Well it could just be a return to their stuff being sold as the "Nintendo [insert console here]".  They used to do that.  It was the Nintendo 64, the Nintendo GameCube, the Nintendo Entertainment System, etc.  It was the latter half of the Wii and the Wii U that saw them start trying to make the machine names thr brand.  So I wouldn't be surprised if the next console is the Nintendo [insert name] and then the next is the Nintendo [insert name] and so on. 

I think eventually it will just be singular product line with like 5-6 different variants, not all that dissimilar from what Apple does

I think the whole "5-6 year" console concept may also get thrown in the garbage by Nintendo in favor of more regular hardware upgrades. Game library simply scales forward like it does on Steam. 

And I expect an expansion of the amiibo toy line to things like full blown play sets. 

Very nice idea in my opinion! And I hope they do it worldwide.

Whenever I go to a store I've never been before, I have to search for the wii u games. Sometimes is like a quest, like looking for the master sword, but harder.

It may be that in Spain Nintendo is not very strong at the moment, but god I hate it when I go to a store and they have like 20 games for wii u and hundreds for ps4. There is a big store here where there are far more wii games than wii u games. I don't think it is normal.

It would be awesome to see those here :_)

Also, that would work a lot for brand recognition. When I was a kid everybody knew Nintendo as a brand and when they went to a store they knew what to ask for.
We had the "Nintendo", "Super Nintendo","Nintendo 64" and the "Nintendo Gamecube" (though everybody called it just Gamecube at the end).

The wii was amazing, but what they tried to do with it and then with the wii u didn't work. Now they may be trying to unify all platforms, games, merchandising etc. and make it more recognizable which is a great move.

I hope it works for them!

Yes, Soundwave, we know the theory.  And I say again, the business models are completely and totally different.  I can get an iPhone for next to nothing by going with the right plan.  Because it's a phone.  That's why it works.  It's also why the iPad, while succesful, can't even kiss the boots of the iPhone and is in decline.  Because you have to buy it.  That's also why the iPhone can have variants out the rear while the iPad is more limited.  Unless Nintendo is going to start up a membership plan that you subscribe to and upgrade your product every two years (highly unlikely and potential business suicide), this won't be the case. 

Nintendo basically does already release new hardware models on a yearly basis, you guys just quantify in a different way, but I don't think it would be much of a stretch. 

2010 - DSi XL

2011 - 3DS

2012 - 3DS XL, Wii U

2013 - 2DS

2014 - New 3DS XL

2015 - New 3DS Regular

In NX I think all these brand distinctions are going to be gone. It will be one brand, the NX main OS will be like a Nintendo version of Steam and all/most games will be shared. You simply pick the hardware flavor you like. 

It's not that much of a leap. iPad sales have only slowed because a lot of people are buying the new larger iPhones, Nintendo wishes they could match iPad sales.

The smartest thing Nintendo could do is in a way get out of the "this is our hardware, you have to like it" business. Stop telling people what type of hardware they should want. Just give them several choices and let them choose which they want, the pointless bickering/arguing over what is the right hardware has led Nintendo to a situation where their hardware business is in massive decline. 

Just sell the damn games. If someone wants a 1080P super-duper console, fine. If they want a portable, fine. If they want a game tablet fine. If they want even down the road a version that runs all the games at 4K resolution, fine. Just like I can get a Macbook or Mac Pro or iMac, Apple doesn't care as long as you buy one of them. I think Nintendo would be smart because right now them dictating hardware terms is not working, consumers are saying "no I don't want an outdated console with a giant controller" and that's the end of the discussion. 

Yeah you're probably right about that. The Wii/Wii U era is a weird one. I'd definitely be for it if its as you pointed out

iPad is at 10mil right now.  That's ok but that's a 50mil gen if we just say "five years = a gen".  So while Nintendo would like 10mil for sure, they would actually very much prefer more than that.  Like I said, the red and white color scheme isn't an accident; they know a lot of gamers in their thirties and twenties associate that with the good ol days.  They are hoping to draw them back as well long term. 

I could see some variance of form factors, but not of stats.  And certainly not the apple model of "new upgrades every year or two".  That's what I was saying.  But I doubt they will do away with product names and sub brands, that's just confusing; even Apple has the Pad and Phone subbrands under the i[insert product name here] mega brand.  Rather, as the signage here indicates, "Nintendo" will be the primary "super" brand and all others will be secondary.  It will all be branded with a massive, loud "NINTENDO" with product names as secondary.  So it will be like the "i" in iPad and iPhone, an immediately recognizable earmark for where the product comes from. 

Eh ... where are you getting your numbers? iPad is 10.93 million for the last quarter (meaning three months). 

It's 45 million for the year so far, which crushes the Wii U + 3DS combined. And this is supposedly a "down year". 

http://www.statista.com/statistics/269915/global-apple-ipad-sales-since-q3-2010/

I just think Nintendo should stop trying to dicate what their hardware is. Stop telling people they should want a purple lunchbox with a handle on it, or DVD playback is bad, or last-gen graphics are fine and now it's all about the controller, etc. etc. 

When you start doing that the fact is a lot of people are simply looking at Nintendo and saying "Nope". 

I'd say adopt a model more like Steam where games play on a myriad of different settings and you offer hardware flavors that suit different people's needs and even evolves and grows as time goes on. 

Nintendo should question everything about their old business model, because it simply isn't working very well for them. The *only* market in which Nintendo hardware today is selling reasonably well is the 3DS line in Japan. Wii U in Europe? Terrible. 3DS in America? Dissapointing. Wii U in America? Terrible. 3DS in Europe? Not so great. Every other market, their hardware is selling at a dissapointing rate. And just straight up copying Sony 3-4 years late is not going to be the cure all for everything either, they need to make some bolder changes IMO. Steam, iOS can teach console makers a lot, maybe it's about time one of them actually learned from them and did something different. 

Glad they change tha back, that Wii era grey/white apple like logo was shit.

Nintendo is red

They've indisputably been in the red during the 3DS and Wii U generation, at least.