I don't really agree why GTX980 is disappointing to be honest. On the same 28nm, I think this is already looking quite good. Of course if you are already using say a GTX 780TI, this may not be a good upgrade. This new generation got affected due to delays in 20nm, so perhaps 20nm might bring about a better performing GPU.
For me, my ideal GPU should,
1) Consume less power, typically translates to lower heat as well
2) Offers good performance, i.e. runs all current games smoothly at decent settings
3) Reasonably priced
At least from what I see, GTX 980/970 ticks all these boxes.