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Soundwave on 16 April 2016
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JEMC said:
Soundwave said:

The same head designer of the Wii U is still heading up the NX, so I doubt a giant 100 watt console would be permitted. 

It could simply also mean that NX is only maybe launching in the West this year, or will have a more slower roll out initially until yields get better, but the sooner you get that ball rolling the sooner your userbase grows. 

I suspect what's happened is that the portable NX is the real key to everything here, but in order to have a portable powerful enough to be viable cross-platform device to a modern home console ... Nintendo will have to wait until 2017 to release that at the price they want, with the yields they want. 

If Nintendo just wanted to slap together a standard next-gen portable, something easily 3-4x the Vita (ala the Apple 8X or A9 chip), that would be easy enough to release this year. I think they are swinging for the fences this time out and going balls to the wall with this cross platform ideal, and that only works as much as the portable will allow. 

But that's why likely the console seems to be on the front burner ... it's easier to make a console, even a powerful one, that just has to plug into a wall and has active cooling. 

Likely neither AMD or Nintendo were really keen on going elsewhere. AMD still will remember the Wii and they are smart enough to see how well Nintendo portables sell, giving a little on the console initially to gain the portable contract is a fair trade off. 

The designer works under the needs and instructions set to him. If Nintendo asks for a small and low power console for a certain budget, that's what he will design. If he's given a bigger more headroom for a bigger and more powerful console, that's what he will design.

A staggered launch could be possible although it's not the best strategy, specially if there's a several months delay between regions.

In any case, E3 is just two months away! We'll get more and reliable info soon.

Well I think it's more of a business decision, these decisions are made by the suits, not designers. AMD likely crunched the numbers even in the scenario where they eat a bit more early on than they would normally versus the pro of having portable + console Nintendo business and what they project that to net them over the course of the next 5-6 years.