your idea is intriguing if not a bit left field. This move would allow them to combine all handheld and console titles into one platform. The caveat, however, is they'd be sacrificing the ability to make a game using the power of a home console. A zelda on a 3ds will never have the "potential epicness" as a zelda on a wii-u. Also, there is this setback. I've never owned a handheld gaming device. I don't like smartphones. I don't game on smart phones. I've owned every nintendo home console to date. Again it's an interesting idea, but i'd probably be pretty bummed.
p.s. i don't ever want a system that is dedicated to downloads only. Hard drives crash. A disc kept in good condition is always good.

A tablet style device in a few years could theoretically be about as powerful as the Wii U and to me it seems like Nintendo has little/no interest in going beyond that for visual capability/game budget. Most of their Wii U games look nice, but for instance X is the only one that seems like it's making the Wii U hardware sweat at all.

Discs are done as a physical media after this gen IMO. Even if you want a physical media, 32GB/64GB cartridge/cards ala the 3DS/Vita should be available for cheap. The Wii U discs are 25GB only for instance.

and you base this on... ?

A tablet can actually be more powerful than a wii-u right now, but now we're getting into another subject: pricepoint.  i think a retail version of this theoretical system/controller combo would be around 400$.  In a few years that may come down, but then it would be pretty out of date compare to ps4/xb1 to be just coming out. ps5/xb2 vs nintablet?  sounds a bit rediculous now; then again were talking about 9th generation and really we don't have nearly enough info to make any real predictions/judgements. 

snes = 256 kb
n64= 4mb/8mb (with expansion pack) (snes*16)
xbox = 64 mb(n64*16, or n64*8)
x360 = 512 mb (xbox *8)
xOne = 8 gb (x360*16)
one could predict xone memory times 8 or 16. 64 to 128 is plausible if you consider the historic of memory evolution through console generations.

I don't think Nintendo gives one poop about what PS5/XB2 look like, they have no interest in making games that require a $100+ million dollar budget. I think even PS4 level of hardware is overblown to them.

Something with the horsepower of say 3x-4x the PS Vita (getting close or equal to Wii U) + 4GB of RAM I think would be just fine and dandy for most any game Nintendo would want to make and could be sold for sub $300 in a few years time.

but a few years time isn't a viable window for such a device.  It would be a 64dd disaster.  They would need to wait 4-1/2 years to not burn wii-u owners, and by then a wii-u powered equal system would just not fly.  Gaming as an evolved art would need something more powerful by then.

If Wii U is a niche product then I think they will go for it. A tablet could potentially have much more widestream appeal. People just don't want a Nintendo-centric home console anymore unless it has some kind of Wiimote type paradigm shift in the box. But portable machines, Nintendo's had fairly consistent success with for the last 15-20 years.

I would say push it out as a "third pillar" for 2014 or 2015. The Wii U will have had 2-3 years on its own for a while and could still get a proper 5 year life cycle. They're two different types of products.

Id say holiday 2016, that would give 3DS 5 1/2 years and Wii U 4 years.

It all sound good and all, but can we just focus on the generation we're in for the time being? Starting with Pikmin 3 in a couple weeks my video game dance card is about to be nice and full.