The NX has to be something competitive, and could really stand to stay away from any envelope-pushing gimmicks. I think what most gamers really want right now, is a solid platform, with means of posterity, where they can play Nintendo franchise games. Nintendo systems have never been the go-to for 3rd party experiences, with few exceptions. If they can change that, great, but the system needs to stay grounded with the "standards" of game development (e.g. use a tested control scheme, no gimmicks!). I feel like Nintendo shoots themselves in the foot too often when they try to think outside the box. Maybe they don't realize that they have all the innovation they need, right there in the games they make. Part of their strategy has been to reduce avenues of piracy, and I get that. At some point, however, conformity can be a good thing.

A subscription game service might work, and since everyone else is doing it, Nintendo might give it a go (is anyone actually doing subscription downloads, though?). It would be even nicer if you could simply keep the games you purchase for their virtual console, and have those tied to an account rather than a system. I don't know if they changed this for the Wii U, but I had a sweet library of retro games on the Wii, and lost them all because of this.

Handheld gaming doesn't interest me significantly, but I know it's huge, so I wouldn't be surprised if the rumors are true that the NX will be a console/handheld hybrid. Nintendo has shown interest in bringing their handheld games to the TV, ever since the N64. DS/3DS games pose a twin-screen problem that seems to only be solved by having a Wii U type setup, which, for me, muddles the experience. The beauty of those handhelds is that you can still view important information on the second screen peripherally. Contrarily, a controller in the hands can move out of that vision while focus is on the TV. This can be annoying. This, I think (if rumors are true), will be one of the make/breaks of the new system.

All I really want is a powerful system with a clean UI, a great controller (a WaveBird, with better button configuration would be perfect), and a proper online service. Build it, and they will come.

I don't know that the D-pad was all that innovative, rather a natural evolution of its predecessors (Intellevision was the first to go no-joystick, I think). Wii motion controls were fine enough for Nintendo (although, I would have much rather played Skyward Sword without motion controls), but not so much for 3rd party devs, so I don't know how much they dominated. Game Boy was awesome, and the DS was/is pretty amazing. I think the GameCube is my favorite system that they've put out, beside the SNES (best controller, and best games).

They do make great things, from time to time, but they seem to excel on the software side of things ;)

That's an interesting article, but some of those are a bit of a stretch. I'm nitpicking, of course (as I'm wont to do, sometimes), but a lot of items on that list are simply a natural evolution of existing ideas. Even the first sentence under "The Directional Pad" reads "The directional pad was inevitable." The modern side-scroller? Pitfall was around before Super Mario Bros. The Playstation had the Multitap, which wasn't pretty, but did the same job, and then some (supporting up to 8 controllers, if memory serves) when it came to multiplayer on one console. To say that we owe the innovation of virtual reality to the Virtual Boy is crazy talk (there was nothing VR about it, it was 3D).

Nintendo has made some great things, but there may be a bit of sugar on some of the details. One could argue that Nintendo has also been active in stifling progress in the industry over the years (e.g. the slow move away from cartridges, poor support of online gaming, abstract proprietary control systems...).