New Wii system to feature touch-screen controller

Nintendo Co.’s upcoming Wii U game console will come with a touch-screen controller almost as big as the game console itself.

At first glance, that seems like an obstacle to the kind of casual multiplayer gaming that made the first Wii console such a breakout hit. But the company says the Wii U will also work with the cheaper, stick-like Wii controllers.

It will go on sale after the E3 gaming trade show in June. Nintendo hasn’t said what the package or an extra controller will cost. Touch screens are expensive, often accounting for nearly half of the cost of a phone or a tablet computer.

The Japanese company is giving some journalists hands-on time with the console on the sidelines of the International Consumer Electronics Show, which started Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Nintendo went against conventional wisdom with the original Wii in 2006. The console relied not on high-end graphics and complex buttons, but on simple motion controls to lure in all gamer types.