I would be surprised if the dock provided any kind of boost. That's increased costs and it's a potentially messy, muddled solution. It doesn't seem very "Nintendo".
Battery life--well, it's going to be the most powerful handheld ever. Playing Skyrim on the go is going to guzzle power.
I fully expect it to have a touchscreen, though. There is no way around that if they want to chip away at the mobile market.








