Okay, one nap and a sloppy joe later, I'm about ready to wrap this up. Just as a reminder, I'm using these points to draw a conclusion as to how I think Nintendo's next system is going to be and since this is mostly off the dome, I would greatly appreciate any feedback and corrections in case I get anything wrong or left something out. Also, I've decided not to lump the Wii U and 3DS sections together anymore, since I'm no longer tired I've gotten my thoughts in order. Now for Part 2 of my gigapost!
3DS: As the successor to the legendary DS, Nintendo opted to go for more than just a power boost (Nintendo handhelds tend to have leaps in fidelity, anyway, as someone on this thread has pointed out). Their plan, as the name suggests, would be to implement glasses free 3D, a popular concept at time when this kind of tech was being used for TVs (Sony and Microsoft hopping on this trend with some of their games, as well). Unfortunately, while this feature (as well as AR functionality and Streetpass) was used quite well in games, like Super Mario 3D Land and Kid Icarus Uprising, it would be used far less often as the system's life went on. It wouldn't help when two years later, Nintendo would release a non 3D variant of the system, rendering the feature for some to be superfluous at best and a literal eyesore at worst. The system was still a great success in spite of its terrible launch, but its sales potential was likely squandered due to the rise in mobile gaming during the early 2010's.
Wii U:
Hooooooooooo boi........ Nintendo's first step into HD was more of a stumble, as they wanted to take their Blue Ocean strategy to the next level. As stated in Part 1, Nintendo was too late in responding to the woes of their core and casual audiences and tried to rectify that with the launch of the Wii U. The first problem was the name, as it failed to properly communicate whether it was a successor or another one of the Wii's add-ons, thus hurting its sales, when the launch
should have been a slam dunk! I mean, you have 2D Mario, a new IP in Nintendo Land, Just Dance, many of those core third-party titles like Tekken, Batman Arkham Asylum, and
CALL OF FREAKIN DUTY!!! These disappointing sales of both the systems
and the games would scare away third-party devs away more than the Game-Pad and nigh incomprehensible dev-kits. On the topic of the Game-Pad, it was supposed to an integration of the DS' form factor, as well as to serve as a means to play without a TV. It's certainly a novel and innovative idea that's been well implemented in a few games, but the problems lie in 1). the afformentioned dev-kits; developers had a hard time figuring out how to use them and ultimately, gave up, leading to worse third-party support than even the GameCube and 2). the Game-Pad was used for almost EVERYTHING; it was used for even stuff like settings or some of the tertiary apps, like the library (where you view your playtime) and it was often intrusive, this would even extend to some games, like Xenoblade Chronicles X, where the Gamepad is mandatory. These factors and more would insure that the Wii U would go down as a complete and utter failure.
Interlude: Let's review, Nintendo's home consoles were steadily declining in sales, regardless of whatever qualities they had, with the Wii being an anomaly. These declining sales are due to a variety of reasons: SNES was because of the Genesis and Sonic, N64 was due to the arrival and dominance of the PlayStation and the use of cartridges, the GameCube was due to the continued dominance of the PS2, the advent of the Xbox, and using tiny discs, and the Wii U was Nintendo's Blue Ocean strategy backfiring against them. Looking back, it's quite obvious that these systems' form factors have compromised them greatly, especially compared to their more successful handheld counterparts. So, what could be done? How do you come back from the Wii U, while still trying to do what you do best?
GO THIRD-PARTY OF COURSE, IT WORKED FOR SEGA, RIGHT????? 
Obviously, this is where the Switch comes, Iwata's last gambit and parting gift.
Switch: This would be the culmination of years of
training Nintendo's triumphs and failures, an integration of their home and portable divisions, leading to them focusing on only one console. Unfortunately, this would come with its own sacrifices; the long standing handheld staple of BC would be gone for both predecessors, as the system used a different type of cartridge for its games and of course, because it was a hybrid console, it was less powerful than the competition and would have limited third-party support out of the gate (albeit, more support than usual). Launching at an unusual timeframe with very few games, many were expecting this Frankenstein' monster of a toaster to flop out of the gate like a Magikarp and it..... didn't. It not only succeeded, it THRIVED, breaking records left and right, getting games it otherwise wouldn't have, before. It even made used of past innovations like motion controls and the touchscreen without further compromising power. Yes, it's underpowered, but, like Hannah Montana, the Switch made the best of both worlds and it's currently Nintendo's second best selling system, behind the DS and the third best selling system ever.
Conclusion: Now, what? What's the Big N's next plan, now that they have one system? Do they go back to two systems? Do they try for another risky gimmick? No; I believe that their next system will be mostly iterative with light innovations that can be advertised and not get in the way of performance, like the Joy-Cons and touchscreen. Nintendo wants to have a smooth transition, so BC is not only a must, but IMHO is inevitable, this includes their online infrastructure, however flawed it may be. I can see the succ (which I strongly believe will be called Switch 2) will have a similar launch to the Wii U in terms of content, i.e. two major first-party games and probably less third-party games, so they won't cannibalize each other. As for gimmicks, we may see some implementation of VR or AR in a manner similar to Labo and Mario Kart Live, respectively, albeit in more advanced states (not PSVR level, mind you). I also think we can expect some online functionality akin to the 3DS, especially if it's tied to NSO. I know these talking points have been done to death, but I think it's important to highlight just
how Nintendo got here and how that will dictate the successor's future in a positive light. I probably mumbled a bit there, but I hope I got my point across that Nintendo knows what it's doing with their next system, it may not be what we or even I want, but it will certainly turn out great
.
Or, it can turn out to be utter shite and me and everyone else in this thread's gonna look like idiots if that comes to pass.
possible, but nintendo prime has made an update since the announcement of the mario bundle?
