Easy answer. We have to take into account the approximate timeline of when affordable hardware seems to get strong enough to push out the equivalent on the competition. Next year would be around $250 based on what the PS4 Will likely be selling at. This is the benchmark that Nintendo has set for themselves for their console to cost.

Then let's get into software. Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong, Splatoon (which released Feb of the year after), and Smash (released early summer 2014) would all have launch window titles of their next games if the console launched in 2017 based on a 3 year development cycle that the Wii U set for games (Not to mention a year in development for the next Zelda).

A 2016 launch would have a 3D Worlds successor and the Retro game.... Maybe. Back to crossing our fingers with third party games and hoping that brings in customers (which worked amazing for Wii U).

There's nothing "amazing" about PS4 hardware. It's very dated hardware by this point. You guys act like it's some magic untouchable technology that Nintendo has to buy from wizards and has to wait for. Don't get confused just because Nintendo used crap hardware in their last two consoles. 

The Apple A10X coming out next fall is likely going to start to creep up close to XBox One performance, and that'll be in a damn portable form factor and those chips contrary to popular belief don't even cost that much to produce. They're like $40 a pop if that. 

If Nintendo really wanted to they could even have a *portable* capable of X1/PS4 ports really. Even by this fall. The Tegra X1 and Apple A9X processors are already in that ball park, AMD likely could produce something similar. 

soundwave.. take a deep breath with me here. ok, ready? *breathes in deeply* *breathes out*

alright, feel better?

the n64 from my memory had Dr. Mario, Paper Mario, and Mario Party 3. could be wrong, but i believe those were all 2001 releases. im well versed in nintendo games and their release dates. regardless, id agree with you about the last 12 months, everybody knows that. how could any company support their old console in the last year when preparing for the launch of their new one? thats where third party developers come in. 

anyways, i would respond to your other points, but im bored now. and i think we've already established that we are arch nemesis rivals who will rarely agree on anything. 

I agree, there is nothing amazing about the PS4's hardware. What Nintendo decides to do, and whatever the budget they want to stay in will determine that though. Still from a hardware and software perspective they will be better equiped to go out into the market in 2017 unless they have some serious third party support. 

If they're launching in 2017 it better be something comparable to a PS FIVE ... not four. No one but the same tired group of 10 million Wii U owners is going to be impressed by a Nintendo PS4 ... four years late to market with 10 games to start with when the other two have like 2000 games. 

If you're Sony you just basically laugh at that and proceed to pick them apart with a price drop and moneyhat a few third parties (seeing as how you'll have like 60-70 million owners versus 0 for Nintendo, that's not going to be hard). 

The competetion couldn't be any easier for Sony this generation. 

They reduce games made for their previous console because they need to work on games for the new hardware. By that time, either they got some decent 3rd party games to help it along, or it's usually baren. True enough. But it's not like Nintendo has a "Console 5th Year Vacation"!

Perhaps some just can't wait for NX to launch and the idea of waiting til next year is maddening to 'em. It doesn't really matter to me one way or other. I just think a 2017 launch would be more advantagous to nintendo. It will probably have a few more games to launch the console with by then.

Okay, now ask yourself who's going to take the time to make NX games look better? No one but Nintendo.

Either way Nintendo is screwed in that scenario. What exactly is the game plan here? To realistically compete against a PS4 that has 65-70 million unit headstart? They won't even be able to catch the XBox One. So basically as a console it's doomed to be no.3 no matter what. 

If you're launching in the 2017 and the console is supposed to be a "real" console, and not some accessory dock for the portable ... no one is going to be impressed by a Nintendo system that clocks in like a PS4. 

The only way I can see this working is if NX is basically a hybrid portable that doubles as a console as kind of a side thing, then at least it has an angle on the PS4. But if it's just a "console console" ... Nintendo may as well accept they're done in the console business in a serious sense. That is no competetion for a PS4 or even XB1 by 2017. 

You'll probably see the XB2 launch in 2018, and that's curtains for Nintendo's little console. 

2017 is OK if it's realistically a PS5-XB2 competior ... but a PS4-tier machine ... that's way too little, way too late. 

I Would prefer next year with a new Wii U model - lighter and slimmer released this year. and new games and some popcorn.

But if this is really happening this year I really hope Nintendo is ready to maintain software release....