The gamepad is a miss, but the answer is for Nintendo to find a way to add value to their console, not strip out what little value the Wii U offers.
Anybody who wants a Wii U without the gamepad should already have a PS3.
"The worst part about these reviews is they are [subjective]--and their scores often depend on how drunk you got the media at a Street Fighter event." — Mona Hamilton, Capcom Senior VP of Marketing
*Image indefinitely borrowed from BrainBoxLtd without his consent.