Playing MarioKart8 last 2 days with my family and enjoying it a LOT more than any other game last 3 years, I've got one thought. Do we really need 'next' nintendo console in 2-3-4-5 years? For me and for the kids the graphics in MK8 is 'good enough'. Of course, on more powerful hardware it could have 1080p with AA and some better particle effects, but thats all. And of 4 people in my family  only me will be the one who can spot the difference, and thats only because I'm reading gameforums. And even then I'll forget about it right after dipping into game. 

So my opinion is that for its type of games/players WiiU is a perfect 'good enough' console and could be easily supported by Nintendo for 8-10 years. It has double screen experience, it has classic controls, it has motion controls, it has balance board controls. It has a blueray disk which is big enough for anything and a possibility to extend a hard drive to the limits you want. 

So the next NIntendo 'handheld' will be out to catch up on a WiiU (maybe even play its games) and after that Nintendo can wait a bit/move to QOL platform and just continue making NIndendo games for that united platform.

Nintendo usually have shorter lifespans anyways so I fully expect them to release their next console by 2018 at the latest. The PS4 and XBO I can see having 8-10 lifespans though.

I don't think Nintendo would support it for that long, they are already probably thinking about their next console. If you're loving MK8 imagine MK9 on the next gen with sexier graphics 60fps on 4 player split screen and all the other jazz and you'll soon start lusting it.

I don't think they'll do that since the Wii U is pretty much doomed to have low sales. Of course, that idea you had in the last paragraph could save it and it could have a longer life-span. But, they wouldn't have to push QOL back to make that possible.

I don't see it lasting 10 years, though. Not even the Xbox 360 had 10 years before the successor released. At the most (If that backwards compatible handheld thing happens) I could see a 6, maybe 7 (This one's optimistic IMO) year life-span.

The normal thing for Nintendo is 5 years, so Christmass 2017, perhaps if somehow the Wii U managed to be moderately successful they will pretend the first year which only had Pikmin 3, Wonderful 101 and 3D World didn't exist and wait till Christmass 2018.

I made a thread about what would happen if the Wii U becomes successful late, imagine next year they begun to sell it for USD200 and it sells a lot more than the years before, I think Nintendo would be forced to make the lifetime of the console longer because otherwise most owners would be able to get games for it only for a couple of years.

10 is too much.
but 7 or years seems more plausible.
nintendo said QOL would be out in 2015 to 2016. they will be busy with it.
thet said they expect big profits in 2017 due QoL, not due the sucessor of 3ds or wii u.
So, 2018 is more plausible for a sucessor launch. probably 3ds sucessor first.
2019 or 2020, wii u sucessor.

Guys, your 'Nintendo consoles lifespan was short before' isn't valid, cause times changing. Think about it not from a game geek point of view, but from a business position/customers point of view. Think out of 'usual lifespan' box.

Business side of view. Next console is expensive to R/D. You will likely sell it into minus some first years. And looking on the WiiU/Wii/Gamecube situation 3rd parties will continue to shit on it even if it will be 16CPUS/32GbRAM etc, just because nobody wants to support its biggest competitor.

From customers view. I got a box which is playing Nintendo games. I love those games. I don't need 20 games to play each year, I'll better have 5-6 games a year, but those will be the games I love to play and replay. So quality Nintendo games with some 2nd/3rd party extras ar perfectly OK for me.

And in some years WiiU could be 100-150 USD in shops with a unmatched library of games you can play only on it, family friendly. That could be a second life dor this console.

Of course I must say 10 years in the title was hyperbolic, but it can easily have 7-8 years lifespan.

So you want Wii U to be NIntendo only game console box, which will sell at the current rate(improving a little with every release) and get boosted during new releases only for next 7-8 years? These 8 years sales of Wii U can be done by PS4 in less than 2 years. What's the point of doing business with those sales for 5-8 years? This is the problem with Nintendo because the Fans of the Nintendo for Home console has been so small like 10 -20 millions right now and so they wont good softwares sales with this base and if their game gets reviewerd poor in future then it will be do or die situation for them if those game fails.

3 years from now, WE won't need a new nintendo console, but nintendo will.

Wii is still selling hardware and software 8 years later so anything is possiblle. I think the Wii U is here to stay for the long term, Nintendo cant afford to rush out hardware as they cant afford to take any more big losses. Wii U is not losing them any money, so from now onwards there is nothing but financial gains to be made if they keep high quality software rolling out. You have then got QOL, and many say Nintendo struggle to support 2 platforms, so this will be their immediate priority. I think the Wii U will build momentum as time goes on, its still very relevant this generation contrary to what people want you to believe, its high quality software library is proof of that.