On using a Wacom tablet for gaming

[Ylurien]

I realize this may strike many of you as very odd, but I am interested in hearing from people who have used a Wacom tablet for gaming. I have heard of the ergonomic benefits of using a pen as opposed to a mouse (I have mild RSI) and am wondering about the general experience of playing RTSs and FPSs with such a device.

I am wondering about the following points in particular:

1. How does pointer latency compare to using a mouse (is there a noticeable delay in moving the cursor around on the screen)?

2. For a 22" monitor @ 1920x1080, what size tablet would you recommend? I am looking at the Bamboo Fun Medium but am wondering if this is bigger than needed...

3. How much pressure needs to be applied to "click"? Is it just as light as merely making contact with the surface of the tablet with the tip of the pen?

 

[mmntech]

I'd assume it's not much of a leap from a trackpad. It works for the Nintendo DS, but the software is designed for it. With PC not so much. Mouse will always trump all in FPS games.

 

[digitaldurandal]

Is this a serious post? I would think that you probably could find some games playable in single player at low difficulties.

I am unsure how you would use a keyboard though, you have to press wasd to move around. I think you would be better off with a controller. Why not get a xbox360.

 

[CottonRabbit]

Latency and click sensitivity aren't an issue on a tablet. Tablets actually work for simple point and click games like World of Goo. However, RTS and FPS games don't work well. You can't multitask quickly enough, and FPS games read the input like a trackpad.

 

[Ylurien]

LOL yes this is a serious post. What I am referring to is of course still using the keyboard (WASD or ESDF) for movement and then using the tablet in place of the mouse.

It's videos like these that prompted me to even start thinking about the idea of playing games with a pen in the first place:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsUFGe5sgpk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYj7JJc1hdQ

To CottonRabbit: What do you mean by you can't multitask quickly enough? I have read that moving around with a pen is even faster than with a mouse.

The only thing that would seem tricky is right clicking: it seems like using your thumb to hit the right click button on the pen so often in an RTS would get to be a chore, and even painful over the long term.

But looking at this issue from the perspective of someone with RSI, couldn't you guys see the potential benefits of being able to move a cursor with a pen instead of a mouse?

 

[T101]

Pen is faster than a mouse when you move it, but accuracy is difficult. Wacoms are made for fine small movements and quick movement. However, accuracy is way more difficult than moving a mouse to the right place. I use one for photoshop, but as for gaming, well, it is just too sensitive, and it is to difficult to hit the exact spot you need to by just putting down the pen. You will have adjust with small movements to find the location you need to put the pointer, which is why it is slower than a mouse.
It is NOTHING like a trackpad, that I can assure you.

 

[Ylurien]

T101: I think you may be referring to using the tablet in "pen mode" or "absolute mode". I have heard that using the tablet in "mouse mode", a.k.a. relative mode is the preferred way for applications outside of Photoshop.

Mouse mode seems like the way to go with games.