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Microsoft Surface

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  • Irreal
  • bzra
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    bzra polycounter lvl 12
    I read that the pro version, the one with the stylus, will be priced comparable to "ultrabooks" so $1400 and up.

    Ultrabooks are cheaper than that. I can't see the pro selling well if MS goes for that price...
  • jonatanl
    aesir wrote: »
    Yes, but you can't just add on a wacom stylus to whatever you want. It needs special shit going on in the screen.

    Well fucking said haha
  • Thegodzero
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    Thegodzero polycounter lvl 18
    Irreal,
    That was the most impressive save i have ever seen! It was like watching someone causally dodge being hit by a car while having a conversation.
  • Jeff Parrott
  • stoofoo
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    stoofoo polycounter lvl 18
    I've got a series 7 slate from samsum and im hella happy with it. But I'll definitely be upgrading to a surface(unless samsumg 1 ups them before release). Having a beefy slate is actually so nice to just sit around and doodle on.
  • schneller
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    schneller polygon
    Looks like MS officially announced specs and pricing on the Surface Pro:

    http://www.microsoft.com/Surface/en-US/surface-with-windows-8-pro/home

    They still don't mention any pressure sensitivity or Wacom Digitizer though. On the upside, it's a few hundred bucks cheaper than the Series 7 Slate.
  • stoofoo
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    stoofoo polycounter lvl 18
    Seems like ill be repurchasing a samsung slate even though the design is so much better on the surface. specs just not up to the task.=(
  • stoofoo
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    stoofoo polycounter lvl 18
    Wait, maybe I lied. It's dual core or no?
  • oXYnary
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    oXYnary polycounter lvl 18
    Not sure it does have the 4000 igp which normally is on i7 mostly. Most i5s come with the 2500. But it is supposedly an ultra book i5.

    FWIW. The next year gen of I series igp performance is supposedly going to be 2X the current gen. Which means it might even be good enough to do like 3d coat or Mudbox.

    To bad no one offers a APU tablet.
  • stoofoo
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    stoofoo polycounter lvl 18
    drew you seem to forget that i could not care about 3d coat even one bit. heh.

    Decided im going to get the ativ pro if it is ever in stuck any fucking where. I'll upgrade to the larger format surface that will come out some time later next year instead.
  • oXYnary
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    oXYnary polycounter lvl 18
    So MS friend and engadget have confirmed its wacom tech. No idea on pressure levels.
  • Dataday
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    Dataday polycounter lvl 8
    The Lenovo Thinkpad Helix is also worth checking out.

    http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/lenovo-thinkpad-helix-1123323/review


    I really like the Sony Vio duo and its design factor, too bad they chose to go with n-trig for the pen digitizer, which means its a no go for art.
  • stoofoo
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    stoofoo polycounter lvl 18
    ( i bought the ativ pro and am happy with it. Though it took forever and now the surface is right around the corner. gah!)
  • Phoenix995
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    Phoenix995 polycounter
    soooo anyone has it already and can talk about photoshop and zbrush?
  • Quickel
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    Quickel polycounter lvl 12
    I have done a lot of research on the subject and I wanted to share MY experience so far for those that are on the fence. I was originally going to opt for the Surface Pro but ultimately chose to get the Asus Taichi and so far I'm not upset about it at all.

    The Surface Pro is about an inch smaller. This inch does make a bit of a difference, especially at 1080. But I used the ativ 700 alongside an RT 10 inch tablet a few months ago and I was surprised by the difference between the 10 inch and the 11.6.

    I personally couldn't work with the keyboard or kickstand feature of the Surface Pro. I sit with my device on the couch and on the floor and in bed. I use other apps other than art apps as I assume a lot of you will do. I wanted something more sturdy and laptop like.

    I also did want something slimmer and I really don't like to spend a lot of money when I can help it...unless I think it's worth it. And the 150 bucks extra to go from the Pro to the Taichi was, in my opinion, worth it.

    For the ones who take issue with N-Trig, which is what the Sony Vaio Duo 11 and the Taichi have, I have been using in Sketchbook Pro and some basic stuff in Zbrush and you CAN do art with it just fine. I'm really not sure what the fuss is about. I used the ativ 700 for a little and the Taichi (Wacom vs. N-trig) and their both about equal in my opinion. Photoshop pressure sensitivty isn't working yet but N-Trig told me to expect it in their latest Taichi driver next week. I'll sketch in Sketchbook Pro any day over PS though.

    I chose not to go with the ativ 700 Pro because of the keyboard issues which many have complained about and the fact that it's a more plastic-based device. And not as sexy.

    I chose not to go with the Duo (even though it had more RAM) because, again, I use it for other things like typing and stuff and maybe people complained about the size of the keyboard and the lack of trackpad.

    Lastly, I do want to point out that with most of these devices, you will need some sort of keyboard or keyboard device. One issue I'm currently trying to work around is ZBrush...since it requires you to hold "Shift" down to smooth, for example, the touchscreen keyboards do not support this interactivity. I have also tried bluetooth virtual keyboards from devices like my phone onto the screen and they do not work either. It definitely has something to do with the Shift key being continuously pressed vs. another key being just pressed once and registering. For example, my phone with the virtual keyboard allowed me to hit the "B" key to bring up the brush palette just fine. So in that regards the Taichi has it's limitations in that the keyboard is not exposed on the touchscreen side. So I'll either buy a small keyboard or one of those programmable mice. Unless anyone else has a suggestion.

    So that's what I know...
  • nstine
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    nstine polycounter lvl 5
    From what I have heard thus far there is not a working Wacom driver for the surface pro yet. This means no pressure sensitivity in Photoshop/zbrush yet, but it will have sensitivity in sketchbook and a few other programs.

    EDIT: Quickel, the on-screen keyboard will let you hold shift down but you have to first enable the standard keyboard layout from the settings. Open the charms bar -> settings -> change pc settings -> General -> Touch Keyboard -> enable Make standard keyboard layout available. Then you have to switch the on-screen keyboard layout to the standard key board layout by clicking on the icon on the bottom right of the on-screen keyboard and choose the standard layout.

    Once that is done you should be able to tap the shift key and it will stay locked until your press it again.

    That said, I would recommend you look into the program Art Dock. It is a free program that adds a customizable on-screen keyboard that is designed to be used with photoshop, zbrush, 3ds max, maya and etc. For me it has eliminated most of my need for a keyboard and any time I do need one I can just use the standard on-screen keyboard.
  • Quickel
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    Quickel polycounter lvl 12
    I'll have to check out those settings. From what I read Art Dock was only for the Slate 7 and EP121 and had issues with Windows 8. So I figured it wouldn't even work with my device?

    BTW, your suggestion on the windows layout worked - so glad to have a solution that works somewhat. Now I just have to figure out if I can make the keyboard interface smaller.
  • nstine
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    nstine polycounter lvl 5
    That is true, it is designed for the SS7 and the EP121. I personally have the SS7 and it works just fine for me in Windows 8 except you can't disable the touch screen like you could in Windows 7 (this disabled the touch screen everywhere except for the art dock itself which was a great way around bad palm rejection, now I just wear my smudgeguard when I'm working).

    I suppose it may need to be updated to work with some of the newer Windows 8 tablets. Hopefully the developer will update it. Still it might be worth keeping your eye on it as it really is quite useful. I love being able to configure the buttons to do whatever I need them to, and this is especially important if you use hotkeys that are different than the standard/whatever hotkeys the developer uses.

    I'm glad the keyboard layout switch worked for you. Unfortunately I'm not aware of a way to change the keyboard size aside from switching between windowed and non-windowed views.
  • cptSwing
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    cptSwing polycounter lvl 11
    I'm pretty excited about the Surface Pro, even though it's battery life won't be all that great. I'll have to wait and see when they release them here in Germany though (and whether they just convert the USD to Euro, 1:1)..
  • Blaizer
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    Blaizer polycounter
    3rd Gen Intel Core i5 Processor with Intel HD Graphics 4000
    4GB RAM—Dual Channel Memory
    Sounds like a i5 35xx for me, and that's pretty good. My HTPC runs on a i5 3570k and the intel graphics are quite good.

    edit: the price is a bad joke... 900 euro is insane, with that amount of money i buy a i7 3770k with a 660ti oc and one of the new touch monitors.
  • crazyfool
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    crazyfool polycounter lvl 13
    I was really interested in a surface but I opted for the Samsung ATIV smart PC Pro and it rocks, Ive done all my art jam stuff on it and its just fantastic to sit on the sofa and relax whilst doodling, The artdock works great on windows 8 aswell even though its not designed for it, so you dont need the keyboard that much. 4gb of ram means zbrush and photoshop run really well. The screen resolution is amazing too

    the negatives are,

    -tiny 64gb hard drive (but it is ssd, and it has a micro sd slot which I use for everything non system based, 32gb for £13 so its not too bad).

    - battery life is 6 hours so it does need charging alot.

    - slight delay on first touch with the digitiser pen in zbrush, so a stroke will start ever so slightly late which isnt a big deal once you are used to it, gonna look at zbrushes settings for this though

    - Pricey!!! I paid just under a grand for it :(


    I think these hybrid tablet/laptops are fantastic for mucking about on the sofa and relaxing but I would not replace my desktop with one. For me its given me a new found love for personal art as its just so much more accessible.
  • nstine
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    nstine polycounter lvl 5
    Blaizer wrote: »
    Sounds like a i5 35xx for me, and that's pretty good. My HTPC runs on a i5 3570k and the intel graphics are quite good.

    edit: the price is a bad joke... 900 euro is insane, with that amount of money i buy a i7 3770k with a 660ti oc and one of the new touch monitors.

    While the price is fairly high I don't think it is overpriced. It is priced similar to ultrabooks with comparable specs such as the MacBook air, Asus Zenbook, Acer S7 and etc. It is also only slightly more expensive than the 128 gb Ipad with wifi only, but you get a full desktop OS with support for legacy programs and a built in Wacom digitizer making it basically a portable Cintiq. Hell, the Cintiq 12wx is $999 and it is just a monitor and it is less portable than the Surface Pro.
  • Blaizer
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    Blaizer polycounter
    The gadget is quite small, and imho it's super overpriced for what it offers. Like too many people, i won't pay 1000+ euros for a tablet with 128gb ssd and a low profile i5 using its integrated card, and for what? for using the new ms office on a ultra small screen at 1080p? for viewing images?

    If someone will use it 6h per day... it may be good for them. But for the average user, this gadget is a huge waste of money. BTW, the price is super bloated. The pro version does not cost 1000 euro :), they want to earn a lot with this.

    The battery life is a joke aswell.
  • oXYnary
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    oXYnary polycounter lvl 18
    Aug Blazier, such a Negative Nelly.

    That being said I recommend waiting for 2nd generation. The new cores coming out in July will be more effecient and the gpu ~2x as powerful. I don't know if Intel is releasing a new chipset near the same time, but, ddr4 is around the corner. Not only is it faster BUT is takes less voltage.

    Those combined should make tablets that are not only faster, but have more battery life.
  • flaagan
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    flaagan polycounter lvl 18
    So how well will the pro 128 gig handle Photoshop and 3ds Max (and I guess Unity and Zbrush)? Wouldn't mind a portable workstation like that. Seeing as you can pretty much double it's capacity with a microSD card (good way to store project files, too), if the system's capable it'd be pretty cool.
  • moose
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    moose polycount sponsor
    I played with a Surface Pro over the weekend, tho it was a demo model and didn't have art-programs installed, it feels really nice. I kinda want one, but would need to give photoshop/artrage/etc a shot before considering it.

    The keyboard i used (flap thingie) is awful, but maybe it was a bad model? Dunno. Can you plug a mouse into these things?

    either way, the surface pro definitely changed my mind on tablets, in the brief time i used it.
  • aesir
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    aesir polycounter lvl 18
    Anyone else read Gabe from Penny-Arcades review of the surface? http://www.penny-arcade.com/2013/02/25/the-ms-surface-pro

    It's nice to have a review from an artist's viewpoint.

    However, it can't run photoshop with pressure sensitivity? Surely that's proof that it's just going to be yet another conflict become wacom's drivers and window's shitty tablet software.

    Honestly, if the pressure sensitivity worked, I'd be sold.
  • Kurt Russell Fan Club
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    Kurt Russell Fan Club polycounter lvl 9
    I read that review a few days ago and told my partner about it straight away :) You know, birthday's coming up...

    I am okay with it not working with PS so long as the sensitivity works with *something* so far, and will surely work with more as time goes on. That it's an actual PC and not some restrictive sandbox like an iPad makes it way, way more attractive.
  • Phoenix995
  • Dataday
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    Dataday polycounter lvl 8
    great ill dl it right now and see how well it works.


    Add: Works great. Surface pro now has pressure feedback. Felt very natural.
  • leslievdb
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    leslievdb polycounter lvl 15
    ah finally a tablet with proper pressure sensitivity? color me interested
  • ambershee
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    ambershee polycounter lvl 17
    Pressure sensitivity is a great addition - I still think they're a bit expensive, but it all depends on how much use you think you'll get out of it :)
  • cptSwing
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    cptSwing polycounter lvl 11
    Still not even available in Europe.. and there's talk of a new generation upcoming. Wtf, Microsoft.
  • Drav
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    Drav polycounter lvl 9
    Ye Im waiting now for the Haswell versions.

    And not out in europe.....the surface has never been about mass sales success. Imo, its been about hype to get other manufacturers to release windows tablets. Likewise, if its really good, Microsoft have to restrict its availability, or Samsung, HP, Lenovo etc will get pissed off that no one is buying their tablets....

    Thats being said, Im watching closely to see the next gen of this with haswell, although the tablet for graphics market is getting quite interesting atm, with Wacom wanting to get in, and lenovo wireless tablet monitors.

    Im particularly interested in the lenovo, as you can sit on your sofa, and have the power of a desktop running through a wireless screen with pen. Very cool idea, undoubtedly the futre for home tablets, though remains to be seen whether its any good in the first iteration
  • moose
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    moose polycount sponsor
    TeeJay wrote: »
    It'd be awesome to get a video review/rundown of ZBrush/Photoshop (and a 3D app too I suppose, with the keyboard/touchscreen) from someone who actually uses those apps regularly and how good/bad they work on the surface.

    Got mine today, installed photoshop and the drivers - it works great! Going to see if I have an extra zbrush key and install it. So far Photoshop is really nice. There are some quirks, where pinch zooming doesn't work, but panning does. Sometimes it reads your hand when the pen is away from the screen. I rely heavily on the keyboard too, so having one attached is a little annoying, but it supports bluetooth, going to try it with one from home.

    its responsive and fast! Will try to get a video together once I set up the UIs, get zbrush on, etc.
  • Dataday
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    Dataday polycounter lvl 8
    moose wrote: »
    Got mine today, installed photoshop and the drivers - it works great! Going to see if I have an extra zbrush key and install it. So far Photoshop is really nice. There are some quirks, where pinch zooming doesn't work, but panning does. Sometimes it reads your hand when the pen is away from the screen. I rely heavily on the keyboard too, so having one attached is a little annoying, but it supports bluetooth, going to try it with one from home.

    its responsive and fast! Will try to get a video together once I set up the UIs, get zbrush on, etc.

    Get yourself an axiotron pen if you plan on doing art with it. The stock pens are pretty junky and dont feel as good.

    [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Penabled-Tablet-Pc-Eraser-Pen/dp/B000085BDB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368558964&sr=8-1&keywords=axiotron"]Amazon.com: Penabled Tablet Pc Eraser Pen: Electronics[/ame]

    also check out this thread for surface compatible pens..
    http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/microsoft/55416-tabletpc-compatible-wacom-pens-work-surface-pro.html
  • moose
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    moose polycount sponsor
    coolness, thanks! I don't have a problem with the pen right now. Honestly my biggest problem has been Windows 8. Not sure what they were thinking with that one... read an article about them wanting to go back on some of the changes they made, which would be smart.
  • Dataday
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    Dataday polycounter lvl 8
    moose wrote: »
    coolness, thanks! I don't have a problem with the pen right now. Honestly my biggest problem has been Windows 8. Not sure what they were thinking with that one... read an article about them wanting to go back on some of the changes they made, which would be smart.

    What I did to fix the windows 8 problem, for the most part anyway, was install classic shell.

    It turns 8 into 7 ..or close enough. http://www.classicshell.net/
  • cptSwing
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    cptSwing polycounter lvl 11
    Just to add to this thread.. according to a user on the Autodesk Area, Mudbox does not work with Surface Pro, at all. Probably no support for Intel HD* graphics hardware.

    :/
  • ambershee
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    ambershee polycounter lvl 17
    It's a real shame they didn't put a GPU worth a damn in it :/
  • cptSwing
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    cptSwing polycounter lvl 11
    And that Autodesk doesn't feel like updating Mudbox for HD4000's. Zbrush seems to work fine.

    The HD4000 is standard fare for all windows tablets I've seen to date, unfortunately. Haswell's next gen is heaps better apparently, not clear whether it'll be on the really-really-low-TDP Haswell variants, though..
  • IchII3D
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    IchII3D polycounter lvl 12
    The UK release date is in a week, I'm really tempted to get one. But all this talk of Haswell been right around the corner has me worried... I really wouldn't want to end up waiting a year. Really annoying and don't know what to do!

    http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/surface-2-what-microsoft-s-reddit-q-lls-us-about-the-next-surface-tablet-1129998
    On 2 May, we heard that the Surface 2 could be released as early as June, at the Build Developer Conference. The tip comes from supply chain sources who spoke to Digitimes. And echoing Microsoft's mid-April comments, the same sources said that the new Surface tablets would come with smaller 7-inch to 9-inch displays.
  • Mathew O
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    Mathew O polycounter
    Wow if this really works well then I may have to replace the ol ipad with this for my train journeys, this sounds great :D
  • cptSwing
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    cptSwing polycounter lvl 11
    I'm undecided as well. Chances are we won't be seeing tablets with Haswell (U) up until Q4 though. And MS seem to be going down in screen size for their next generation of Surface tablets (7-9"), which is a move I'm not too happy with.
  • IchII3D
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    IchII3D polycounter lvl 12
    cptSwing wrote: »
    I'm undecided as well. Chances are we won't be seeing tablets with Haswell (U) up until Q4 though. And MS seem to be going down in screen size for their next generation of Surface tablets (7-9"), which is a move I'm not too happy with.

    Yeah really good points, even then if you sell your device a month or so before the new one comes out you won't lose to much money. Assuming that is the new one is better.

    I found this article and after reading it things really started to fall into place.

    http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/tablets/microsoft-surface-2-june-reveal-rumoured-7-inch-and-9-inch-models-incoming-1148544
    t's been rumoured that the next Surface will be very gaming-focused, and if the new announcement does happen this June, it will be in the same window at the new Xbox reveal on May 21.

    The Surface Pro can already run pretty much 360 graphics (very close but not there yet), making all current gen games compatible (lags a little). You might have some problems here and there. But It sounds like Surface 2 will pretty much be a portable 360, then you got smart glass etc...

    Microsoft has had there issues with Windows 8 but I can really see there strategies starting to come together in the next year.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbyWq8jPTxM"]Batman Arkham City using Xbox Controller on the Surface Pro - YouTube[/ame]
  • cptSwing
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    cptSwing polycounter lvl 11
    ^ That's pretty impressive. Didn't know it was that capable. All the more reason for Autodesk to fix Mudbox ;)


    The gaming focus - while it might point to better specs, on the other hand gamers don't have much need for a pressure-sensitve pen. And again.. 7" I'm not too excited about. Come June we'll be all the wiser I suppose.


    There's also the Thinkpad Helix by Lenovo.. https://www.lenovo.com/products/us/tablet/thinkpad/thinkpad-helix/ , configurable up to 8GB Ram and with a slightly bigger screen. Plus it has a neat dock/battery thing. Damn is it going to be expensive though.
  • IchII3D
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    IchII3D polycounter lvl 12
    I think one of the main reasons Surface exists is to push out the Windows platform onto tablets. I think because of this you get a little more bang for buck. If you look at the power and price compared to other tablets/ultra book solutions its fairly competitive. Although it will always be slightly more expensive because of its size, portability etc... But once the ball gets rolling if Microsoft aren't making a ton of cash on the Surface I would anticipate them to slow down and let third parties take over.
  • TelekineticFrog
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    TelekineticFrog polycounter lvl 18
    I went and bought myself a 128gb Surface Pro today from the Microsoft Store. Since it is windows based, first thing I did out of the box was install AVG Anti Virus and then Malwarebytes Pro. Gotta keep the internet STDs at bay. hehe ;) Then I installed the new Wacom driver and adjusted a few settings. Installed Photoshop CS5 and began to paint. It is awesome! No lag, cursor is just as close as my cintiq to the nib and the pressure sensitivity works like a charm. I now have no excuse to not paint textures or sketch when not near a desktop pc. I can now sit outside and paint in the sun. Hooray! :D Haven't tried ZBrush yet, but I suspect it will be the same experience.
  • DrunkShaman
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    DrunkShaman polycounter lvl 14
    I going to keep an eye on this thread. So far there has been issues with the pressure sensitivity, so I have to request one of you who own surface pro (possibly: TelekineticFrog) to try Zbrush out (since you have the driver installed) and give a thorough review upon the pressure sensitivity.

    Until then I will persuade in saving up for Lenovo Thinkpad X230t Convertible. Although, I am waiting on someone who uses Zbrush 4r5 to give a thorough review on that as well.
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