoft and Sony
Ed Fries was vice president of game publishing at Microsoft and one of the co-creators of the original Xbox. He worked for 14 years for the company from Redmond and left 2004 to pursue other opportunities. He currently works as board member and advisor for various companies and is the CEO of FigurePrint, a company that makes licensed 3D models of World of Warcraft characters.
Fries sat down with Geekwire to talk about various topics, such as VR and the impact smartphones have on PC and console gaming. When asked about the Nintendo Switch, he said that although he thought it was creative, he wasn't sure if it was going to be successful. He claimed things like separate controllers were ideas they had talked about during his time at Microsoft, but those obviously didn't materialize. He enjoys playing Mario and Zelda on the Switch, praising how creative the Joy-Cons can be used to play. In the end, the Switch won him over as a "cool machine". Speaking about Nintendo Labo, he loves the creativeness of it and praises Nintendo for thinking outside the box.
Regarding Sony and Microsoft, he said that they shouldn't try to imitate or be Nintendo as he thinks they wouldn't be very successful at it. Instead, they should find out what they are good at and stick to it.
Fries: When I first saw it, I thought it was creative, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to be successful. Some of the ideas we had actually talked about at Xbox, like having controllers you could separate and hold in each hand. I first played Zelda on the Wii U and enjoyed the game, and thought, maybe I don’t need a Switch. Eventually I buckled and got a Switch to play Mario, and I was really surprised how many different and creative ways they use the controllers, how they can be joined onto different supports, or you can separate them and hand them to another player and turn them sideways. It’s something that’s really won me over as a cool machine.
I love how creative Nintendo is. Now they have this Nintendo Labo with the cardboard. When I saw that I thought, good for you Nintendo, I just love how they’re always thinking outside the box. This cardboard thing ties into the whole maker movement, and it’s great to have kids building something physical.
I don’t think the right thing for Microsoft or Sony to do is imitate Nintendo or try to be Nintendo. I don’t think they’ll succeed by being Nintendo. I think they’ve gotta figure out what it is that they do well and continue to do that well.
Check out the source below for the complete interview.
Source