Just like there is nothing to suggest a Playstation clone made by Nintendo would sell well.

"And what of games like GTA that take place in a single contiguous environment? Furthermore, CDs and DVDs are standardized formats. I can't imagine many third parties were inclined to make games that would require three of four discs of a non-standard proprietary miniDVD-based format."

Then why did they go multi disc on x360? And as I said, it wouldn't take more than 2 discs for the majority of titles, with many only needing one.

"You're kidding, right? The RAM and GPU gap between the PS2, GC, & Xbox is miniscule compared to the gap between the Wii U and its contemporaries. There's no way in hell games like The Witcher 3 or FFVX or any other game designed specifically for and taking full advantage of the PS4 and/or XBO would be able to run on the Wii U without some serious downgrades. I really, really like the Wii U, but I realize that it is seriously underpowered. It is under no uncertain terms closer to seventh-gen power levels than it is to eighth-gen power."

The Ram gap is incredibly exaggerated on the internet and the gpu gap is actually smaller than ps2 x xbox when you consider diminishing returns. In the sixth gen, engines weren't very scalable and  droping resolution wasn't an option but games like RE4 could still be downgraded to run on ps2. This gen, any game made with ps4 or x1 hardware in mind can be downgrade resolution first and graphics later, meaning wii u can run any of those games at 720p.

I hope so, too OP. I've been really disappointed with what Nintendo's put out of late. I tried, really, really hard to like my Wii U, but I don't. By the same token, I don't really care that much about my PS4. I don't own an Xbox One, though, and don't plan on buying one. PS4 games are mostly on PC already, and they're so inferior by comparison, it hurts to play them on PS4. The only reason I even own one is because my brothers have a PS4 and play games on it sometimes. One of my friends has a Wii U, but even that's not enough reason to play it, imo.

Nintendo really needs to be competitive on all fronts, not just gameplay.

Ya crazy mon! never happen

Nintendo has released 2 underpowered, gimmick-focused consoles, 1 is their best selling console ever, the other is their worst selling console ever, the odds of them hitting it big by doing it again is just as likely as it failing.

U seem to think I'm implying Nintendo needs to come up with a new gimmick to sell, that's not what I'm implying at all, I'm simply saying copying another product is not the best way to find success since most people don't want copycats, they want the real deal.

Nintendo does best when they find a great way to differentiate themselves, things like NES, Gameboy, DS, Wii offered completely different experiences than the competition at the time and saw huge success.

What I'm personally expecting from Nintendo is a future where the handheld and console line are essentially one in the same, just in different form factors and graphic settings so they are now a single family of devices that share a common architecture, operating system, online infrastructure, account system, software library. Something like this

NX Portable-300 gflop, 2gb RAM, 540p

NX Tablet-600 gflop, 4gb RAM, 720p

NX Console-1.2 tflop, 8gb RAM, 1080p

A line of unified devices that share a library thus each device gets the full Nintendo experience instead of being forced to buy 2 or 3 separate devices over the course of a generation to play all Nintendo games. Now that Nintendo is no longer forced to make 2 entries of all their major franchises, they can diversify their lineup more by creating new IP at a faster rate, which increases their chances of finding the next huge Super Mario/Pokemon/Nintendogs/Wii Sports hit. They can also bring back long dormant franchises that fans have been asking for and now that certain games aren't locked to a single device with a low install base (like Wii U) they can increase software sales as well.

Historically Nintendo has sold about 100 million units of hardware and 500 million units of software per generation.

NES-62 million, Game & Watch-43 million

SNES-49 million, Gameboy (Apr 89-Mar 96)-54 million

N64-33 million, Gameboy (Apr 96-Mar 03)-64 million

Gamecube-22 million, Gameboy Advance-81 million

Wii & DS was much larger and a bit of an anomaly so I will leave them out, Wii U & 3DS will end a bit under, around 80 million hardware & 400 million software. A lot of I belive is due to price being a large factor, we're past the halfway point of the generation and it still costs $500 to get both pieces of hardware allowing u to play all Nintendo games. In previous generations if u wanted to get the full Nintendo experience, it would cost about $300 adjusted for inflation to get both the console & handheld midway thru the generation.

If Nintendo releases a unified family of devices at an affordable price with a strong software lineup and competent marketing than I believe they can get back to the 100 million hardware, 500 million software sales per generation.

Wii U isn't underpowered and there's no such thing as "gimmick focused console". It's a console with a controller that has something extra, letting anyone be free to use the extra or not. Same with the wii, though it was underpowered. Also, the wii u isn't the worst selling nintendo console since we still don't know how many sales it will get.

Ok now I see what you mean, its more about the freedom and the way you play vs. actual HW double dipping .  Agreed, a unified library does in fact open up dev. time to diversify game output and will be cheaper to get the full Nintendo experience, which is attractive enough incentive.

Exactly.

Do u prefer gaming on the go with a device that can fit in ur pocket/purse? Than get the Portable.

Do u prefer gaming on a handheld with a bigger screen and higher resolution? Than get the Tablet.

Do u prefer gaming at home on a big screen TV and prefer local multiplayer? Than get the Console.

They can still do things to get people to double dip though, perhaps when u link the handheld to the console u can now use it like the Wii U gamepad. Maybe u prefer certain games on handhelds like Animal Crossing or Pokemon and prefer other games on consoles like Xenoblade or Zelda. Perhaps u have the handheld so u can play games between classes, during lunch break, on the train and have the console to play when ur at home. Maybe u have a few kids so u get each of them a handheld and have a console for the whole family to play together.

Not at all. it might be slightly larger than the x1 due to die shrink.

every gpu core doesn't have to be as big as the ps4 apu

maybe i went a little overkill with the cpu because programmers and developers are starting to add cpu functions to the gpu or use it as a  gpgpu.

other option is to wait 3 years more to be on par with the next generation (2018)

too early you pull a dreamcast

too late you pull a wiiu

For me, I could easily afford an expensive Nintendo console. But I want it to succeed which probably means it needs to be cheap.