The Raspberry Pi Foundation today announced a touchscreen display for the small computer, on sale for $60 (or £48 in the UK).

The display has an 800×480 resolution, 10-finger capacitive touch capability, and an adapter board that is used both to power the display and connect to the Raspberry Pi with a DSI ribbon cable. Using DSI keeps the Pi's HDMI port free, so people can use both the small touchscreen display and a big monitor or TV simultaneously. Some assembly is required, but later versions will come fully assembled.

Raspberry Pi evangelist Matt Richardson demonstrated using the touchscreen to control the Pi's GPIO:

"A range of educational software and programs available on the Raspberry Pi will be touch enabled, making learning and programming easier," the Pi Foundation promised. "Internet of Things" and home automation projects will also be ideal for the new display, the foundation said.

The touch display requires the latest version of the Raspbian operating system, and it is compatible with the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, the Model B+, and Model A+.

Earlier versions of the Pi can also work with the display, but with limitations. "The display will technically work with the Model A and Model B boards (connecting it to the DSI port on the Pi board), however the mounting holes on the back of the display will only line up with the newer board design (A+, B+ and Pi2)," the product page says.

Pi hardware is sold separately, with the various versions costing between $20 and $35. The computer first became available in 2012 and quickly gained popularity among developers, hobbyists, and educators, selling millions of devices.