In terms of 3rd party support, something similar to what the current 3DS+Wii U situation is, a good amount of Japanese support (Namco-Bandai, Capcom, Level 5, Square-Enix, Tecmo-Koei), lots of indies, solid amount of kid friendly games (Lego, Skylanders, Disney, Just Dance, etc.) and a few of the big annual western franchises (Call of Duty, Madden, FIFA).

That plus a unified software approach from Nintendo provides such devices with a strong and consistant release schedule.

Yeah, I'm very happy with my 3DS+WiiU combo. There are at least one release every month, no droughts as far as I can tell. When I'm talking about 3rd party support I'm refering to something similar to XOne/PS4 (companies like Bethesda, EA, Ubisoft...) which obviously is not the case. But the exclusive lineup is way better (in my opinion, of course), and with the support you mention, I think that it could be a fantastic idea to do what you propose. We'll see next year.

I don't think Bethesda will ever support Nintendo, the likes of EA/Ubi/Acti/WB will if they feel it's viable.

Bethesda is pretty much impossible yeah. And yes, I think that EA/Ubi... will support it if they fell it's worth the effort. I believe that if Nintendo unifies handheld + home console the install base will be enough for them to do the jump. I'm just stating the worst case possible. Even in this case, the platform will have support. 

Yep i agree completely, even if NX doesn't get 100% of the support PS/XB recieve, we're still looking at Nintendo-published titles+Japanese 3rd party support+kid/family friendly games+tons of indies+occasional AAA western title. That easily gives them 100+ titles per year so nobody can use the "it has no games" excuse.

So, basically Nintendo is planning on marketing themselves as a Steam style service, for the home console? Maybe something similar to Steam Machines or Steam Boxes or whatever their called? If that really is Nintendo's plan I think its a pretty crappy one... It sounds pretty similar to what Sega did with add-on upon add-on until your console ended up looking like a 1 foot tall toilet. I understand that each version of the NX would be its own standalone thing... but still. 

Personally I would be pretty p.o.'d if I bought a console and 2 years later a more powerful version was out that made everything run faster, smoother, and look better. A huge part of the reason console gaming is great is its simplicity. I know that I'm going to get the same experience as my buddy who has the same console. He isn't going to think the graphics sucked, where I thought they rocked because he has last years model. I'm not going to experience horrid loading times while hes already 1/4 through the level because he bought this years model. 

Lets stop to think about what moves consoles. Simplicity, physical medium, and exclusives. Assuming Nintendo keeps every new NX model simple and using physical media, all thats left are exclusives. If you don't think Nintendo would make exclusives just for the new models then I would have to ask if you've heard of Xenoblade Chronicles 3D for the NN3DS. The 3DS was 4 years old before Nintendo released and upgrade. The average console consumer isn't going to want to have to drop 300 ducats every other year to get a good experience and just to experience a new game.

Personally, I think we'll get an NX handheld that connects using some tech similar to the Wii U's gamepad to your NX console. That will let you play upscaled(maybe) handheld games on your TV. We might see some form of remote play like the Vita. I sincerely hope Nintendo doesn't try and go with some crazy ass bi-yearly console upgrade plan. It would be suicide.

It's not like gamers never re-bought the same console because of a redesign.
Offering a better model is not suicide, it allows Nintendo to attract more consumers who feel that that variant is more to their liking.

More variety means more consumers.
For exameple, when Nintendo introduced the 3DS XL they resonated with gamers who wanted a bigger screen for handheld gaming and didn't buy a regular 3DS because of that.

Ya too many people seem to fear change for some odd reason, like if things aren't the way they have always been than something bad is going to happen.

Offering a wider variety of hardware options that share a common library isn't a bad thing at all and some people seem to think it's impossible for a console to succeed with that approach while completely ignoring that plenty of other types of products have been very successful with such an approach. Smartphones, Tablets, computers, televisions, etc all do this with tons of success, no reason why dedicated gaming devices can't do the same if executed properly.

You are right: execution is key.
In a market where change has to happen you have to be careful to not lose people's trust.
At the same time, we are talking about people (gamers) who also buy smartphones, tablets, PCs, etc., where they see variety in the same product. And that is more than visible in the PC market where there are several types of HW you can buy for the same game.

We already had SKUs that were different in HDD and people who didn't want to pay a lot had that option and people who wanted the best possible options, actually had that option.
Different HW will speak to people who who are price cautious and can't really afford a expensive console and don't even care about HW that much, and to those who would like to have better HW for those same games.

Maybe Nintendo should offer both versions already at launch and then prepare the market for a 3rd option down the line or even for next gen.
Let the idea of multiple (not a lot, too!) versions of HW during a gen, sink in.

Why don't they just run Android on their next device?

Maybe this idea that Nintendo sold out to mobiles isn't necessarily a bad thing, when talking about the explosion of developers in that arena.

I think were going to see one device, and it will be something in between the Wii U Controller and the Gameboy.