Another "what if" ... what if the console is more like a home dock, if they're using mobile-style components, something akin to a micro-console.
800 GFLOPS for that, priced very cheap, say $179.99 launch price, can be brought down to $149.99 in about a year without much fuss.
Since it would just be a similar chip to the one in the handheld and same type of RAM and what not, Nintendo could probably get a very nice deal on the chip as a bulk order, and since the console has no LCD screen/battery to worry about, it could be cheap for people.
And maybe the handheld can "dock" with the console somehow, increasing performance further.
That would be a little different anyway. Just another idea. For people who just want to play a little Mario Kart and are curious about say Splatoon ... no need to force them to have to pay $200+, maybe you could find some audience on the lower end.
It's easier to make a budget console than a handheld because the console doesn't have to have an LCD display and a battery, LCD touch panel in many cases costs more than a chipset/RAM or any of that stuff.
