*mere speculation*

Nintendo wants out of the console business and dedicate to handhelds only. At least some executives do but they cannot just do it.  They need to destroy the business for the rest of the Board members to give in and call it quits.

I'm basing these statements on:

1.  Nintendo is unifying their console and handheld development.

2. Nintendo pretty much let the Wii die.  They stopped providing significant support for the last couple years of the console. 

3. Introduced a new controller scheme aborting all the motion control advances they had made. They highlighted the ability to play off the TV, essentially marketing a new handheld device.

4. Last minute attempt to explain the advantages of asymetrical gaming with Nintendoland, but the game focuses more on watching the gamepad when playing and not the TV screen.

5. Current efforts to gain interest in the WiiU are lacking.  Best efforts are placed on the 3DS.

But the main question is why?  My thoughs are that Nintendo wants to create a device that you install at home that has all of our games.  Then you have your handheld that is connected thru the internet and you stream from your home device.  The home device will be like a mini-server.  Much like Sony is doing with the Vita and the PS3 connectivity.  But the other way around, where the handheld is the main device.  WiiU is the transitional device,  a prototype if you will.  Nintendo is waiting for technology and connectivity to improve. 

I'm in no way bashing Nintendo.  I love them but their strategies baffle me.  So I'm speculating.

Um.......................................................................

Sorry. But fucking no. Just no. They've been in the home console business forever. They've always done at least OKAY, if not good or great. They would not spend the money on the Wii U and it's games, just to have it sink on purpose so they could magically just do handhelds. Sorry, but that's dumb. Wii U will be fine. There is more up there sleeve, and more happening, than they revealed in one video today. Count on that.

@DevilRising. I hope so. But I just can't see it. Now is the time for Nintendo to really put efforts to get momentum for WiiU. I don't think it can wait for future announcements. I lived thru the Gamecube years, I know.

Didn't read the post but just based off the title of this thread, I have to tell you stop shaming your ancestors with displaying such stupid ideas in public.

Nintendo doesn't want out of the console market, but the traditional Japanese leaders of the company are no doubt not as flexible as gamers and Western developers would like in trying things outside of their comforty zone. One merely has to look at the first party games and see they weren't ready for full on HD development and are slowly getting used to it like other 3rd party developers did with early 360 and PS3 games.

@NoirSon. I'm simply speculating. I am a Nintendo fanboy. I am trying to make sense of their strategies. I don't think is crazy to think that there is a divide between the Nintendo Board and Executives. Some may want to pull out of the console and dedicate on handhelds while the other group wants to keep up the tradition.

We all know that a lot of analysts speculate or maybe even want Nintendo to get out of the console market, so why not think some Exec's within Nintendo want the same?

Not "self sabotage" but it is possible that they're getting both sides used to playing similar games, with handheld-y games going to the console and console-y games going to the handheld.

I mean, in 2017 they'll probably be able to launch something the size of the Gamepad with probably double the power of the Wii U, so what would be the point of having both?

Probably.  I see it as a struggle between those that want to keep the traditions and others that see the future more mobile.  In Japan at least handhelds seem to be the main gaming devices.  Here in the States iPad and mobile phone games are growing. 

But Nintendo has always been a conservative company so those who want a big shift may want to create failure in the home console market to advance their ideas.

Get rid of that stupid tablet controller and drop the price to $199 and maybe I would be tempted.

It isn't crazy per say. There is no doubt that Nintendo is a Japanese company and within Japan the major money maker is indeed the portables. But given how much money is still within the home console market worldwide, I would be shocked if any of the so called handheld only supporters would have traction or backing to sabotage the company given the amount of money lost would destroy the company's international brand which is still vital to their success.

It pretty much comes down to a pride aspect IMO. Nintendo has always been somewhat slow to change with the curve if they are the ones making the change. Part of that is the economics as they don't have the same amount of money as their competitors and part of that is arrogance.

After the company's last President that lead them to prosperity and the gaming market decades before retired, the company wasn't in the best shape. The looming threat of the PSP threatened their normal dominance of the portable market and they had nearly been reduced to 3rd among the home console market world wide and only second in Japan due to xenophobia of the console's aesthetics and games. Whether it was all the newcomer Iwata's idea or Yamamuchi helped who knows (it seemed possible Yamamuchi put his name on the product as a precaution in case it failed) but they announced trying to put the DS system as the competitor for the PSP. It was more powerful then the GBA but less then the PSP, its only potential edge coming in the form of the second screen with touch capabilities. They were careful in marketing it not as the GBA successor but a "Third Pillar" to the current Nintendo portable and consoles and out the gate it didn't exactly set the world on fire until they found gold in non traditional games like Nintendogs and later the Brian Training series, opening up several other genre games to grow and expand. The rest we know is history.

With the successor of the Gamecube, it was a shock to many when Nintendo gambled and did something similar introducing motion controls and a new system called the Wii. Even more surprising was how quickly it caught on not due to the traditional heavyweights like Zelda or Mario but their pack in demo called Wii Sports. Their second gamble worked and as we all know history was made although the system seemed to stutter in its final years. So a successor was needed and once again, Nintendo gambled with a underpowered device with a unique  feature, only this time they didn't have anything to grab the public within the first 6 months and are looking like a dead duck in the coming next generation war like the Dreamcast.

It isn't self sabotage as much as it is their luck in turning the tide has finally run out and now, Nintendo has to prove they are capable of either coming back or surviving another console era with a 3rd place console and little 3rd party support to come back later.

As I said in the other thread, I believe it is just strategy from a business perspective. They take a 3DS game they have already done and use that same concept as a basis for the Wii U game. The reasons?

1) 3DS can handle everything Nintendo develops on Wii U, even if it's on a smaller scale.

2) With more powerful systems, games take longer to develop. If they use some of the same ideas for 2 games, they can release them quicker.

3) If people are willing to buy 2 games that are similar in concept, why wouldn't Nintendo do that? It is easy money.

This is the reason Nintendo merged their teams. Examples:

Mario Kart 7 = Mario Kart 8
Super Mario 3D Land = Super Mario 3D World
New Super Mario Bros 2 = New Super Mario Bros U (all of them really)

Nintendo has been making remakes as well because they're quick and make easy money.

Games are also releasing on both systems like:

M&S at the Olympic Games
Resident Evil Revelations
Sonic Lost World
Lego City Undercover
Super Smash Bros 4

They aren't sabotaging anything, just figured out a way to more efficiently develop games...