One thing I'm excited about is game quality.

Skylanders games look like crap that could easily exist on PS2/Gamecube. Disney Infinity pretty much follows that same low-quality game reproduction... and this is on ALL systems. Not just older ones.

Nintendo has the possibility to not only build off of its extensive and popular IP, but also be first to make a quality looking game out of it. That is of course based on whatever the standalone NFC game will be. Having the unique functionality of bridging across multiple games that are not NFC based gaming is also a significant selling point that is different among the other challengers.

Is it too late? Was it too late for Kinect and Move after the Wii Remote became big? I say this is the best idea, ever!!

No. All that matters is that it's done right. When we think of MMO's, we don't think of Everquest or Ultima Online. The poster child is WoW. WoW came much later than the others, but was executed the best and with the powerful Blizzard brand behind it. If Nintendo does its product right, franchises such as Skylanders or Disney Infinity could be left in the dust. It also helps that Wii U was designed for NFC from the get go, with no new hardware required. But, Nintendo has to do it right with a quality product.

One thing to consider with Nintendo is they have good relations with other companies like Sega and Ubisoft. So their figurines may not be limited to just Nintendo characters.

If marketed properly, and product done right then it has potential to make enough of a difference in Nintendo's pocket.

it is easy for nintendo to win this market. just make some good games.
what about a minigames game where u can unlock new minigames with nfps. best would be a free game, that is just a highscore till u pop in a nfp. we all know that nintendo knows how to make some good minigames.

It might be too late but it's still a chance worth taking. There remains potential in the market. It just can't be a cheap copy, however, or the Nintendo version will be overshadowed AND they'll piss off Disney and Activision. It has to bring some new properties to the table. Pokemon is such a promising franchise in terms of content, they really need to look in that direction. If they use Mario as the cornerstone, though, I think they'll run into trouble appealing to the newer generations.

The biggest problem will be parents who have had enough of buying figurines and will balk against their kids starting a new version of the same hobby.