So none of us are sure that the Nintendo Switch has touch capabilities yet as it was not featured in the reveal trailer. What was featured was Zelda BotW. When Nintendo showed off the Wii U version at E3 they made a point of stressing that the experience would be the same with the NS (NX at the time) version. The Wii U version quite obviously does not use the Gamepad's touchscreen in any meaningful way for controls. Could this be a sign that the NS lacks touchscreen input entirely?

If the NS did have touchscreen controls then both versions could find some use for them in game but we no that is not the case. Just my two cents.

probably no touch screen controls. as touch screen wastes battery. the sensor is always ON waiting for the next touch!

just like when you buy a laptop with a touch screen and the version without lasts 2x as long.

my Dell xps 13 with non touch screen gives me about 8-10 hrs. my wife has the touch verson and gets 4-7 averages.

Eh, it only really proves that BotW doesn't use the touchscreen as not all games on touchscreen systems use it. The main reason against NS having a touchscreen is that it'd be useless while docked.

NS has a multi-touch screen. The two largest leakers that were 100% right on NS have both stated they have multiple sources all absolutely validated that it is a multi-touch screen. This will be used while in tablet mode for apps/os/etc and maybe the rare game like mario maker, but not a normal game mechanic as all games need to work with docked as well. (mario maker will likely also work with motion-based pointers as the joy-con will surely work similar to wiimote-plus)

It doesn't prove anything, but it supports the claim that NS doesn't have a touch screen.

How would I touch the screen when its docked??
It may have a touch screen but it wont be used in any meaningful way for gaming because it cant be used when gaming on the TV.

The NS most likely doesn't have a touch screen, because it doesn't need it. The whole reason tablets and smart phones have touch screens is because they don't have buttons by design. The NS on the other hand does have buttons... tons of 'em, so there's no reason for touch functionality.

I mean really... why would you want to have completely unnecessary smudges and finger prints all over that gorgeous screen??? The NS is all about providing a "core" gaming experience in portable format... it's not trying to replace your other mobile devices, nor should it.  This was one of the main problems with the Wii U... it was trying to be a jack of all trades, but ended up mastering none.

It doesn't prove anything, most likely Switch has touch screen but mostly will not be used for games.

It would be a stupid move to not include a touch screen when that is going to be very usefull for menu's, the nintendo store and typing messages.

No, the gamepad is essentially not used because NS does not have 2 screens like the Wii U does. They don't want NS players to feel short changed.