No one's actually made a gaming tablet with physical controls with any real support put behind it. 

Nvidia made the Shield tablet, but the tablet one they released last year didn't have any buttons. They released a fold out screen one attached to a controller before that, but that form factor is more similar to the 3DS/DS. That's not what the OP is talking about either. Unless you're counting those Korean knock-off type devices, but really if you're doing that you're grasping at straws. 

In either case neither of these were carried by most US retailers, had no marketing campaign, and no exclusive games. A Nintendo tablet carried by every retailer, with marketing, exclusive games, etc. is a completely different story. 

Also the original Game Boy was hardly pocket friendly, yes the thing was small-ish but it actually had the thickness of a brick. I pretty much always used to put in my back pack, there's no way it would fit in my pant pockets. An iPad mini while technically larger is much easier to carry around because it's far thinner and lighter.

And 26 years they've done it this way ... so what? Nintendo's suffering it's worst yearly handheld sales in 18 years right now. Obviously what they're doing in the handheld business right now is not resonating the same way it did in the past.

Nintendo also only made single screen handhelds for 15 years ... guess they should've not created the DS then, because change is apparently bad, mmmky. 

Yep, I mostly agree with you. I think NX will be some kind of tablet, maybe with some specific Nintendo controls maybe similar of what we have already on 3DS (for instance circle pad for stick + some buttons etc.).

I think in general dual screen is done for.

There hasn't been a dual screen game that did anything truly interesting in like ages now. Pretty much nothing for the entirety of the 3DS life cycle. The second screen invariably just ends up being a map display (or worse a HUD) that drains the 3DS' battery twice as fast.

That layout made sense for the mid 2000s when large touch screens were prohibitively expensive. But today it doesn't make any sense, by Nintendo's own admission, a single touch panel is cheaper these days. A single screen also provides generally a better experience for the player. It allows the main screen to have more real estate and that's a good thing as NX's graphics are likely going to be 360/PS3 caliber if not better.

You don't want visuals like that on some cramped little display.

I have no problem with this if it has physical controls (or at least an option of physical controls). The Vita is essentially a "phablet" anyway. Great form factor for a handheld. Just needs more universal compatibility to all the apps etc that "real" tablets/phones enjoy and it would open doors to a bigger audience again IMO.

Um. what?

The "their handhelds are doing just fine" schtick is getting a little tired.

Their handhelds are going in the wrong direction ... the 3DS got a couple of OK years in before smartphone competetion has slapped them around.

The last two years are Nintendo's lowest handheld shipments in 17 and 18 year years.

They're likely to suffer continued losses to their handheld line if they continue the "we'll just keep doing the same thing with no changes at all" approach.

The 3DS might limp its way to 70 million in six years, but the successor if they don't make any meaningful changes is likely look at considerably less than that.

In particular in the US, the bottom has fallen off their handheld market. While the 3DS has hit 15 million here, the GBA sold 38 million, the DS 54 million, and the Game Boy over 40 million.

3DS is probably going to fizzle out in the US at 22-25 million LTD ... that is a monstrous drop off from previous Nintendo handheld generations. Americans especially are losing interest in Nintendo handhelds. They're wouldn't be making smartphone games if something wasn't seriously, seriously wrong, the idea itself would've been heresey here on this board two years ago, but here we are. 

Gameboy is a 2 generation device so that 40+ million number is a bit misleading. Americas (North/Central/South) shipments were 14.81 million thru March 1994 (same time frame as 3DS).

Which would be great for Nintendo. If they had a console that was selling as well as the NES or Super NES were from 1989-1994. Oh ... wait ... yeah.  They don't. 

Modern Nintendo can't have portable sales dipping this low on a per year basis, this is why they are scrambling to expand into other things like Quality of Life, smartphone apps, movie/merchandise licensing, because they are scared of what's happening to their traditional HH/console model. 

If 3DS is carrying the company it MUST be selling more than 10 million shipments a year. Really it needs to be at 15 million every year given how badly Nintendo has fallen in the console realm, but 15 million/year is asking for way too much from the 3DS. 

The other problem is the next handheld is going to actually have it harder than the 3DS did. When the 3DS launched, smartphone apps were still in their infancy and the iPad was jut taking its baby steps. Things like $150 tablets were unheard of. Today TV ads for smartphone games are running non-stop, cheap tablets are everywhere, and kids have gotten accustomed to really love smartphone games.

It's going to be harder for Nintendo from now on, not easier. 3DS had at least the benefit of being able to fend off the app market for a little while because it was still relatively unestablished. Today that isn't the case at all. 

I honestly don't think tablets are on Nintendo's agenda. Considering the success of making the wii u controller a mixed tablet and controller and the huge failure of that design I just can't see it, tablet is probably a dirty word at Nintendo. I think Nintendo are just interested in making sure their handheld's sell well and possibly withdrawing form the home console market. The tablet market is absolutely saturated anyway with ios, windows and android devices. It's even more competitive than home consoles. Many tablets are ridiculously cheap and often cleared out at a loss to the makers. I'm sure Nintendo shareholders really love the idea of making hardware to compete in that arena.

Nintendo needs successful handheld models, small models that are easily portable and suitable for and appealing to children. Decent controls and new appealling gimmicks and features.

I'm 99% certain if you polled kids, they prefer an iPad over a 3DS like every ... single ... time. 

Small screens are not the rage any more, as portable computing horsepower gets better and better, no one wants a dinky small display, they want a nice sized bigger display with a nice resolution. 

That's part of what makes the iPad so appealling to kids ... the display is nice, big and bright. It's inviting. 

Even with the 3DS, the smaller screen models are selling like crap compared to the largest screen 3DS model. 

Wii U as a tablet that isn't usable more than 10 feet away from the console was just a stupid concept, I can't even walk to my kitchen and still use the thing, that limitation basically killed any/all potential the device had. No one would buy an iPad if you couldn't use more than 10-20 feet away from a Mac either. 

Nintendo has tried desperately to push 3DS as a kids machine especially in the US. Practically all their TV marketing is on kids channels and they made the 2DS basically specifically for the Western kids market, hoping to get some GBA-style mojo back, but largely all these attempts have failed. Even with the release of Pokemon X/Y, rather than gain momentum, the 3DS has continued to decline year over year and miss Nintendo's sales targets.