THQ uDraw GameTablet to Bring Drawing to the Wii

THQ's uDraw Tablet for the Nintendo Wii will let users draw, color, and manipulate art on screen...and will ship for $69.99 in time for the holidays.

Game publisher THQ has decided to get into the NIntendo Wii accessory business, announcing it plans to launch the uDraw GameTablet for the Wii in time for the end-of-year holiday season. The uDraw tablet docks with the standard Nintendo Wii remote, and offers a 4×6-inch drawing surface with a pressure-sensitive stylus that players can use to draw on screen and manipulate objects. The tablet draws power from the Wii remote, and also features tilt-and-roll sensors so players can control on-screen characters in standard games. However, the tablet’s real appeal will be enabling users to express their creativity by drawing and manipulating art on screen—and the tablet will ship with the game UDraw Studio to get folks started. Users can also save their work to SD cards, which can then be taken to computers or other devices for sharing and printing.

“We’ve designed the uDraw GameTablet to offer something for everyone: the kids can doodle, save their creations on an SD card and print their artwork for display on the refrigerator,” said THQ executive VP Martin Good, in a statement. “Students can improve their skills through in-game tutorial lessons. And the whole family can sit down together for family game time with products like Pictionary.”

In addition to UDraw Studio—which will ship with the device—THQ is planning to bring out Pictionary and Dood’s Big Adventure for play with the uDraw GamePad. (Dood’s Big Adventure features four gameplay modes and 60 levels where coloring books come alive, and user-created art appears in-game.)

THQ says the uDraw Gamepad will be available for a suggested price of $69.99 in time for the end-of-year holiday buying season. Pictionary and Dood’s Big Adventure will be available separately for $29.99 each.