They have a source that says they've played the system (the impression did not sound great). 

My guess is Eurogamer just blew the lid off, now other media outlets feel comfortable bringing their sources forward without fear of a Nintendo NDA bitch slap, because the news is out there now, no taking it back. Same thing happened with the PS4 Neo and Scorpio, once Kotaku blew the lid off, everyone else followed suit. 

There's also probably more people/developers who are now willing to come forward for the same reason ... the basic info is already out, so might as well give your take. 

I think they have sources of their own as well:

"Early online speculation about pricing for the NX expects it to be cheaper than current consoles, but from what we’ve heard it’s going to be cheaper than even the vast majority expect. This is a machine that is targeting the mass market, and Nintendo certainly plans for it to have a mass market price. Price is one Wii U mistake Nintendo is determined not to repeat. This could be NX's single biggest win."

"From what we've heard" sounds like they have sources of their own.

Edit- Also this: MCV has spoken to one person with hands-on experience with the machine. Their assessment? "It feels like a bit of a novelty."

I think they have sources of their own as well:

"Early online speculation about pricing for the NX expects it to be cheaper than current consoles, but from what we’ve heard it’s going to be cheaper than even the vast majority expect. This is a machine that is targeting the mass market, and Nintendo certainly plans for it to have a mass market price. Price is one Wii U mistake Nintendo is determined not to repeat. This could be NX's single biggest win."

"From what we've heard" sounds like they have sources of their own.

Edit- Also this: MCV has spoken to one person with hands-on experience with the machine. Their assessment? "It feels like a bit of a novelty."

A way for Nintendo to screw over their core business. You don't invite free games en masse to your ecosystem. There's way too high of a risk to devalue the software that is specifically developed for the dedicated gaming hardware. When there are so many free games to play, why pay significantly more for other games? That's the kind of thought that could establish itself in no time.

In a way, the inclusion of Android is the same mistake as trying to imitate PS/Xbox. People look at PS and say that is what sells, so Nintendo should do the same thing. On the surface, that seems to make sense. But after some consideration, you have to deal with the problem that with such a product you would have to convince owners of PS to switch their platform of choice; but what if they are happy with what they already have? Same issue with Android. People play games on Android devices, so Nintendo should have the same thing. But you aren't going to convince people to buy a separate device to do exactly the same as they are already doing on a device they own.

Given how omnipresent smartphones and tablets are, I don't think there are a whole lot of parents out there who would look for a two-in-one device. But the much bigger concern is that Android on Nintendo poses a threat for Nintendo's core business. The devaluation of video game software is what Nintendo wants to prevent, so they would be crazy to open the floodgates for free games on their own hardware.

No, if they bought dedicated gaming hardware they would do so because of at least one game. With the purchase of the device and a game, expectations will be set accordingly. Software would not expected to be free.

What many people seem to forget or don't know is that flash game portals were popular before the rise of the smartphone and even the launch of the Wii. People would play simple games on the PC because consoles didn't offer them anymore. When I say simple games, I don't mean games for morons. I am refering to games that are easy to pick up and play while offering at least some degree of depth; these games also do not require you to remember your progress like an RPG would, meaning that if the game wasn't played for weeks, it would be no issue to get right back into it; games like Tetris or Bejeweled are blatantly obvious examples.

The Wii changed the absence of simple games on consoles, and it didn't hurt that the Wii offered an experience that could not be had on the PC. People were willing to pay for video games despite having access to free stuff on the PC. The same people left when consoles went back to focus on immersive games that required a lot more time investment. It wasn't about money. It was about a lack of content. It was because of the message that they aren't welcome anymore. The Wii U Gamepad stands for the exact opposite of what these people want.

They can and will come back if they are properly catered to. They have the money. What they don't have is the time to immerse themselves in video games which is why they value quality time with video games all the more and are willing to pay a higher dollar per hour ratio than hardcore gamers do. There are plenty of things a video game console can do that is hard or impossible to replicate on a smartphone. The local multiplayer experience on the whole and motion controlled games are obvious examples. People like to say "you can't beat free", but that's incredibly shortsighted in an entertainment industry.