The only reason the 2DS is cheaper is because it loses the most expensive component of the system -- the 3D LCD screen. 

In all honestly the Joycons and Dock are mostly plastic components with minimal hardware when seriously broken down the actual manufacturing cost of losing both of those would be maybe $20-$25. 

You're not magically going to be able to sell for like a $100 cheaper. 

Screen size doesn't consume that much battery, the chip is what's consuming the majority of your electrical budget, a 20nm Tegra X1 runs hot. There's no way around that, you're not magically going to be able to cool it differently either. 

You can't make a system with a 20nm Tegra X1 much smaller than what the Switch is now. That's basically all Nintendo spent their R&D budget on because basically the main difference is they took a Sheild Console and basically removed all of the dead space to make it as small as possible. 

To be honest, the model you're proposing I don't think would even sell very well. It gimps basically all the things that are popular about the Switch for basically a cheap-o model -- just like 2DS didn't do crap for 3DS sales really ... the point of a revision should be to increase sales in a real way.

It would be maybe $50 cheaper, but for $50 less the vast majority of people would rather just buy the "real" Switch that can play on their TV and use real Joycons (and no doubt there will be new Joycon models as time goes on).

Early adopters can easily sell their system, so this is not a problem. The current Switch has major weaknesses and the TX2 would fix them almost effortlessly. A new and better, more powerful and longer lasting Switch cannot arrive soon enough. I hope for a TX2-based Switch mini announcement at E3 this year, because the 3DS is extremely outdated and needs a successor asap. A new normal sized TX2-Switch could then arrive next year.

Unless a TX2 based revision releases, I will not buy a Switch.

Switch is the 3DS successor. Embrace it. Just like DS was the Game Boy successor. Form factors change with time, it's 2017, even a lot of kids are tired of clamshell portables, it's time for something new. 

TX2 revision will happen I'm sure though. I don't think a clamshell version of the Switch is a priority for Nintendo. Only if the current Switch starts to sell poorly I think will they hedge on that, if it doesn't though, this is the form factor that Nintendo is going to push and I think they'll actually double down on it by offering a bigger screen model so it's easier for people to gather around the Switch and play together in table top mode. 

You need honestly closer to an 8-inch screen to comfortably play multiplayer titles like Mario Kart or NBA or Smash Brothers on this thing the way Nintendo advertises it as (with the set it down on the table thing) ... 6.2 inch is fine for single player games, but can be tougher for multi, especially split screen. 

Switch is not the 3DS sucessor (but the 3DS sucessor will likely play Switch games), this was stated by Nintendo multiple times. It is also too big to apeal to 3DS / 3DSXL customers and cannot be counted as mobile. A smaller and much longer lasting unit will releaee for sure.

Nintendo says a lot of things, DS was not the successor to GBA either. Until it sold well, and then magically it's "what's a Game Boy? We never heard of it". 

We know how this is going to go. 

The only way Switch is not the 3DS successor is if it sells poorly, becuase Nintendo wants to give themselves that bail-out parachute. 

Even with kids though I'd bet good money if you lined up 10 kids from *today* (not 2002) and showed them the Switch form factor versus a 3DS ... they'd majority choose the Switch. Kids love the larger screen form factor. When I have my little cousins over they all fight over the iPad ... the loser gets the 3DS. 

The last three fiscal year's of the 3DS have seen some of the lowest handheld shipments from Nintendo over the last 20+ years. That form factor was dying out. The last time Nintendo had sub 10-million in handheld shipments before 3DS in a year was FY Ending March 1997 ... this is basically right when Pokemon was invented in Japan. 

But the 3DS? Has had now three straight fiscal years of well below 10 million. Switch actually has a task of reinvigorating the portable market, because 3DS actually has not been selling that great for a while. It got an OK boost from Pokemon Go, but these boosts are still low historically for what Nintendo usually sells. 

Fact is that cheaper than regular 3DS.

There is no need for magic, like I wrote, Joy Cons, Dock, smaller device means less materials, point that want work in dock mode means less parts in Switch itself, less cables, Joy Cons Strips, smaller package...they can make smaller Switch just for handheld play for $100 less than curent Switch.

Of Course that on handheld device screen is one of biggest consumer of power. Switch is not hot at all, of course that can easily make even better or more efficient cooling for smaller device that has smaller screen and smaller battery. You can't say there is no way around.

Offcorse you can, Switch is designed to work in TV mode also, it has big screen and huge battery (half of Switch is taken buy battery), smaller Switch for just handhedl paly can ditch some parts that are required for TV mode, and you will gain on space because smaller screen and smaller battery.

You doenst make any sense, its very obvious that point of Switch Pocket/Mini would be to offer Switch games just for handheld gaming at more afordible price point than current Switch. For intance not all 3DS owners would pay $300 for current Switch especially if they dont need TV mode, but some of them would definatly paid for instance $200 for Switch Mini/Pocket for handheld play only, of course that would increase sales dramatically. In this case Switch Mini/Pocket would efektly replace 3DS/3DSXL segment on market not 2DS.

Hardly it would be just $50 cheaper, dont forget that Nintendo charging $80 for Dock and two Joy Cons for $80, so how do you think Nintendo would try to sell smaller Switch just for handheld play, without Dock and ditchable Joy Cons for just $50 less than regualar Switch!? Definatly difrence will be around $100, not just $50.

No they can't. 

The components you're describing there don't amount to $100 ... cables ... really? 

Doesn't matter how grossly Nintendo wants to overprice for a dock ... we know for a fact that thing is basically a fat hunk of plastic with a tiny chip board. The supply maker is going to laugh in their face if they go to their suppliers and say "cut off $100 on the cost here, because we're losing this dock please". Yeah that's not how real life works. 

In actual manufacturing cost I'd say

$5-$8 is what that dock actually costs to make

$8 per Joycon (and even that is being probably generous)

$1 for an HDMI cable (also being generous here)

So that's uh ... $25 in savings. Reducing the screen size to 5 inch instead of 6.2 inch maybe gets you down another $20. 

It won't be $100 difference, to get to $100 Nintendo is going to have to either lose money on the hardware or cut off their profit margin, a bunch of plastic and a couple of cables is not getting you to a 100 bucks. 

That 20nm Tegra X1 still runs hot even in portable mode. We know for a fact is shreds through a 4300 MaH battery in about 3 hours even in portable mode. There's no way to seriously change that unless you die shrink to 16nm or you are going to run into heat issues putting that chip in a dramatically smaller chasis. Shrinking the screen size to 5-inches buys you a little bit in battery life but not that much, you are still going to need a large battery. 

What you're describing simply does not axe $100 in actual manfacturing cost from the Switch, nor is there any way to use the same 20nm chip in a dramatically smaller form factor with a smaller battery ... this just doesn't make sense. 

Offcourse they can.

Like I wrote, not just cables, Joy Cons, Dock, smaller device means less materials, point that want work in dock mode means less parts in Switch itself, Joy Cons Strips, smaller package..

Realite is that you can achive price point that you aiming, and we already know that lotsa stuffs could be cut from current Switch model, so they can defiantly cut price of $100 for smaller Switch for just handehdl play. And that price difrence totaly make sense, not $50.

At end situation is very simple and obvious, current Switch already has more higher price point and screen that is already big, so there any need for making actually even more pricey Switch with even more bigger screen, but definitely there is need to release smaller, chepar Switch just for handheld play when 3DS dies,  that will effectively replace 3DS/3DSXL segment on market.

No it can't, lol, some of your reasoning isn't even logical. "Smaller device = automatically cheaper" ... uh what? You still need the same processor, the same RAM, etc. etc.

Beyond the pricing issue, there's also the physical thermal issue, that 20nm chip consumes what it does ... and there's no changing that. You could have the fan blow more air but that fan doesn't magically operate for free, you then need more battery to power the fan, and even then in a smaller enclosure heat is likely to build up quickly. That could be quite dangerous quite honestly, 20nm chips that have the processing power of a Tegra X1 are not designed to be in form factors that small, to get that chip into even a design as small as the Switch currently is likely was a engineering feat in and of itself.

That's why Nvidia has no phone vendors willing to use the Tegra X1 chip ... it runs way too hot for most smartphones and even smaller tablets. 

These things are not as simple as you are making them out to be. 

Nintendo doesn't magically get to tell their suppliers to shave off $100 either when the components you're describing simply do not add up to $100. That dock does not cost more than $10 to make ... JoyCon straps c'mon that's maybe a $1 in real world manufacturing cost. They'd save closer to $50 altogether ... and for $50 less, really how many people are going to be willing to buy a model with a smaller screen, no TV out, one that likely is louder because of consant fan usage, no Joycons just to save $50, it's a very gimped model. It would be the PSP Go of Switch models. 

I really don't understand why you trying to prove here, because you dont make any sense. Offcrouse that same devaice with smaller form factor, with smaller screen, smaller battery, less used materials (plastic, PCB, etc),less used parts because doesn't need to work in TV mode just in handheld mode, without Dock, without Joy Cons, without cables, with smaller package and less shipping costs...will cost much less than current Switch.

I am pretty sure you thought that Tegra X1 could hardly operate even in current Switch, but reality is that current Switch doenst have any heat issues. We know that Tegra X1 does not operate at full clock in Switch, GPU operating at just 307 MHz. Like I wrote, I am pretty sure they would make cooling on acceptable level for smaller form factor. Smaller screen and smaller battery also means less heat because they also producing heat.

Tegra X1 chip is overkill for phones from various reasons, phones don't need such strong GPU and they usual go for stronger CPU. So you're comparison with phones again is bad.

You are wrong, I wrote you above what all things they can cut. Also have on mind that Nintendo doesn't need to cut exactly $100 of costs from current Switch model, they can cut for instance $80 and to still make $100 price difference and to go with smaller profit with device that's $100 cheaper on market, and that actually totally make sense, cheaper device and smaller profit than more expensive.

Also I dont completle rule posibilite of Tegra X2 for Switch Mini/Pocket, but I am pretty sure they would make Mini/Pocket even with current Switch cheap.

Like I wrote, "at end situation is very simple and obvious, current Switch already has more higher price point and screen is already big, so there any need for making actually even more price Switch with even more bigger screen, but definitely there is need to release smaller, chepar Switch just for handheld play when 3DS dies, and that will effectively replace 3DS/3DSXL segment on market".