Prediction: Nintendo will release the "4DS" around March/April 2017

[Mr Khan]

Soundwave said:

Fusion Handheld (April-May 2016 Japan; June 2016 North America, July 2016 Europe)

Fusion Home Microconsole (November 2016 North America, December 2016 Japan + Europe).

Launch Window Titles: Super Mario Galaxy 3, Animal Crossing Next, F-Zero w/wacky controller for home version, Monster Hunter 5

Build on the same System on Chip design (ARM CPU + AMD mobile GPU 20nm). Handheld features 1 System on Chip with 2GB RAM, Home Version features 2-3 System on Chip's (so 2-3x the CPU and GPU cores) + 4GB of RAM to allow for 1080P play at home on the television.

Are my guesses. No x86 or anything wacky like that. 1 SoC is roughly equivalent to a Wii U (so the handheld is about as powerful as a Wii U, whereas the home version is more powerful being able to run 1080p games with Wii U fidelity without much fuss).

I'm beginning to think they want to do parallel games, not identical ones. That something like Smash Bros 4 will be the way going forward, except that this time a lot of assets can be shared. Not all, but many, and more importantly engine code can be shared, so that instead of having to make Mario Kart 9 and Mario Kart 10, they can just make Mario Kart 9, have a handheld version and a console version maybe with some different tracks and different features, but the core engine work and basic character design is shared, making the "effort" of 1.25 games or 1.5 games, instead of 2 games, but still deliver for both platforms at once, or nearly so. Encourage this with crossbuy (or some form of bundling where the two games separately would cost $90.00, but bought together only cost $70.00) so that it doesn't discourage core Nintendo fans from getting both, and less-passionate fans can pick their choice.

Unless they have completely given up in their quest to bother to get any of Sony or Microsoft's third party support. Otherwise the handheld would hold the console back too much, if they were the same but for resolution capabilities. Two separate devices allows them to at least try at getting games built natively for the console experience.