Japanese newspaper re-affirms recent Project Café controller rumours

Whilst we can await Nintendo’s E3 Media Presentation next Tuesday to provide the first concrete details regarding the firm’s successor to the Wii system, today Japanese newspaper Nikkei has re-affirmed previous rumours surrounding the controller for the forthcoming console.

The newspaper, translated by Andriasang, claims that the controller will feature a six-inch touchscreen which will provide tablet-like controls to games, with an example explaining that players are able to tap the touch panel to control on-screen characters. The controller itself is also able to be used as a portable gaming machine.

Further to this, the controller will include a built-in rechargeable battery and also features a camera that may be used for a variety of play opportunities, such as making an avatar of yourself for use in-game.

Finally, Nikkei state that the Wii successor could be released as early as mid-2012.

As always, I’d hold out for official confirmation from Nintendo – something that we won’t have to wait long for with the company’s E3 Media Presentation due to be held on Tuesday 7th June at 09:00am PDT/12:00pm EDT at the Nokia Theatre, with fans able to view it in entirety via an official livestream.

[Thanks, Andriasang]