Iwata gives full thoughts on tablet devices, Nintendo's use of buttons

Regarding the format you referred to as “tablet,” which has a certain big screen and allows users to directly touch it, when we look at it from the viewpoint of “developing software which uses a touch screen,” I think it is an interesting device if it creates an experience that is in line with the trend created by Nintendo DS. On the other hand, we have never abandoned the + Control Pad and buttons for our game systems because we think these functions are advantageous when creating highly reactive games. In this meaning, I do not think Nintendo hardware will take on any of the current tablet forms as they are without buttons, to make our game devices. However, this is only when we consider tablets as game devices and, for other purposes, I think tablets are very interesting, and they are a form of hardware that will continue to grow. - Satoru Iwata

We heard a little bit of this last week, but now we have the full statement in English. It’ll be interesting to see if these in-controller screen rumors are spot-on, and how Nintendo relates that to the tablet business.

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