The former is true, the latter is wrong. Sakurai or anyone from Nintendo has not confirmed that Capt Falcon, Pkmn Trainer, Meta Knight, and Lucario were dropped from the game. Captain Falcon has been in the series since the beginning, therefore there's a high chance he'll be returning. Meta Knight has been a huge fan favorite Kirby character and I doubt he'll be removed. Pokemon Trainer and Lucario are questionable because aside from Pikachu and Jigglypuff, the pokemon characters have always been replaced.

Sakurai did mention that both 3DS and Wii U version will have the same amount of characters, but he never specified the amount of characters they're aiming for. He said that they're more focused on balance than the size of the roster. They want each character to have their own charm, personality and fighting style, trying to avoid the amount of clones Brawl had. We don't know if that means less than 35, exactly 35, or a bit more than 35. We only know that the roster won't drastically expand to Dragon Ball Z standards.

@blaaksheep: They made a 3DS version cause originally they were ONLY going to do a 3DS version. Wasn't even going to be a Wii U version. They said that the only way to innovate Smash Bros was to make it on the go...

Well, we're not forced to buy both at the same day. Having both on release date allows people to chose whichever version they want first and then picking up the other version later, either depending on preference or which console they currently own and plan to buy later. The 3DS version will not drastically hinder the Wii U version's sales because the Wii U version is clearly superior, and those who have decided that they're strictly buying the 3DS either prefers portability or have no intentions on buying a Wii U anytime soon for a single game.

They'll gain more profit out of two versions than one, especially since Smash Bros is now reaching for the handheld audience and many fans are buying both. In general, Nintendo's marketing isn't garbage because this is actually a fantastic way to sell the game and the 3DS is now doing great. They just did a pretty bad job at marketing the Wii U console during its first year.

I'll be buying both.

They know more people will be buying the Wii U version because it will be superior and more traditional, but it would not hurt if they also release it on the 3DS to get more sales, especially since both version will have stage differences, giving Smash fans a reason to buy both games instead of one, resulting in more money. It's not the best way to market the Wii U, but it is the best way to gain as much sales possible for this Smash Bros game, and I will not be surprised if they continue this trend in the future.