Microsoft Signs 10-Year Contract To Get Xbox Games On Nintendo
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’It’s-a Me, Call of Duty!”Image: Activision Blizzard / Nintendo / Kotaku
Microsoft’s president and vice chairman Brad Smith announced today that the company signed a 10-year contract to bring Xbox games to Nintendo consoles.
Smith took to Twitter to announce the “binding” contract, promising to drop “Xbox games and Activision titles like Call of Duty” on Nintendo hardware at the same time these games hit Xbox consoles. The news comes as Microsoft’s roughly $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is put under the magnifying glass by almost every regulator imaginable.
What does the Microsoft and Nintendo agreement entail?
“Microsoft and Nintendo have now negotiated and signed a binding 10-year legal agreement to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo players—the same day as Xbox, with full feature and content parity—so they can experience Call of Duty just as Xbox and PlayStation gamers enjoy Call of Duty,” the statement reads. “We are committed to providing long-term equal access to Call of Duty to other gaming platforms, bringing more choice to more players and more competition to the gaming market.”
Read More: Everything That’s Happened In The Microsoft-Activision Merger Saga
The two companies were already in talks to secure the deal. In December 2022, Xbox boss Phil Spencer tweeted that Microsoft had “entered a 10-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo” once the Activision Blizzard merger was complete. Spencer said Valve’s PC-based storefront Steam would also continue getting Activision Blizzard titles.
Smith’s latest news, though, suggests a more formal agreement has been completed, as he noted the deal has been “signed and negotiated.” The mention of a binding agreement is new, as well, signaling that Activision and Microsoft have now promised Nintendo fans military shooting action.
Kotaku reached out to Microsoft and Nintendo for comment.
Will Activision Blizzard games still be available on other platforms, like PlayStation?
It’s interesting, though, that this new statement from Smith further points to the idea of Microsoft “bringing more choice to more players” and giving “more competition to the gaming market” when one of the largest console manufacturers is preparing to buy one of the biggest game publishers. Industry consolidation doesn’t lead to more choice, but we’ll see if Microsoft makes good on its promise to Nintendo and Sony.
Read More: Microsoft Announces Bizarre Pledge To Bring Call of Duty To Nintendo Consoles
What the future of ActiBlizz multiplatform titles looks like in the wake of the company getting scooped up by Microsoft always hung in the balance. Many see the buyout as anti-competitive, with governmental bodies like the FTC and even a group of gamers attempting to block the acquisition. Call of Duty, Activision’s hugely popular and successful first-person military shooter, has been at the heart of the debate, as Sony has called the series “essential” for the industry.
Microsoft agreed to offer Call of Duty to Sony for at least 10 years.
Has
Call of Duty been on Nintendo consoles before?
You know, it’s been a minute since Call of Duty was even on a Nintendo console. If you can believe it, it’s actually been almost 10 years since 2013’s Call of Duty: Ghosts was the last one to hit the Wii U. Every other entry since has skipped over the family-friendly systems. However, with this inked deal, maybe we’ll see a The Legend of Zelda-themed weapon or Super Mario Bros. operator skin or something along those lines.
Microsoft recruited Nintendo and Nvidia to help fight Sony over the Activision deal
- Microsoft
Microsoft is hoping two gaming giants will help get its Activision Blizzard deal across the line with regulators in Europe.
By Tom Warren / @tomwarren
|
Share this story
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Microsoft has been trying to convince Sony that it will keep Call of Duty on PlayStation if its giant Activision acquisition is approved, but the companies haven’t come to an agreement over the terms of any potential deal.
That’s clearly left Microsoft frustrated and looking for partners to counter concerns from regulators. Both Nvidia and Nintendo have stepped up to help Microsoft try to ease regulator concerns.
Speaking during a special press event in Brussels today, Microsoft president Brad Smith outlined the software giant’s position on the deal and described Sony as a “super dominant company” that is outselling Xbox consoles and opposes competition in the form of the Activision acquisition.
Smith directed one question to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which has raised concerns over game exclusivity and cloud gaming. “Do you want to kill a deal and cement Sony’s position and its 80 percent share in the European Economic Area… or do you want to let the future go forward with behavioral guardrails and remedies and bring this title to 150 million more people?” asked Smith. “I think that’s the fundamental choice that most regulators are going to need to address.”
“Do you want to kill a deal and cement Sony’s position and its 80 percent share”
Smith and other Microsoft executives have been meeting with European lawmakers today in a showdown over Activision and Call of Duty.
Xbox chief Phil Spencer and other senior Microsoft executives have been arguing Microsoft’s case today, with PlayStation chief Jim Ryan, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, and representatives from Google, Nvidia, Valve, Electronic Arts, and the European Games Developer Federation all present at meetings today. Half a dozen different national competition watchdogs were also at the meetings.
In between meetings and calls to allow the acquisition to take place, Microsoft took the time to announce it has struck a new deal with Nvidia, which operates the GeForce Now cloud gaming service. It hopes the deal will ease some concerns about the future of cloud gaming and Microsoft’s control of Xbox games and potentially Activision Blizzard titles on rival services. This is also why Microsoft and Nintendo signed a deal today to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo products on the same day games from the franchise come to Xbox.
However, Smith didn’t share anything from the closed-door meetings, instead trying to paint a picture of a dominant Sony that has been complaining about Call of Duty access.
“Even last year, when Sony suffered constraints in its supply chain and it saw its numbers dip, they came back strong,” said Smith. “In the fourth quarter as their supply chain recovered, by our calculation on a global basis, Sony outsold Microsoft in the fourth quarter by a margin of 69 to 31. Pretty much consistent with the global market shares we’ve seen for 20 years.”
Microsoft revealed that “Sony has emerged as the loudest objector” to the Activision acquisition last year after a public back-and-forth between Xbox’s Spencer and PlayStation’s Ryan. Microsoft initially offered Sony a deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for “several more years” beyond an existing marketing deal, with Spencer confirming the offer in a statement to The Verge.
Ryan described the deal as “inadequate on many levels” and noted that Sony was planning on keeping details of its negotiations private. “I hadn’t intended to comment on what I understood to be a private business discussion, but I feel the need to set the record straight because Phil Spencer brought this into the public forum,” said Ryan in a statement in September last year.
“Microsoft’s demand for performance reviews for SIE’s leadership is obvious harassment.”
The sharp words haven’t stopped there. Microsoft has also accused Sony of paying developers to keep their content off of its Xbox Game Pass service, while Sony has argued that Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition could “hurt developers and lead to price rises.” During filings for an FTC suit against the acquisition, Sony lawyers labeled Microsoft’s demands to see Sony employee performance reviews as “obvious harassment.”
“Microsoft’s demand for performance reviews for SIE’s leadership is obvious harassment,” says the legal filing. “Even in employment cases courts require a specific showing of relevance before requiring production of personnel files.”
But while Sony and Microsoft can trade arguments all day, it’s ultimately up to regulators to allow the deal to go through. Whether Microsoft’s Nintendo and Nvidia deals are enough to convince regulators remains to be seen, but Microsoft is certainly hoping to avoid heading to court to defend its deal both in Europe and the US.
EU regulators have set an April 11th deadline for a final decision on Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision. We’re now waiting to see how regulators in the US, UK, and EU respond to Microsoft’s new deals today.
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See all 23 stories0028 8 x 2.3GHz vs 4 x 2GHz
6 TFLOPS vs 1 TFLOPS
12GB vs 4GB
326GB/s vs 25.6GB/s
1172MHz vs 768MHz
Why is Nintendo Switch better than Microsoft Xbox One X?
- 4461 more games?
7165 vs 2704 - 123 more exclusive games?
145 vs 22 - Has a memory card slot?
- Can be used with motion detection control?
- Has a touch screen?
- Has two sensors?
- 4 more buttons?
18 vs 14 - Has built-in stereo speakers?
What are the most popular comparisons?
Microsoft Xbox One X
vs
Microsoft Xbox Series S
Nintendo Switch
vs
Microsoft Xbox Series S
Microsoft Xbox One X
vs
Microsoft Xbox Series X
Nintendo Switch
vs
Sony PlayStation 5
Microsoft Xbox One X
vs
Microsoft Xbox One S
Nintendo Switch
vs
Sony Vita
Microsoft Xbox One X
vs
Sony PlayStation 5
Nintendo Switch
vs
Nintendo Wii U 8GB
Microsoft Xbox One X
vs
Microsoft Xbox One
Nintendo Switch
vs
Sony PlayStation 4
Microsoft Xbox One X
vs
Sony PlayStation 4 Pro
Nintendo Switch
vs
Sony PSP 3000
Microsoft Xbox One X
vs
Sony PlayStation 4
Nintendo Switch
vs
Microsoft Xbox Series X
Microsoft Xbox One X
vs
Sony PlayStation 4 Slim
Nintendo Switch
vs
Nintendo Wii
Microsoft Xbox One X
vs
Steam Deck 512GB
Nintendo Switch
7.
5 /10
19 ONESSIBLE Users
Functions
Exclusive Games
7.3 /10000
7.8 /10
4 Votes
6.1 /10
18 Votes
Controller
7.8 /10
4 VOTES
7.9 /10
18 VOTES
NESTROUS ACCESS
7.3 /10
4 Votes
5.9 /10
Votes
9000 9 9000
/ VOTES
6.7 /10
18 Votes
CENTAL processor speed
8 x 2.3GHZ
4 x 2GHZ
The central processor speed shows how many processing cycles per second can perform the processor, taking into account all its kernels, taking into account all its nuclei (processors). It is calculated by adding the clock speeds of each core or, in the case of multi-core processors, each group of cores.
FLOPS
6 TFLOPS
1 TFLOPS
FLOPS is a measure of GPU processing power.
Random Access Memory
Random Access Memory (RAM) is a form of memory used to store work data and machine code currently in use. It is a temporary, fast-access virtual storage that can be read and modified in any order, allowing fast data processing.
GPU clock speed
1172MHz
768MHz
The graphics processing unit (GPU) has a higher clock speed.
supports ray tracing
✖Microsoft Xbox One X
✖Nintendo Switch
Ray tracing is an advanced light rendering technique that provides more realistic lighting, shadows and reflections in games.
I/O bandwidth
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Microsoft Xbox One X)
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Nintendo Switch)
The I/O bandwidth is the internal memory bandwidth. Higher transfer rate internal memory reduces boot time.
GDDR memory version
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Nintendo Switch)
Later versions of GDDR memory offer improvements such as higher transfer rates, which improve performance.
This is an NVMe SSD
✖Microsoft Xbox One X
✖Nintendo Switch
NVMe SSDs use the PCIe interface, which has a higher bandwidth than the SATA interface. This results in much faster read/write speeds compared to SSDs using the SATA interface.
memory bandwidth
326GB/s
25.6GB/s
Higher memory bandwidth means that memory can be accessed faster and therefore data can be retrieved faster, this has a positive effect on performance.
Connection
has 3.5mm mini jack jack
✔Microsoft Xbox One X
✔Nintendo Switch
You can use a standard mini jack to connect most headphones.
has Wi-Fi
✔Microsoft Xbox One X
✔Nintendo Switch
The device can connect to Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi version
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)
Wi-Fi versions supported by the device.
has DLNA
✔Microsoft Xbox One X
∅
Nintendo Switch: Not applicable
All DLNA certified products are compatible with each other. When different devices are connected to the same network, data can be easily transferred between them.
USB connectors
With more USB connectors, you can connect more devices.
has HDMI output
✔Microsoft Xbox One X
✔Nintendo Switch
Devices with HDMI or mini HDMI ports can stream HD video and audio to the connected display.
HDMI version
HDMI 2.0b
HDMI 1.4
New HDMI versions support higher bandwidth, resulting in higher resolutions and frame rates.
Bluetooth version
Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows you to transfer data between devices in close proximity using shortwave radio waves. Newer versions provide faster data transfer.
has a slot for memory cards
✖Microsoft Xbox One X
✔Nintendo Switch
The device has a standard slot for memory cards (SD, MicroSD, etc.), so you can either expand the internal memory with available modules memory card, or you can easily retrieve data such as photos from the memory card.
Features
number of games
Devices that have more games provide more options for users. This is also an indicator of how popular this device is.
number of exclusive games
Exclusive games available only on this device.
has voice commands
✔Microsoft Xbox One X
✖Nintendo Switch
You can use your voice to control key device functions and also easily access your device without pressing buttons.
backwards compatible
✔Microsoft Xbox One X
✖Nintendo Switch
Thanks to backwards compatibility, you can play games from previous generation consoles (or multiple generations).
Pixel Density
∅
Microsoft Xbox One X: N/A
236ppi
Pixel Density is a measure of screen resolution expressed as pixels per inch (PPI) on a screen. Higher pixel density results in sharper and clearer images displayed on the screen, resulting in a better viewing experience.
Can play games while downloading them
✔Microsoft Xbox One X
✖Nintendo Switch
This means that you don’t have to wait until the entire game is loaded, as subsequent game steps will be loaded as the game progresses.
supports quick update
✖Microsoft Xbox One X
✔Nintendo Switch
Quick update is a feature that allows you to switch between multiple running games with almost zero load time.
supports Discord voice chat
✖Microsoft Xbox One X
✖Nintendo Switch
Supports Discord Voice, allowing you to communicate with people on other platforms such as PC and mobile devices.
Supports 3D sound
✖Microsoft Xbox One X
✖Nintendo Switch
3D sound provides a soundscape that is more immersive than traditional surround sound technologies and allows you to pinpoint the direction of the sound source.
Controllers
number of controllers
Multiple controllers allows you to have more people playing at the same time.
has adaptive triggers
✖Microsoft Xbox One X
✖Nintendo Switch
Special motors in the controller can adjust the tension of the trigger buttons, adding a sense of reality.
For example, pressing triggers becomes more difficult when the player character runs fast and gets tired.
Can be used with motion detection control
✖Microsoft Xbox One X
✔Nintendo Switch
Motion detection control allows you to get more realism when participating in some games, such as sports.
Has wireless control
✔Microsoft Xbox One X
✔Nintendo Switch
Control devices connect to the game wirelessly, allowing you to play freely.
number of analog sticks
The more analog sticks, the more difficult the game options can be.
has a built-in touchpad
✖Microsoft Xbox One X
✖Nintendo Switch
Users can control a device with a touchpad by simply moving their fingers across the surface.
Bi-amped feedback
✔Microsoft Xbox One X
✖Nintendo Switch
With dual-amp feedback, the control has a realistic vibration that allows you to feel which side the impact is coming from.
controller
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Microsoft Xbox One X)
Lighter control means less strain on your hands while playing.
number of buttons
The more buttons on the device, the more complex the input information can be.
Other
resolution
∅
Microsoft Xbox One X: Not applicable
1280 x 720px
Resolution indicates the maximum number of pixels that can be displayed on a screen, expressed as the number of pixels on the horizontal axis and the number of pixels on the horizontal axis axes.
Battery life
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Microsoft Xbox One X)
Manufacturer’s specified battery life (in use). With a longer battery life, you will charge your device less often.
Price comparison
Which game consoles are best?
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Microsoft Xbox One S vs Nintendo Switch: What is the difference?
smartphonesgraphic cardswireless headphonesCPU
1.4 TFLOPS vs 1 TFLOPS
8GB vs 4GB
68.3GB/s vs 25.6GB/s
853MHz vs 768MHz
Why is Nintendo Switch better than Microsoft Xbox One S?
- 4461 more games?
7165 vs 2704 - 123 more exclusive games?
145 vs 22 - Wi-Fi version.?
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) vs Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) - Has a memory card slot?
- Can be used with motion detection control?
- 216mm thinner?
14mm vs 230mm - 56.
24mm narrower?
238.76mm vs 295mm - 92.3% less case volume?
339.61cm³ vs 4410.25cm³
Which comparisons are the most popular?
Microsoft Xbox One S
vs
Microsoft Xbox Series S
Nintendo Switch
vs
Microsoft Xbox Series S
Microsoft Xbox One S
vs
0003
Nintendo Switch
vs
Sony PlayStation 5
Microsoft Xbox One S
vs
Sony PlayStation 4
Nintendo Switch
vs
Sony Vita
Microsoft Xbox One S
vs
Microsoft Xbox One X
Nintendo Switch
vs
Nintendo Wii U 8GB
Microsoft Xbox One S
vs
Sony PlayStation 4 Slim
Nintendo Switch
vs
Sony PlayStation 4
Microsoft Xbox One S
vs
Sony PlayStation 4 Pro
Nintendo Switch
vs
Sony PSP 3000
Microsoft Xbox One S
vs
Microsoft Xbox One
Nintendo Switch
vs
Microsoft Xbox Series X
Microsoft Xbox One S
vs
Sony PlayStation 5
Nintendo Switch
vs
Nintendo Wii
Microsoft Xbox One S
vs
Sony PlayStation 5 Digital Edition
Nintendo Switch
vs
Sony PlayStation 3 40GB
Microsoft Xbox One S
vs
Sony PlayStation 3 Slim 120GB
Nintendo Switch
vs
Microsoft Xbox 360 S 4GB
Price Match
User Reviews
Overall Rating
Microsoft Xbox One S
8 reviews of users
Microsoft Xbox One S
/10
8 Reviews of Users
Nintendo Switch
19000 19000 9000 1901 Reviews Features
Exclusive game quality
8.
8 /10
8 votes
8.6 /10
18 votes
Backwards compatible
9 Applications
/10
8 Votes
5.9 /10
19 VOTES
Small Work
9.5 /10
8 Votes
9000 6.7 /10
18 votes
Performance
CPU speed
8 x 1.75GHz
4 x 2GHz
CPU speed indicates how many processing cycles per second the processor (processors) can perform. It is calculated by adding the clock speeds of each core or, in the case of multi-core processors, each group of cores.
flops
1.4 TFLOPS
1 TFLOPS
FLOPS is a measurement of GPU processing power.
Random Access Memory
Random Access Memory (RAM) is a form of memory used to store work data and machine code currently in use. It is a temporary, fast-access virtual storage that can be read and modified in any order, allowing fast data processing.
GPU clock speed
853MHz
768MHz
The graphics processing unit (GPU) has a higher clock speed.
supports ray tracing
✖Microsoft Xbox One S
✖Nintendo Switch
Ray tracing is an advanced light rendering technique that provides more realistic lighting, shadows and reflections in games.
I/O bandwidth
2.4GB/s
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Nintendo Switch)
The I/O bandwidth is the internal memory bandwidth. Higher transfer rate internal memory reduces boot time.
GDDR memory version
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Nintendo Switch)
Later versions of GDDR memory offer improvements such as higher transfer rates, which improve performance.
This is an NVMe SSD
✖Microsoft Xbox One S
✖Nintendo Switch
NVMe SSDs use the PCIe interface, which has a higher bandwidth than the SATA interface.
This results in much faster read/write speeds compared to SSDs using the SATA interface.
memory bandwidth
68.3GB/s
25.6GB/s
Higher memory bandwidth means that memory can be accessed faster and therefore data can be retrieved faster, this has a positive effect on performance.
Connection
has 3.5mm mini jack jack
✔Microsoft Xbox One S
✔Nintendo Switch
You can use a standard mini jack to connect most headphones.
has Wi-Fi
✔Microsoft Xbox One S
✔Nintendo Switch
The device can connect to Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi version
Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)
Wi-Fi versions supported by the device.
has DLNA
✔Microsoft Xbox One S
∅
Nintendo Switch: Not applicable
All DLNA certified products are compatible with each other.
When different devices are connected to the same network, data can be easily transferred between them.
USB sockets
With more USB sockets, you can connect more devices.
has HDMI output
✔Microsoft Xbox One S
✔Nintendo Switch
Devices with HDMI or mini HDMI ports can stream HD video and audio to the connected display.
HDMI version
HDMI 2.0a
HDMI 1.4
New HDMI versions support higher bandwidth, resulting in higher resolutions and frame rates.
Bluetooth version
∅
Microsoft Xbox One S: Not applicable
Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows you to transfer data between devices in close proximity using shortwave radio waves. Newer versions provide faster data transfer.
has a memory card slot
∅
Microsoft Xbox One S: Not applicable
✔Nintendo Switch
The device has a standard memory card slot (SD, MicroSD, etc.
) so you can either expand the internal memory with available memory modules, or you can easily retrieve data such as photos from the memory card.
Features
number of games
Devices that have more games provide more options for users. This is also an indicator of how popular this device is.
number of exclusive games
Exclusive games are only available on this device.
has voice commands
✔Microsoft Xbox One S
✖Nintendo Switch
You can use your voice to control the device’s key functions and also easily access your device without pressing buttons.
backwards compatible
✔Microsoft Xbox One S
✖Nintendo Switch
Thanks to backwards compatibility, you can play games from previous generation consoles (or multiple generations).
Pixel Density
∅
Microsoft Xbox One S: N/A
236ppi
Pixel Density is a measure of screen resolution expressed as pixels per inch (PPI) on a screen.
Higher pixel density results in sharper and clearer images displayed on the screen, resulting in a better viewing experience.
Can play games while downloading them
✔Microsoft Xbox One S
✖Nintendo Switch
This means that you don’t have to wait until the entire game is loaded, as subsequent game steps will be loaded as the game progresses.
supports quick update
✔Microsoft Xbox One S
✔Nintendo Switch
Quick update is a feature that allows you to switch between multiple running games with almost zero load time.
supports Discord voice chat
✖Microsoft Xbox One S
✖Nintendo Switch
Supports Discord Voice, allowing you to communicate with people on other platforms such as PC and mobile devices.
Supports 3D sound
✖Microsoft Xbox One S
✖Nintendo Switch
3D sound provides a soundscape that is more immersive than traditional surround sound technologies and allows you to pinpoint the direction of the sound source.
Controllers
number of controllers
Multiple controllers allows you to have more people playing at the same time.
has adaptive triggers
✖Microsoft Xbox One S
✖Nintendo Switch
Special motors in the controller can adjust the tension of the trigger buttons, adding a sense of reality. For example, pressing triggers becomes more difficult when the player character runs fast and gets tired.
Can be used with motion detection control
✖Microsoft Xbox One S
✔Nintendo Switch
Motion detection control allows you to get more realism when participating in some games, such as sports.
Has wireless control
✔Microsoft Xbox One S
✔Nintendo Switch
Control devices connect to the game wirelessly, allowing you to play freely.
number of analog sticks
The more analog sticks, the more difficult the game options can be.
has a built-in touchpad
∅
Microsoft Xbox One S: Not applicable
✖Nintendo Switch
Users can operate a touchpad device by simply moving their fingers across the surface.
Bi-amped feedback
✔Microsoft Xbox One S
✖Nintendo Switch
With dual-amp feedback, the control has a realistic vibration that allows you to feel which side the impact is coming from.
controller
Lighter control means less strain on your hands when playing.
number of buttons
The more buttons on the device, the more complex the input information can be.
Other
resolution
3840 x 2160px
1280 x 720px
Resolution indicates the maximum number of pixels that can be displayed on a screen, expressed as the number of pixels on the horizontal axis and a number on the vertical axis.
