Don't forget that it was nVidia saying they've been working on it for two years. So that's the point at which Nintendo had come to them as partner on the console. No doubt, there was much going on at Nintendo before bringing nVidia on board.
Indeed. Consoles go through various iterations and prototypes before the final specification is decided and actual development starts - sometimes different competing designs being made simultaneously. Even when the basic specs are decided, early development kits and test hardware tend to be PCs using related hardware rather than using the final spec.Don't forget that it was nVidia saying they've been working on it for two years. So that's the point at which Nintendo had come to them as partner on the console. No doubt, there was much going on at Nintendo before bringing nVidia on board.
You can bet Switch has been being worked on since 2013 , because Ninty knew, knows and will always know that the Wii U failed and it didn't give them lots of money like Wii, DS, Gameboy, etc...It tends to be around 4-5 years. Initial planning starts roughly a year after the launch of their current console, though the Wii U's short life span has made the turnaround seem a lot faster.
But how many variations? I believe there is a tegra prototype for the 3ds, and tegra 2 was announced before 3ds was released.Indeed. Consoles go through various iterations and prototypes before the final specification is decided and actual development starts - sometimes different competing designs being made simultaneously. Even when the basic specs are decided, early development kits and test hardware tend to be PCs using related hardware rather than using the final spec.
That's explained by poor sales. The beginning of development for a new console is just the consequence of those poor sales.well that pretty much explains why the Wii U had gotten little attention