Could be the focus on trying to make sure they turn a profit (even if it's small) right now, rather than making less or selling at a loss to get more hardware out there. Supposedly Wii U makes a profit when sold (or at least does not lose much money), and all the software sales of games like Super Smash Bros will be making them money. Some people here were crying out for a low price Super Smash Bros bundle, even with Mario Kart included, and that might have sold Wii Us quite well (hopefully better than the minimal hardware boost that actually occurred). But while Smash bros may not appear to have done as much as hoped for hardware, the software itself has sold well and basically every one of those will have been sold full price or even bundled with an Amiibo or Gamecube controller adapter.
I don't think Nintendo were in a position (either financially or regarding positive buzz about their console sales) to absorb losses or miss out on profits to sell the hardware for low low prices. Imagine the scenario where they did slash Wii U prices and offered a killer bundle with Smash and Mario Kart at really low price... and they still sold much less than Microsoft and Sony (who could also release really good value bundles, either since they are a bigger company and can absorb the losses or have so much positive hype about their console sales). Then you would have a scenario where they had the Wii U at bargain bin prices and were still seen to be "losing", the install base would be a bit higher but not high enough to cancel out two years of bad press, Smash came and went making them little to no profit, and they would likely have yet another loss for the year. My guess is that it was thought that the better option would be to offer similar bundles that don't lose too much money, and hope to post a fiscal year profit with some successful games.
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