Okay, so it's been the DS, and the 3DS. More or less, the 3DS is a beefier DS with 3D capability. That's all fine and dandy because the DS and 3DS are making a ton of money. That being said, it's starting to become boring. With the ever presence of IOS games looming above NIntendo's heads, it becomes a growing concern for nintendo to put their games on those systems. But they aren't, they just aren't. It's always been Nintendo(Philips CDI noted) properties on Nintendo consoles, simple as that. That means that no outside machines other than the ones they own.
But you can't ignore the present of mobile gaming. It's here already. The possibility is here whether you like it or not. The truth of the matter is that iOS far exceeds what Nintendo could possibly do with a games only mobile machine. It's a uphill battle Nintendo could not possibly do. And the threats are there, games on iOS are becoming more and more of a threat. Ace Attorney is one example of a huge hit being taken away from Nintendo. It's a touch based game that require no buttons for you to play the game. It's certainly not the first of it's kind, but it is a noteworthy title to the DS's history. And it doesn't stop there, phone companies are getting wiser, implementing new strategies with their next version of their phones. Just imagine one of the phone companies really starting to develop a mobile with the gamer in mind. It may flop, but if it's not Nintendo doing it, it's not good for Nintendo because one of these days it will be a success.
As a final thought, I want to say how much effort Nintendo would have to put into making a machine that worked well, and still be a cell phone. The design has to fit the gamer's needs, as well as sustain the same feelings smart phone users are having now. It has to streamline like a normal phone and be a gamer's machine at the same time. It is incredibly hard for them to do, but they have too. If a successful phone manufacturing company creates it before Nintendo, it would be a repeat of the rise of Sony for Nintendo. And this time, it may be them to be the next dreamcast(I mean for mobile consoles only).
