1. Make the gamepad smaller. The next gamepad should be no bigger than a Vita, but should still retain the relative form factor of a standard controller. If the Wii U gamepad is shaped like the wii classic controller, the next gamepad should be shaped like the classic controller pro. And make the touch screen multitouch. All that will make it both cheaper and more appealing to core gamers.
2. Include a pro controller too. It appeals to families who want multiple controllers for classic local multiplayer games, and it appeals to core gamers who'd still like a standard controller to use. Nintendo should have included two controllers in it's consoles ages ago, but especially here.
3. A decent amount of power put into the gamepad for OS features. You should be able to get completely explore notifications on the gamepad like you would a phone. If someone sends you a message/invite/anything, there should be a small notification on the TV, but a more detailed notification on the gamepad. If you click on the notification, you can respond in real time. Send a reply message the same way you'd type a text on a phone. Respond to an invite in real time on the gamepad without interrupting play. They already took the first step with the TV button, but they need to take it further.
THAT'S how you innovate with the gamepad. You should be able to do all that on the gamepad without needing to touch the pause button. Make it smaller. Make it more comfortable. Make it mandatory, but secondary. And make it useful. Innovate with firmware, and use the gamepad to extend that. The chat system alone would be revolutionary, especially in online games.
4. Completely innovate the OS and firmware. It should be revolutionary for gaming. You should be able to have multiple digital games open at once. You should be able to browse the internet on the gamepad while the game is still running on the TV. Themes should have been there yesterday, and you should be able to make your own. Everything should be extremely quick.
5. No x86 if that means no backwards compatability. That's just not acceptable. Make it ARM if that's what neds to happen. I don't know what's better for price; $300 or $400. If it's $300, it can still be slightly more powerful than the PS4 and remain the "affordable" console, but if it's $400, that extra $100 can give it a very nice difference in performance and make it far more "premium." Especially if they don't include an internal harddrive that would drive up the price and lower the performance.
