Udraw 360 Review

Just when you figure there couldn't possibly be any more crazy new peripherals coming out to clutter up your gaming space, a new one shows up. This one is a little different, though. The uDraw GameTablet from THQ is a touch sensitive art tablet that lets you draw and paint and more on your Xbox 360 and it works remarkably well. It won't replace a real drawing tablet for PC, of course, but for younger aspiring artists, it is a pretty solid place to start.Game Details Publisher: THQ Developer: THQ ESRB Rating: “E" for Everyone Genre: Art / Puzzle Pros: Tablet works well; lots to do with included Instant Artist game Cons: Not super precise

The uDraw GameTablet is a little wireless 10"x6" device with a 6"x3.5" touch pad in the middle. It also has a d-pad and A,B,X,Y buttons on the front. There is a stylus pen you use on the touch pad that has a springy tip, so you drag it lightly across the surface of the touch pad to see where your cursor is, and then press the tip down to actually draw. It is pressure sensitive, so the harder or softer your push the darker or lighter your lines will be. You can also use your fingers on the touch pad, if you want, and it even uses the "pinch to zoom" motions you find on smart phones these days. The tablet also has gyroscopes in it, so you can pick it up and move it around and those motions are translated into games. It is all pretty cool. It should be obvious, but this is not an iPad-style tablet with a display screen. It is just a touch pad that transfers what you draw to your Xbox 360.

uDraw Instant Artist

For $80 you get the uDraw Gametablet along with a game called uDraw Studio: Instant Artist. It requires three "AA" batteries, which are not included. The Instant Artist game offers a surprisingly large selection of things to do. You can play through art lessons to learn how to draw and paint better as well as freely draw whatever you want using a wide range of techniques on a lot of different surface textures. You can then upload your custom artwork to the uDraw community website to easily share it with friends and family. It also has some minigame-type activities like coloring books, paint by numbers, a game where you roll a paint ball around using the motion controls, and a lot more.

Other uDraw Games

Launching alongside the uDraw Gametablet hardware are two other games you can buy separately. uDraw Pictionary: Ultimate Edition, and uDraw Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic Combat. We didn't get a chance to try these titles out, but it is good to know there is support for the uDraw tablet beyond the game that comes with the unit. Considering how well the Wii uDraw has been supported since it launched in 2010, we don't expect the 360 version to just be quickly forgotten. You can buy with confidence that it won't be a 1-and-done $80 paperweight you won't use again. THQ couldn't give us specifics on anything, but there will be more titles coming in 2012.

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