Nintendo EAD's Katsuya Eguchi says he hopes third-party developers only make use of the Wii U's touchscreen if it "makes sense" for the title they're working on.

Click to view larger image Speaking in the latest issue of Edge, which is arriving with subscribers now and features an 8-page Wii U cover feature, Eguchi all but confirms developers aren't required to make use of the innovative screen - just like 3DS devs don't have to use 3D.

"I don't think it's necessary for any and all developers working on software for the Wii U to make use of all of its features, including the touchscreen," Eguschi-san told Edge.

"Regardless of whether it's a Nintendo developer or a third-party developer, if it makes sense for the game to make use of the touchscreen, I hope they take advantage of that. If it doesn't, I hope they don't.

"But it is one of the unique offerings among all of the consoles available out there, so if it does give a distinct flavour to the Nintendo version of a game, then I hope they utilise that to its fullest."

In the same interview Eguchi said Nintendo's very happy and excited about the first-person shooter possibilities on Wii U.