The above image is from a Nintendo Life article. As crazy as it sounds with the Wii U floundering and 3DS sales continually missing Nintendo's sales forecasts by a few million, maybe the traditionally risk adverse Nintendo should try their hand at the cell phone market. 

But what I see this device as would be something experimental at first, a way for Nintendo to test the waters. If it fails, no reason to panic. It's a third pillar. Not something designed to compete toe-to-toe with the iPhone or anything, just something sold at a profit that can maybe add 10 million in hardware sales per fiscal year to Nintendo's bottom line. I think that's a reachable target. How I envision the details of the system:

- Slider design like pictured above, physical controls slide out. I don't know about a second LCD screen, but it sure would make DS/3DS ports a lot easier. Dual analogs, the usual buttons, etc. 

- Co-branded with Google. OS is a custom Android design with Google's blessing and input. So it would basically be a Android phone with some Nintendo centric touches like integrated Miiverse and Mii creator right off the hop. Google could perhaps help co-market the phone too as the first real gaming phone.

- Hardware specs, slightly beefier than the Vita processor wise. 5-inch capacitive touch LCD with optional stylus support. Nice quality screen. 2GB RAM. 8 mp/2 mp camera (outer/inner). 

- New Nintendo eShop store. From here you can buy "Nintendo approved" Android apps. So Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Netflix, Youtube, Google Maps, WhatsApp, etc. and most important non-gaming apps are available from day 1. But a lot of Android games would not be available. The games would be from Nintendo and their third party partners with perhaps some more popular Android games being available like Angry Birds Star Wars and Candy Crush. This prevents the "real" Nintendo games from being flooded out by a billion 99 cent games. 

- Launch titles: A new Nintendogs, Zelda: Ocarina of Time (3DS port), Mario Kart 7, New Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario 64 DS, and a smattering of third party content: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Madden NFL (Nintendo and EA kiss and make up), FIFA, Resident Evil Revelations, Dragon Quest VIII. All games run in HD resolution. Some virtual console games like Super Mario Bros. (NES) and Super Metroid (SNES) are available on day 1 also. Games range from $9.99-$29.99 in price, VC games are cheaper. 

- Price $349.99 without a contract, $179.99 with a 2-year contract. Available in white, black, or pink. 

It's not a phone for everyone, but I think it could have a decent sized userbase and would be very popular in Japan and provide Nintendo with a steady flow of extra profit pretty much immediately. 3DS would still have its own market and probably get most big Nintendo games first. 

Nope. People wouldn't buy that to replace a mobile phone.

Not sure if it would work, but that design is pretty.

I think it could sell 10 million units worldwide for Nintendo a year. At about $50 profit per unit, that's about $500 million in extra profit per year before selling a single game. 

That's pretty low for a phone actually, the cell phone market is so much bigger than the game business. 

Also $349.99 for an off-contract smartphone is pretty damn cheap actually, an iPhone off contract will run you $700+. 

The important thing to remember is this is not a weird Nintendo OS phone. Outside of the gaming stuff, it's pretty much your standard Android phone, just with some Nintendo-ey apps thrown in (Miiverse, Mii Maker, etc.). 

The goal should not be to compete against the likes of Apple or Samsung, they sell like 30-40+ million phones in a *quarter* (yeah take a seat PS4, lol). Even the crumbs from their table would give Nintendo a tidy little profit. 

So at which market would Nintendo aim with this? Parents with kids? They'll buy them an iPod touch... or a cheap tablet..

I've been thinking of the slider design myself, but I was thinking they somehow could extend the short sides instead of the long sides, giving it a Vita-like design. Just one touchscreen.

Primarily the Japanese market and people looking for a Android phone with a quality build but without a ridiculous markup. Teens/adults who want to have a little "real" gaming fun to go with all the usual Android features they expect from a phone. And yes sure, kids who are getting their first phone, why not. 

In fact, I would probably considering limiting quantities of the phone in the US/Europe at first. Roll it out in Japan first and see how it does.

Like I said, keep expectations reasonable, this would not be something that would compete with the iPhone or Galaxy at all. iPhone sells like 30-50 million in quarter. This is something that could still earn Nintendo a big, fat profit selling a modest 2-3 million a quarter worldwide. 

I don't think it would work, not because the idea is bad, but because Nintendo's marketing division is really bad atm.

And with a contract it would need to be way, way cheaper to sell decently...

Gaming and phones are two different things, you don't buy a phone for gaming, which is basically what this thing is made for. Only gamers would buy a gaming phone, and that means low sales...

I think the dedicated handheld market is enough for Nintendo, it might be declining, but smartphones are not the cause for the decline. the 3DS is...

daym nintendo copying sony again

i'd consider it.  i'd also consider a vita phone.   honestly, vita should have been a phone.

...i need a phone.  i like to game.  would be nice if i could be both in one.  i mean, there are games on the IOs app store but not the kind of game i want.  not the kind of input/controls i want.  if someone can find a good way to mash them together i'd probably buy.