New Nintendo Platform Approx 2 Years Out; Game Development Starts Now?

[JEMC]

I certainly agree that software development for the next handheld has started or will start this year if they plan to release a new handheld in the next two years. And yes, I'm talking about handheld, not console.

TheLastStarFighter already talked about it but I'll do it again. You, Soundwave, keep talking about how Nintendo looks at Apple for their next hardware and then point the iPhone and the iPad and you use that to conclude that Nintendo will launch a single device that is both things. Why would they do that if not even Apple does it?

No, what they will do it make a handheld and a home console with the same hardware architecture (but not the same power) that use the same OS and development tools to speed up development time and allow Wiiware/VC games to be shared for both devices. There comes in handy the unified account system that, to be honest, should have been ready for the WiiU/3DS (but that's another story).

But I agree with you that the next handheld will have only one screen, and that Nintendo will abandon the "DS" and "Wii" names.