uDraw Studio Instant Artist
© 2011 THQ, Inc.
Last year we reviewed the uDraw tablet for the Nintendo Wii (CTR, Dec 10). Conceptually we liked the idea of turning your HD screen into a giant easel, but we found the interface to be slightly clunky, with a slight lag in the drawing (you might recall that you snap your Wii Remote into the device). Not anymore. The Xbox 360 version of Instant Artist, the title that comes bundled with the $80 uDraw game tablet package, feels much more responsive and the mono-touch stylus glides across the 3 x 6 inch surface, nicely replicating an artist's easel. While the interface can be confusing to the first time user, you soon learn how to customize the interface so you can make some powerful drawings. Note that there's a similar package for the PS3 that we did not test. All the drawing basics are included -- pencils, brushes, chalk and charcoals, and an infinite number of colors. You can easily fill or undo with one button, and a redraw feature lets you review your painting, as you drew it. A smart pallet system remembers your most frequently used colors and tools. One important weakness -- there is no pressure sensitivity; an important feature for any drawing program. We also didn't like the looping new age background music, although this can be turned down in the control panel. Other content includes an art school with 15 tutorials on such things as perspectives and shading. Projects can be saved online or to an SD card. uDraw Studio: Instant Artist comes bundled with the uDraw GameTablets for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 ($80), as well as individually for the Wii uDraw ($30). Visit www.worldofudraw.com for more information.
$80, Xbox 360*, PlayStation 3, Wii
Teaches: art
CTR Rating: 90%