Doesn't sound like 2016 to me.

Yeah this makes no sense. If they don't have dev kits yet why are they saying that they think it'll release this year? That would mean that NX would have almost no third party support at launch which would be so stupid.

If this rumor is true the NX is most likely a 2016 release people need to remember that final PS4 dev. kits were sent around Feb.'13 and the first versions of them in late 2012 so the whole it's there isn't enough time for 3rd parties to learn the hardware and make/port games for launch is not true at all

How did you reach the conclusion that NX is getting almost no 3rd party support at launch from this rumor? In the first point of the rumor it states that key Nintendo 3rd party partners already have the dev.kits

No one said that the dev was part of a big AAA company. It could be a smaller independant studio, in which case it makes sense that they don't have the kit yet. 

You could always use an extra 12 months to work out the kinks.  If we didn't realease things till they were absolutely perfect, nobody would release anything, ever.

Nintendo can't spend another year pushing the already unpopular Wii U, especially after the successor has been shown off.  Sales are already at about 3.5 million per year, and they'll drop to 2 million or less.

They also need to prop up their handheld division.  The 3DS is past its prime, and they can't let another year go by without a must have product in an increasingly competitive market.

They also need as much time as possible for this machine to develop before MS and Sony have next next gen consoles which would likely be 2019, and 2021 by the absolute latest.  

And, they want to create synergy between this and their new mobile venture happening this year.  So they want them to launch in relative proximity.

In a perfect world, yes it'd be great if they could wait a year.  In the real world though, it's a terrible option.

No, they're supposed to produce information. Rumors aren't a marketing ploy - they are a marketing slip-up if anything.

You know not every developer will have a game ready at launch right?

If anything, if I were Nintendo I wouldn't depend on any western 3rd parties at launch since they got burned on that big-time with the Wii U.  I'd just give them enough time do some low investment ports (which is probably how far they'd be willing to go in supporting the NX at launch anyway).  I suspect they're only going to be depending on themselves and some select Japanese 3rd parties that they absolutely trust and have good relationships with for the NX launch.

All in all, it's just a friendly reminder that everyone thinks this thing will hit market in 2016.