The GameCube and the Wii U are not proof that people don't want powerful Nintendo consoles, and the Switch surely isn't proof people want weak ones. The NES and SNES and N64 were all powerful systems. So is the Switch in its category, a massive step up from the 3DS. More expensive and way more powerful than the 3DS. There is MASSIVE chatter on the internet asking for a faster Nintendo console.
The GameCube was competing against Sony while Sony was on fire. In the first 2 years there was an avalanche of software on the PS2 compared to GameCube, and almost every person I know bought the PS2 as their first DVD player (this was the height of CD and DVD mania). I spent thousands of dollars on CDs and DVDs, the PS2 was cheap being an included DVD player also. Brilliant business moves by Sony. Took the brilliance of the Playstation (first to market with CD then DVD) and iterated.
The Wii completely died out in the last year because it was so underpowered. The Wii U wasn't proof that power doesn't sell, it was a whopping $350 USD for the deluxe set with 32GB storage, while the PS4 was several times faster and came with 500GB for $400. The Wii U is proof a WEAK home console without software and not including even a single normal controller will fail. It wasn't a PS4 level competitor, it didn't even include a normal controller. I remember having conversations with my friends, if you buy a Wii U Deluxe with a Pro controller, you've already paid MORE than the cost of a PS4, and you have a system with 1/10th the GPU speed and 1/4 the memory and 1/20th the storage. Then if you didn't own a Wii you'd pay even more money for more Wii controllers for your Wii U. It was HORRIBLE hardware, that could barely play Mass Effect 3, not Mass Effect Andromeda. Nintendo learned all the wrong lessons from the Wii basically.
The Switch is actually Nintendo's attempt at very powerful hardware. It is a massive step up from the 3DS and continues the 3DS's legacy. It isn't anything new. I have several Sony and Nintendo portables that connect to my TV. The Switch is more like the Vita done right. We still don't have a new Nintendo home console. Something powerful that includes a NORMAL controller in the box. Try it Nintendo. You haven't tried it since the Gamecube.
"What do you mean nobody said you can’t have a Switch and a Series S style console for Switch games? I’d guess the fact you need two completely different types of chipsets (CISC vs RISC) makes it unfeasible." WHAT???
Having two products, a Series S type product and a Switch at the same time has nothing to do with the ISA, they can both use ARM and nVidia. They are not two different power products, they are portable and not-portable systems that can play the same games, because mobile hardware has improved a lot in the last few years relative to desktop hardware.
Nintendo's next home console should follow the Switch's smart design. Disc-less, SSD storage but no hard drive, and efficient ARM and nVidia hardware. A GPU in a box. Just take up the space between 720p/30 and 4k/60. A home console with up to 18 times the Switch's power that can run the SAME games at higher resolution and framerate. Would cost $300 just like the Switch. An RTX 3050 Ti (Super) with modern ARM cores. An Apple M1 with double the GPU basically.
Something like this is fine: https://ibb.co/Stvh0tJ
