After Metroid.

4-16GB would be good enough for most games. They could maybe offer a 32GB card later on.

All of Nintendo's Wii U games are fairly compact ... Mario 3D World is 1.6GB, Mario Kart 8 is 5GB. Third party games like ACIV is 13GB, Sonic Lost World is just under 7GB. 

Good bye to discs I think. Nintendo's next "console" will probably be their smallest ever, especially if it's just the handheld chip x2 or x3. It shouldn't require a fan (a first for Nintendo since the N64) too. I'm thinking maybe something larger than the VitaTV but not by much. 

The "NintendoTV" box could be extremely cheap too ... like maybe even $179.99 to launch with. That could get a lot of people into the ecosystem for cheap. Might not be a bad play for Nintendo. If eventually you can get it down to $129.99 or $99.99 and it has access to hundreds of back catalog Nintendo games + the ability to play all their new games on the TV in 1080P, and is a tiny microconsole ... I think a lot of people might be interested in that. 

Do you really think Nintendo will change their approach in terms of hardware design for their next console? It will be another underpowered console with some unnecessary gimmick attached to it. Nintendo needs new leadership first then we can start talking about any potential future consoles from them.

The gimmick approach is actually pretty hard. It's not easy coming up with a "gimmick" that actually works well for a variety of games for one. 

Secondly it's not easy finding one that isn't expensive ... VR for example is very expensive. 

I think Nintendo learned their lesson this gen. But next-gen they will find a new path ... that is one of basically a handheld platform that also is available in a home TV form factor too. 

Yes, but that's besides the point lol. We are talking about home consoles, not handhelds, right? When is the last time they launched a home console after a four year cycle? They just don't do it and that's a good thing. Not everyone buys consoles at launch. A lot of people buy them two, three even four years in. 

There is zero chance it happens. We'll see their new console in 2016 at E3, or with their own Nintendo Direct but that's abot it.

This is actually a really good idea. They aren't going to ditch physical games any time soon, so little 3DS like carts would be perfect. If they could get it into homes for say, $199.99? We may have a return to commercial glory on our hands.

I don't think there is going to be a "next console" in the traditional sense, so that really doesn't matter much.

Unless you consider VitaTV to be a discreet, separate new console from Sony. Nah, that's just a way for people to play Vita games at home ... same thing for Nintendo is coming IMO, they'll have a handheld, and then you'll have a companion TV "minibox" that lets you play the same games on your TV screen if you want. 

If the next handheld launches in 2016, why would this mean an end to the Wii U development? I know Nintendo can't make games for two completely different systems at once, but if the 3DS successor absorbs the Wii U architecture, then Nintendo could make games for both systems (Wii U and 4DS) with no droughts. I also expect the next handheld to receive many of the Wii U games announced for 2015 (Kirby, Yoshi, Splatoon and Mario Maker would fit very well) and to support Amiibo as well.

And considering that the VitaTV is not selling well, why should Nintendo make something similar?

2017 Ill be satisfied :P

It usually means a slowing of development. Look at the actual game releases for the GameCube in 2005 and 2006 and you'll see Nintendo basically bailed out on it in favor of the DS and just supported it with a lot of farmed out projects (ie: Geist). For example I think Mario Galaxy 3 (or 3D World 2), Animal Crossing Next, Luigi's Mansion 3, and Mario Kart 9 are already in development at Nintendo ... but not for Wii U. They will be for this new handheld/home fusion platform. 

There could be some games that are dual released where the Wii U gets a port of some games sure. But even that will probably be phased out fairly quickly after 2016. Nintendo is going to want people to shift over to their new unified platform as quickly as possible. 

I think the next handheld is almost certainly a lock to a have a NFC reader built-in too ... so Amiibo will be fine.

VitaTV doesn't have the full weight of Nintendo's software development behind (same as the Vita) it. That's a big, big difference. From Nintendo's POV the net result is more like a game such as Mario Kart 9 having access to say 60+ million handheld owners + 10-15 million home TV owners ... that sure beats the puny 6-10 million userbase the Wii U has for MK8 for example. That's going to be the big win for them.