Seems to me like Apple values Nintendo pretty highly if they're willing to pay to get Super Mario first on iOS. 

If the NX bottoms out, I wonder if Nintendo would consider accepting a deal from Apple to support them exclusively and make a game system for them. It could potentially be huge. 

Look at this quote from an investor who was close to Steve Jobs from over year ago:

http://www.benzinga.com/news/15/03/5337716/steve-jobs-was-not-opposed-to-an-apple-nintendo-partnership

Nintendo Co., Ltd (ADR)  NTDOY 7.55% announced this week that it will develop games for smartphones. The news surprised many consumers, who expected Nintendo to hold onto its belief that smartphone development was bad for its business, which relies heavily on hardware sales.

The surprises did not end there. It turns out that an investor once toldApple Inc. AAPL co-founder Steve Jobs that he should partner with Nintendo.

"In 2010, I told Steve Jobs that he should form a strategic partnership with Nintendo because Apple doesn't make games," Asif Khan, CFO of Virtue LLC and CEO of Shacknews.com, told Benzinga. "Ideally, Apple should have their own gaming studio. In lieu of that, they should pay game developers for exclusive content."

Khan has owned shares in Apple since 1997. He attended the last five shareholder meetings and said that Nintendo would be an "obvious partner."

"I could totally see Nintendo on the stage at an Apple event," he said. "It would make a lot of sense for Google and Apple to be vying for some sort of exclusive software deal for Nintendo. Even if they just make a 'Mario' endless runner, it's going to be the top seller on the App Store. You're delusional if you don't think that."

LOL, this guy totally called it too. 

Now Pokemon Go

I would much rather have Nintendo partner with Google/Android, but an Apple partnership would make sense as well.  I just really hope that App exclusivity doesn't become a thing because unlike consoles, there is pretty much no reason to be having two cell phones.

I think Nintendo might be partners with both Apple and Google. I am sure Google are seeing this and thinking as well.

Their partnership should involve a console project. An iConsole, with Nintendo games, only way I see Nintendo continuing with consoles. Wish they partnered with Sega though and revived so many of their IPs.

Pokemon Go and Pikachu now being featured during Apple's Watch presentation. 

The bidding war between the two could be sweet for Nintendo. 

If it goes well, I can see apple buying Nintendo, especially if the NX doesn't do well.

If done right the partnership could work wonderfully. I don't think a full on sale is going to happen. Both companies like doing things their own way, and it's hard to see Nintendo selling itself to a non-Japanese entity.

But, if Apple could design the OS, the aesthetics of the hardware, and take a leading role in the marketing, that would almost be a surefire success. For Nintendo's side of the bargain, they would pay royalties, and make exclusive games for IOS. That would be a huge edge for Apple against the cheap android tablets often purchased for children.

Could be a win win if egos were set aside and this could be done.

Japan doesn't usually ever let foreign companies buy Japanese companies.  Japan is very protective of their companies and Nintendo would never agree to be bought out by Apple.  Did you miss that recent thread that states Nintendo has about 9.5 billion in the bank with pretty much zero debt?