Wha... WHat? What does this have to do with anything of what we're discussing?

Aside from NES and SNES, Nintendo consoles have really short life spans. It's disappointing.  Now I wonder if the console is in development and will be released in 2015 or so, or whether this is just the pre development that every console publisher does.

It seems like a 2016 release wouldn't been too far fetched, and that's probably the new handheld, followed by a new home console in 2017 that works with the portable one.

In full years, it would be close to 5 full years (2015) or even the full 5 years (2016).
It`s not really surprising: GBA was came out in 2001 and NDS, in 2004-2005.
Of course, Nintendo had a different strategy, but both were in competition.

Without the big support from casuals, 3DS is bound to endure that many years as past portables. Add to that mobile gaming and 3DS lifespan decreases again.
Releasing in 2015 or 2016 would allow Nintendo to better fight the mobile gaming market with a better machine (3D might add a lot to gaming but it didn`t do for 3DS what a touchscreen did for NDS).

GBA had a short life because the DS ended up overtaking it as the portable device of choice almost right away.  I think Nintendo knows now they can't support 2 portables simultaneously.  The market just doesn't work that way.   Other than the GBA, they've all lasted a good many number of years.

I just don't think it will be needed that soon.  Besides, I have a feeling their next home and portable consoles will have a much more linked together concept that they'll be launched nearly simultaneaously or may even be the same device. 

Don't forget they have a new combined R&D facility under construction that won't be ready for full use until the end of this year.  They'll likely need more time to get any kind of combined product to market than just a few months to a year.

No shit

It all depends on what Nintendo has planned for the coming years.
Still, Nintendo lost some of their mindshare to mobile gaming. And with mobile devices offering better tech and better games with time, it`s only natural for Nintendo to try and become a viable alternative to those devices - even mimicking them.

Iwata already said they don`t want for them to work as one.
Now, i don`t know if he`s talking something that can link to the TV or for them to work together (handheld as controller). I support the working together option.

Are you speaking about the building? It`s already done.

Truth is, with this news, something is cooking and will come in about 2 years.
Given the timeline, it`s got to be a Handheld.

Agreed, not sure why a lot of people here are dumping on this, but it's whatever.

2015 seems early to me, I'd say 2016 at the, but again, 2015 is also plausible.

It does not make much sense financially either. First, i dont know if they already recouped the R&D cost for the Wii U and they would have another big R&D cost in the short term.

Not only that but i garantee you that a new Nintendo home system that comes out in the next 2 years will fail massively. Why? As i told you, consumer trust. The same problem SEGA had. The consumer will not be willing to get your system cause you might just launch yet another one after 2 more years. This would affect not only the home console market but all future Nintendo systems. There is just no way to let this happen.

The good business for them now, is to either keep doing what they are doing, wich is to keep making great software for it and bite it for another 3-4 years, or to exit the home console market completely and focus on their portable.

They made so much money off the original Wii that I think the Wii U R&D is largely immaterial to them. 

Their larger concern is likely that an unsuccessful Wii U radically limits sales of games like Mario Kart 8/Smash Bros/Mario 3D World/DKCTF etc. which probably would've sold 3-4x more copies on a Wii sized userbase than what they're going to get on the Wii U. 

That probably burns them a lot more. If the Wii U still gets those games as first run, but they are later brought to say a Nintendo tablet, I don't see a big problem. I didn't see any Wii owners throwing a hissy fit because the 3DS got DKC Returns. 

Some people are just never going to buy a Wii U (possibly a lot of people), but more people seem amenable to still buying a Nintendo portable.