THQ has revealed its latest peripheral, a graphic tablet for the Nintendo Wii. Dubbed uDraw, the tablet borrows heavily from the Wacom products often used by professional graphic artists. The tablet includes a painting game that offers various brushes and color palettes, as well as locals for inspiration, such as a study or mountaintop. These creations can then be saved to an SD memory card and shared on a computer.
During its 2010 holiday preview, THQ brought me behind closed doors to witness the tablet for the first time. They demonstrated the two announced games, Pictionary and Dood’s Big Adventure, and demonstrated a few levels of each. Pictionary is a re-imagining of the classic board game. In the game, one player draw images using the tablet while the others try to guess a keyword. Enhancements to the board game include the ability to select different brush and fill types, as well as use color. The countdown timer may also be adjusted.
Dood’s Big Adventure offers a colorful platformer. Players customize their Dood by drawing his face and painting his body. Dood’s world, such as the floating balloon animals, can also be colored to unlock special features and to bring creatures and objects to life. Players compete through a series of challenges using the uDraw tablet as a controller.
Both Pictionary and Dood’s Big Adventure will retail for $29.99, while the uDraw itself retails for $69.99 and includes the uDraw Studio software. All are expected to launch in time for the holidays, while future games can be expected in 2011.
