If the proposed NFC figures go insanely popular, the gamepad will suddenly become a masterstroke.

This. I have no interest in Kinect, getting some of the retail off will make me far more inclined to pick an X1 up when the likes of Sunset Overdrive hit if they turn out to be half as good as they currently look.

Wii U pad is outdated and low quality (especially that LCD) tech doing something nobody needs and keeping the cost of the system prohibitively high for the audience which Nintendo's content appeals to the most.

I will buy one when it drops down in price, but I am thinking more about the future of the console. I tend to buy games once the initial hype has died down and the price drops. From my experience, Nintendo games don't drop in price till a few years after it's release so they're still really pricey. Plus I am not too sure if I want to spend a lot of money on a console that doesn't have the same quality as the other two just so I can play their first party titles.

Oh yeah.  I forgot about Kinect Sports Rivals.  Well.  These are games that were in development prior to the loss of the Kinect.  Unless i t's a Microsoft game, Microsoft funded, or a casual game that sells millions like Just Dance and is ported to all consoles, I don't think we'll see any developer starting new development on a Kinect exclusive game after the removal.

So make a redesigned pro controller with NFC. Or do the same thing the 3DS is doing and release a periferal.

Nintendo of course. They want to sell those 3.6M in the FY and a sku without gamepad could sell more. We don't want that to happen, right?

Neither.
XB1 minus Kinect should be priced 349 at most.
WiiU should give the option and sell gamepads separately, then I can buy a second one so I don't have to use the one with all the greasy kid fingers on it.

The Wii U launched at a $350-B and $300-W.

Pretty much Microsoft.

At bolded: where? :D