I would like to thank you for at least reading my thread all the way through. You are so far the only one who hasn't responded that we won't see a new Nintendo console any time soon, which is never written in my thread anywhere. I think they got to the drop Wii U support a little early and stopped reading and assumed the rest. Lol. 

This was honestly my opinion as well. I wrote this thread to see if more people would be willing to buy a new console or see a new console a year early in the standard gen cycle. However I don't think many people are actually reading my post.

Nintendo IMO needs to move to an account based system before the Wii U's time is up. They have one of the richest libraries of games ever made and they need a way for customers to keep and play everything they have bought from Wii onwards. VC needs to be expanded and fully available by the time the next hardware launches.

Also, I think they need to focus on just one piece of hardware. It can have a handheld component, but it should be able to play both console and handheld games. It can stream the more demanding games locally, but should be able to download and play the handheld games anywhere. If a system like that launched with almost every Nintendo game ever made available right from the get go, they would dominate.

I know that problem haha 

They are moving in that direction through the use of trying to tie peoples Nintendo Network ID's to smart phones and being able to upload videos directly to peoples youtube. I know this is not what you are talking about exactly, but it does show that it is VERY possible to link accounts. I can definitely agree that having my VC games linked to my account that can be accessed by any Nintendo console is an amazing idea, and one that would definitely increase the value of owning a Nintendo console all together. Here's hoping that in the future this happens. 

Ease the Wii U out as they bring the "Fusion" in. Fusion handheld launches in March 2016, almost five years to the day after the 3DS. Fusion handheld is fully or near-fully backwards compatible with Wii U games, downscaled to 540p across the board. This way you can launch a few late-term Wii U games, but get people interested in buying them for the Fusion as well.

Then in Q4 2016, the home side of the Fusion is introduced, which also works in the same architectural environment as the Wii U and the handheld, but instead is capable of pushing PS4+ levels of graphics (so native 1080p across the board, etc).

The power gap will not allow for FULL cross-compatibility, due to the ability to run games that are not only higher res, but more complex on the home console, but it will functionally be the same game, just the "next gen" version of it (so, for instance, Nintendo develops games for both as if they were a multiplat developer making a PS4 and an X360 game: you can use the same code base, but still put a lot more stuff in the upper-tier version, with the added bonus that unlike the PS4-360 bridge, the architecture is similar).

Option 1 is not early at all. 2018 would be a 6 year long generation and therefore a long generation and late. 2015/2016 would be early, and 2017 would be a regular 5 year generation.

Nintendo should put their resources into having a very strong 2015/2016 with the Wii U and then launch the successor in late 2016. Nintendo's biggest problem with the Wii U is that there was no momentum going into it. They waited until the Wii had been dead for a year before launching the next console. Then launched the Wii U with no AAA titles, and very little marketing or hype.

Wii U should have come out in 2011 with a least two AAA games. Mario Galaxy 2 could have been a Wii U launch title.

Nintendo's next console should come out with two or three AAA titles, guns blazing with the hype machine, and proper compatibility with VC, eShop, and WiiWare titles that people already bought. Let people know that their investment counts towards the future.

This is actually a very good idea. I had not really thought about how the handheld component would tie into all of this, and honestly you hit the nail right on the head. I wouldn't even be opposed to it being sold as one machine (as was rumored it would be). Released holiday 2017 but introduce it with Reggie talking about the new console, hiding the fact it's a home console/handheld hybrid. As he goes along it more or less comes off as a Wii U with better specs. Then have Miyamoto or Iwata (or hell, why not both) appear on screen outside in a park somewhere or something (where we get the idea he/they aren't near a home console) and the have a little banter back and forth which ends up with them going online and joining Reggie in a game. (Say Nintendo Land 2 or something.)

A lot of people seem to be pushing for holiday 2016, and this would definitely work. I was going 2017 because I feel with how Nintendo wants to keep cost down they might need that extra year to have components drop in price. WHatever they do they should definitely make it more powerful than the PS4 and XBone, even if that means releasing a year later. 

How much do you expect their next handheld to cost if it can run Wii U games?  I think if they are gonna come out with another handheld it should be around $150, going over $200 is suicide.  Also with that console you envision do you see it getting third party support?