I feel like part of the "magic" they continue to capture is how they decided to run their business with the hardware they create. I feel like it helps keep the brand of Nintendo from changing to far out of their control; while also anyone hacking Nintendo hardware and games can always be seen as exactly that hackers oppose to say a PC game released by Nintendo where the games would simply be modded.
Also the nostalgic crowd is already eating up everything they put out... What a strange world it would be to start buying Mario, Zelda and Metroid games on steam. that 30% cut from steam just isn't something they're willing to give up I think.
They definitely tested the water. I can recall several Pokemon games on mobile, as well as something like a Mario infinite runner. I don't think it will happen anytime soon, but it's not "complete" fantasy to think it could happen.
Also the nostalgic crowd is already eating up everything they put out... What a strange world it would be to start buying Mario, Zelda and Metroid games on steam. that 30% cut from steam just isn't something they're willing to give up I think.