Surface Pro: Wacom-like stylus/abilities for Photoshop?

[nibunnoichi]

This video shows that writing is possible on the Surface Pro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH304FfsGA4

But does anyone know if the Surface Pro will have pressure-sensitive stylus support, so that it can effectively eliminate the need for a Wacom tablet for doing advanced Photoshop work?

This would be a huge thing for me (and other digital artists I would imagine).

 

[dagamer34]

Does any stylus digitizer not have pressure support? It would be a pretty weird feature to leave out.

 

[destrekor]

Especially for advanced graphics work, it will need more than just generic pressure-sensitivity; how about 512 levels of pressure?

I think I'd definitely buy one - I got a Wacom tablet to mess around with (I'm not a graphics professional by any means, not even much of an artist), but I find it worthless as I can't effectively adapt to "draw on tablet, look at screen", and the Wacom Cintiq approach (draw on large screen) is just too damn pricey.

Top of the line Wacom products offer 2048 levels with 50 or 60º tilt sensitivity. Give us a 512 or 1024 level (with some tilt sensitivity) digitizer+pen combo on a full-fledged Windows 8 (x86) tablet/notebook hybrid... I'd be sold. I want the latter half of all that anyhow, throw a terrific digitizer into the package, I might even stand in a line for it.

 

[RobDickinson]

Samsungs s-pen (aka on the win8 ativ pc pro) can do 1024 pressure levels, assuming the surface pro is similar.

 

[luv2liv]

would be nice to have pressure and tilt sensitivity as the Intuos tablet im using.
but i highly doubt they squeezed the tech into a 1k tablet. maybe for $2,000 they would.
heres a tablet PC from Lenovo back in the days that recognized handwriting but no mention of pressure anywhere in the review
http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/showthread.php?35861-Lenovo-X61-Tablet-PC-Review-by-kurttg

 

[podspi]

Wacom does pressure on the pen, not the screen. So it might be possible to get a more accurate pen, yes? I am trying to remember (but can't) whether my sister's fancy Wacom pen worked with my Tablet PC, which came with a really junky pen (not many levels at all, but it works for me since I was just taking notes).

 

[Zaap]

My Motion Computing LE1600 has a Wacom pen with 256 levels of sensitivity, and I'm able to draw perfectly on it- nice crisp thick and thin tapering lines for pencil line artwork and inking. (Sketchbook Pro and Artrage mostly). It has such a nice feel that it's become second nature for me to draw with; it's more comfortable than actual pen and paper.

I only recently looked up the pressure sensitivity level because frankly, it's never crossed my mind. I've never been like, "Gee, I wish this had more sensitivity because I'm not getting the line variety I want." Not once.

So I can only speculate that 512 levels would be stellar, 1024 pretty much perfect, and 2048 like the Cintiq off the charts "overkill" stellar.

If the Surface has really good pressure-sensitive pen features it'll be a killer tool for artists, draftspeople and graphics designers.

 

[nibunnoichi]

Wacom does pressure on the pen, not the screen. So it might be possible to get a more accurate pen, yes? I am trying to remember (but can't) whether my sister's fancy Wacom pen worked with my Tablet PC, which came with a really junky pen (not many levels at all, but it works for me since I was just taking notes).

Hmmm... so it's more a driver issue then? So if the Surface Pro has good driver support for Wacom pens then all I need to do is buy the pen & I'll be good to go in Photoshop? Or if Wacom provides the drivers to work for the Surface? Seems a little too good to be true...

 

[Zaap]

It would have to have an actual wacom digitizer to work with a wacom pen and drivers.

 

[destrekor]

It would have to have an actual wacom digitizer to work with a wacom pen and drivers.

Which I'm pretty sure the Surface Pro will have a dual digitizer setup (capacitive touch and Wacom digitizer. On Microsoft's website, they only go so far as to say: "Pen Input with Pen (included with purchase)"

So, the Surface Pro will have a pen input, quality and specs unknown. Last time I had heard about it, that would all be Wacom integration but we'll have to wait and see.