Nintendo not "ditching buttons" with Wii 2

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has stated that there are no plans to drop buttons from the company's next console.

When asked by an analyst for his opinion on tablet gaming, Iwata recognised their appeal, but expressed the need for buttons and a direction pad on a controller.

"Whenever we make a new game console, we've done it without throwing away buttons and the directional pad," Iwata said.

"The reason for that is it's better to have them, because buttons and directional pads benefit gameplay response.

"Taking this into account, Nintendo isn't planning on completely ditching buttons, nor is Nintendo thinking of taking tablets as they are today and implementing them in a game console."

Iwata's comments fit with rumours that the controller for Nintendo's next console will include a tablet-like touchscreen in addition to buttons, a direction pad and analogue sticks.

Rumours have suggested that it will cost close to $400 (£242), possibly include Blu-ray, and feature motion control functionality better than the PlayStation Move.

Nintendo is to officially reveal its next home console at E3 in June.