I don't see how you can ignore Nintendo exclusives when they are often the games that convey what a system is about. Take Zelda, for example. Your standard Zelda game may not represent a 'gain' since, as you say, it would be expected. However, a Zelda game that takes advantage of game pad functionality to breathe life into the series, and combines it with other features exclusive to WiiU like miiverse, most definitely represents a creative gain. A different angle and new ideas is what worked for them back in 2006 with the Wii and Wii sports, and it is what Nintendo is relying on now. Unfortunately, this time it is taking a while to get the WiiU's point across, partly due to their own incompetence when it comes to marketing, and partly due to a shift in paradigms about game development.
This shift is what interests me most. I don't want to dwell much on Nintendo and the WiiU since my intention was to debate a little about the state of the industry right now. Can developers still come up with amazing fun and new ideas on PS4? Sure! But to me enhanced visual fidelity, that which is consistantly advertised by developers, does not make for new ideas. Whenever I see a demo like Samaritan, I gasp at its beauty like any other geek, but in time I find myself asking "so... What else you got?" New ideas require us to step out of our comfort zones. You've got your power now with the PS4, but how will you use it? You said you were inhibited by technology, but now you have a choice: will you play it safe or take a risk? But why go out of your way when current AAA strategies are so effective at selling games, right? It's what the market wants.
Who is right? Who is wrong? What should be prioritized in game development? Who is alienating who? I don't know, but I know what I prioritize as a gamer. Do I care that UE4 isn't coming to WiiU? Perhaps a little. More games are always welcome, but a new engine doesn't make a good game. Do I care that people care so much that UE4 isn't coming to WiiU? Personally, yes. I find it is backwards thinking. I'm just one guy, however.
What I do know is that things have changed dramatically this generation, and I'm not sure I appreciate this new perspective on what gaming is about.