What should Nintendo have done instead of Wii U?

[Otter]

As others have said, how things have worked out has been great in the end. Without the Wii U we might not have received the Switch...

But its also possible that we would have received something better.

Nintendo (2012) console outsells the Wii U, goes toe to toe with Xbox One but still struggles to pass the 40m mark.
In 2017, Nintendo announce they're making a portable version of said console.
Hybrid console on par with Xbox One launches in 2019.
Essentially you have the Switch but far more powerful and much better 3rd Party support. Just like the PS4/Xbox One it continues to recieve heavy AAA 3rd party support until game developement fully shifts next gen (around 2022), but then it just recieves current switch level support (indie games, japanese games and the occasional AAA port)