The Gametablet sells for $80 and comes with the Tablet and the uDraw Studio software. These items are well packaged, and upon opening the box you will also discover a quick start guide with a few simple pictorial-steps to get you going. The Tablet itself is nearly the same size as an original iPad — it’s the same length in fact, but about 1.5″ less on width and roughly twice as thick. The Gametablet is very comfortable to hold, due largely in part to finger grooves located on either edge of the Tablet. It’s also very light, weighing significantly less than an iPad.
Comfortable to use, and it looks good — the all black finish looks like something as sleek and prestigious as an actual Sony product. It is of course an officially licensed Sony product, as such includes a PS button, although it operates a little bit differently than the PS button on your PS3 controller. This is due to the fact that the controller cannot be turned off by the PS3 (there is a slider switch I’ll discuss shortly) and it is also not able to turn the PS3 on. You can, however, control the XMB and turn off the system via this PS button.
Anyway, getting back to the Tablet’s appearance now. When held ‘landscape style’, which is the primary orientation for the current uDraw games, an embedded UDraw logo is along the bottom edge, and it looks cool. On the upper left corner are the d-pad buttons, the PS button, and four red lights that indicate what controller assignment the uDraw has (usually the first or second light will be lit). Then along the type is where the stylus is stored. On the upper right side, the standard PS face buttons are in place and accessible. Of course the biggest area in the middle is the drawing space.
On the back side of the unit, the battery compartment (three AA batteries, not included) is easily accessed via a sliding door. The 2.4Ghz USB transceiver is stored here too when not plugged into the PS3. It’s the size of a standard pen or jump drive, and I loved how THQ made a secure, reliable place to store the little thing. Further down from this compartment is the On/Off switch, which is a stiff slider switch that is easy to operate when you want to and nigh impossible to operate accidentally. Next to that is the Link button, which is well positioned towards the middle of the Tablet making it easy to use when you intend to, and not otherwise.
Getting the Gametablet operational with your PS3 is a snap. The quick start guide just show pictures, no text, because setup is just that easy. Simply power on your PS3, plug in your wireless USB dongle if it’s not already inserted, and then slide the Tablet’s switch to On. Press the button on the dongle to have it attempt to link, and also press the Link button on the Tablet. Barring very unusual 2.4Ghz conditions in your playing area — viola, two seconds, and your good to go. You can now control your PS3 with the Tablet by using the d-pad and the face buttons.
Right now there are three uDraw Gametablet compatible games available. One comes with the Tablet, the other is Pictionary Ultimate Edition, and then there is Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic Combat by Griptonite Games. For this review, I will be examining solely the uDraw Studio software that comes with the Tablet, but check my other reviews this week for the other titles. That said, the uDraw Studio is actually pretty cool and a great way to start using the Tablet. Within uDraw Studio, you’re free to draw whatever you’d like using a variety of tools and types of material. Think of it as Microsoft Paint, basically, but with a far more engaging interface.
Drawing random stuff is cool and all, and it’s good that you can save and export your work as well. But, unless you’re really into drawing, it may not be very useful for long. Fortunately, a couple of other modes are included that are compelling. Art School features Remmy, an animated character who offers a variety of drawing lessons. Each lesson is split into multiple steps that you can cycle back and forth between at your leisure. Remmy instructs you on things like drawing a tomato with appropriate shading, facial expressions, and quite a few more. I thought the presentation of these lessons was nicely done. Remmy is interesting enough for adults and kids, and each step is explained clearly and thoroughly. Better still is how when it’s your turn to draw, a small picture-in-picture view of your goal is displayed every few seconds. This is a far better solution than having to pause the game and leave the drawing screen to view the lesson step over again. Always respecting the ability to draw but never one to draw very good myself, the Art School mode has turned into the most interesting for and it’s given me a sort of renewed appreciation for drawing.
Another mode called Art Camp expands upon the experience by offering up several activities. There are two hundred ‘coloring book’ images that you can color and share, and also a dot-drawing mode where you draw a line between numbered dots to reveal an image (it sure has been a long time since I did that with pen and paper!). The Number Paint activity is more slowly paced but is also a ‘reveal’ activity. Two other activities, Tilt Maze and Alien Splat, are more traditional games. Tilt Maze has you guiding a paint ball through a maze, which you must complete before the paint runs out, meaning you can’t make many wrong path choices. Alien Splat has you tapping your stylus all over the drawing board to squash aliens. Both are decent distractions if you want to take a break from painting, but these are likely to be more appealing to children.
In conclusion, regarding the software, it’s pretty darn cool. The additional modes provide some interesting alternatives to an otherwise blank canvas that would eventually wear out even the most eager up-and-coming artist. I should point out how impressed I am with the toolbox at your disposal though, and the other nice benefits such as the control layout (being able to zoom in and out with up and down on the d-pad was very natural and handy) and the replay option. Believe it or not, it’s actually pretty fun to complete a drawing and then use the Replay tool to go back and see how you got to the final product. Suffice it to say that there are enough actual drawing tools here to satisfy anyone.
As far as the price, $80 may sound like a lot, but I first thought the same thing about Activision’s Skylanders game. Then I played it. After that, I was thoroughly impressed, and while a very different product, the Gametablet illicts the same feelings from me. It’s a well designed piece of hardware that feels, looks, and most importantly, works great, all the time. And while intended primarily for a younger audience, there’s a lot of value for adults as well. I’m impressed with the present, I just hope that THQ can keep pumping out compelling software for the Tablet going forward. If they can do that, and time will tell, then I would be apt to call it one of the most have accessories of this gen.
To the summary…