Straight from the horse's mouth in the Nintendo investor meeting, Mr. Iwata stated that they will need about two years to come up with a platform that will change the game business (at least for them). Based on his previous comments of wanting a iPhone-iPad like service based structure that decentralizes seperate platforms, this is almost assuredly the beginning of a Fusion-style Nintendo gaming future.
It also means game development would probably have to start (well) right about now. It takes about 18-24 months to make a game and probably a tad longer for launch titles. I think it's a very strong possibility that the next EAD Tokyo 3D Mario is in development for this platform already.
If the handheld variant launches around March-May 2016, then EAD Tokyo should be able to deliver a new 3D Mario for the launch with even a couple of extra months to stretch their legs a bit and not have to rush the game. I think that would be a terrific launch title, as Nintendo really cannot afford to f*ck this next launch up at all (absolutely 0 margin for error now).
