If it has in install base, trust me the third parties will come. Everyone thinks the Wii had no third party support, and they are VERY wrong. It didn't have any mutliplats, but there were games from every major japanese developer on the Wii.

I think there would be third party support as well as multiplats if the install base warrented it. Would it use the Fusion gamepad? If Google glass takes off and Playstation pushes the Vita/PS4 connectability I think there could be. 

I just don't think the Fusion idea works if the gap between the handheld and console is too large. It would require games to really be retooled so extensively to run that developers would basically have to make two versions of the game and the experience would be jarring going from one to the other.

PS4 quality games on a handheld, even with scaled down resolution is likely not realistic. Not for $199.99, not even in 2016.

I think even Wii U level graphics at 960x540 for a $200 handheld device with a decent screen is probably pushing things pretty hard.

Most likely Nintendo will choose an ARM core + mobile GPU, then simply take two of those (2x the CPU cores + 2x the GPU cores overclocked) and make the home console variant from that.

Maybe something around the Snapdragon 805 + Adreno GPU + 2GB RAM in horse power for the mobile, and double that for the home version.

Perhaps something like 300 GFLOPS for the handheld variant and 600-800 GFLOPS for the home variant (should be able to run a game like Mario Kart 8 comfortably at 1080P + AA). 

This should definitely be a thread you start. There seem to be a lot of tech minded people on here, though I'm not sure how legit they are. What is realistically the most cost efficient powerful handheld they could make. The 3DS sold at $200, but if it connected to the new Nintendo console as a controller I would say maximum price point would be $250. 

Sorry to say this, but nintendo is not going to go first on the home front again. The hardcore console crowd s primarily with sony and MS right now, and if nintendo makes the mistake of going first, all sony and ms has to do is start letting rumors of their own much much more powerful future consoles leak out and that alone will stall nintendos launch.

Their best bet, is to ride out the wiiU, and make sure they are there same day and date with the next consoles from sony and MS. And be at least as powerful or more powerful than those consoles before even considering whatever new gaming trend they may want to get behind.

The only way they can get away with not doing any of the above and be successful, is if they somehow pull off another wii phenomenon. But you all know what they say about lightning striking twice.......

If they are not really going to do the Fusion idea and are going to try again with a core "full size" console, then I think launching after Sony/MS would be colossally stupid. 

Even day and date with Sony/MS doesn't work, I think third parties would just shun them after their putrid performance with the Wii U. 

They need not only a 1 year headstart, they need a 2 year headstart IMO to build a comfortable cushion that can't be eroded overnight (like the PS4 did to the Wii U) and can build a credible userbase of hopefully 10-15 million before the other two get going. 

I would suggest they push for a fall 2016 launch in that scenario, and something at least 4-6 TFLOP in horsepower so it can have the superior versions of multiplat games for a good two years. I'd also suggest they make the console easy to upgrade (ala the N64 RAM Expansion) so that the eventual PS5 coming in 2018 or so can be matched. 

Two versions of the same game is easy if its the same architecture, though. You build for the stronger platform and then port down further into development, cutting whatever world-featuers can't be done. It's like when Treyarch would make PS360 Call of Duty and then make the Wii Call of Duty, except that Wii and PS360 have the same architecture in this hypothetical scenario.

I just don't think Nintendo would accept this line of reasoning, it would also be strange to the consumer that the game they were playing on their TV suddenly looks like crap on their handheld. 

The Fusion idea needs to have relative parity, that's a large part of its novelty/appeal ... playing the same game at home and then being able to continue playing the same game on the road (I would think anyway). 

1.8 TFLOP-ish machine to a 300 GFLOP handheld is just too wide of a chasm. 

I think a 300 GFLOP handheld for $200, and a 750 GFLOP micro-console that can be sold for even less than $200 ($169?) might not be a bad idea. The LCD is the most expensive component of the handheld, the chips are actually relatively cheap. Go full on microconsole, cut out unneccessary components like a disc drive, the system could be as compact as an AppleTV and come with a full suite of entertainment functionality (Youtube, Netflix, Hulu) etc. that plays some pretty mean Nintendo games and a full back catalog of retro and 3DS/Wii U ports. 

The solution is simple

Exactly, I agree launching day and date would be a huge mistake, not because of the weak performance of the Wii U but because even if it were more powerful people would still ignore it for their brand of choice. This would result in a low install base for the Nintendo product and they wind up in the same boat. Releasing mid cycle is enticing because it lets gamers get the console of their choice, then 3 years later can purchase the next Nintendo product, then 3 years later get their console of choice again. 

In response to Sony talking about their next console, I don't think it would detour too many people unless their new console is around the corner (the problem the Wii U faced). Keeping in mind a console's life cycle is 6 years, release the next Nintendo console around year 3 or 4. (Being the Wii U already released a year early it would be in year 4 or 5 in the Nintendo's console life cycle.

Release a ton of games in its first year. If the wii U had 10 good and appealing triple A exclusives released in the first year of its life it would be looking far better right now. The wii U had two big droughts and people thought the wii U would be like the last two years of the wii.

I think the Wii U will end it's life with a good rep as a niche machine and Nintendo will go into the next gen stronger.