In the Iwata Asks for the Wii U, Ko Shiota (now lead of Nintendo's hardware division) starts talking about the emphasis on low power consumption, small form factor, etc. 

Quote from him on Wii U: From the point of view of design, we didn't just simply apply the latest technology to improve performance. We decreased power consumption and made the casing smaller, so I think this console achieves a good balance between performance, power and chip size. 

In the Nintendo job listing for a lead graphics engineer from the US, they also specifically mentioned that experience working with low-power components was a plus. 

I dunno. That doesn't really inspire much confidence, but honestly I don't really even care that much anymore. 

They're never going to catch Sony or even Microsoft with a console just on par/slightly better than PS4 but 3-4 years late. And they're never going to make a PS5 level console, just bypassing a whole gen cycle. 

Besides from a personal POV, Wii U graphics are alright enough for me. Yes they could be a little better, but for the most part the games still look very nice. If NX is just basically Wii U level power in a portable, and similar graphics on the console but just at 1080P + 60 fps and maybe a few extra lighting/shader effects ... I'll be personally OK with that. 

Again, he was working under Takeda, he wasn't the one calling the shots, just executing them and making sure things went according to plan. Of course he had to think with that mindset, he wasn't the one in charge of deciding on the vision of the Console, he was just following orders. I never said they were gonna catch up to Sony and Co, I just corrected you because we don't really know what Shiota really has in his mind because he's never done something completely his own. Besides, low power consumption has always been Nintendo's goal for Console designs, going back to the Gamecube for example. "Low power consumption" depends on what context "low" is referring to.

What a horrible idea.   Not even Nintendo is that crazy to think that would work. 

Personally, i am expecting a portable Wii U with a different name that can hook to the TV. But, even that may be wrong.

That would unify their portable and home console market. I dont think they are going to pull the plug completely on the Wii U until they see it work.

The problem with Nintendo is that their intentations arent clear. They either want to develop a system for they themselves to develop on, or for third parties to develop on.
If they do the first, they have to stop trying to get 3rd parties on board. If its the second, they need to change their strategy of making a gimick on every system.

Problem is they want to do things their way and then say its for other developers aswell. They dont understand that 3rd parties need to do multi-platform ports. Thats what they need to help them with and they arent willing to because they just want exclusives.

Anyways yes... they announced the NX as the third pillar, not the one to replace the 3DS and the WiiU. So, i think everyone who expects it to replace any of those markets is probably going to have a surprise.