Here at The Game Fanatics we give a lot of coverage to the awesome video games that we are ever so passionate about, and sometimes we talk about the great artists and developers behind such games, but very seldom do we talk about the tools which these artists and developers use.
The Wacom Cintiq Companion is the graphic tablet company’s latest innovation, building on the success of the Wacom Cintiq, not to be confused with the Wacom Intuos line which are just drawing tablets that plug in to computers, or the Cintiq line are giant drawing tablets with built-in screens.
[blockquote right=”pull-right”]Surprisingly enough, Wacom’s Cintiq Companion also doubles as a semi-compact gaming tablet, powerful enough to run high end video games.[/blockquote]
The Cintiq Companion, named rightly so, combines the sensitivity and drawing prowess of the Cintiq tablets with the computing and processing power of a Windows computer, essentially eliminating the need for a computer altogether.
Powered by an Intel Core i-7 (non-Haswell) processor, outputting a Full HD 1080 13.3′ display, the Cintiq Companion houses 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 256GB or 512GB SSD with an Intel HD 4000 GPU and weighs in at a hefty 3.8 pounds. Of course any Wacom enthusiast is most curious about the drawing specs of the tablet, and the Cintiq Companion certainly stands out in that regard. Featuring full multi-touch capabilities and 2048 pressure levels, as well as 4 customizable ExpressKeys and the Rocker Ring and Radial menu we’re already used to, the Cintiq Companion will feel very natural to users migrating from the Intuos models. The Cintiq Companion also comes outfitted with Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to pair a keyboard or mouse to it, and it’s also 802.11bgn enabled.
The mostly-metal bodied Cintiq Companion has dual USB 3.0 slots, an audio out as well as mini display port out, microSD slot, and a detachable stand that adjusts to three different viewing angles. with a battery life of around 5-8 hours depending on what you’re doing.
[alert]It’s important to note that the Wacom Cintiq Companion comes in two flavors – a slightly lesser Android version – dubbed the “Hybrid”, and the more powerful Windows 8 version, which I’m reviewing.[/alert]
Being a graphic designer myself, I currently use a Wacom Intous 5, which in hindsight I can’t imagine how I progressed in my design career without one. With the Cintiq Companion, my regular programs included Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere, and Lightroom (all Creative Cloud). Migrating from the Intous made using the Cintiq Companion a breeze, after customizing the ExpressKeys it was easy to get to work in existing projects with familiar button settings. [blockquote right=”pull-right”]The Wacom Cintiq Companion is an unbeatable mobile workstation for the modern graphic artist.[/blockquote]
Of course, I had to test out the gaming chops of the Cintiq Companion, and with Steam installed, I fired up a few games of Sid Meir’s Civilization V, which you can see on the left, as well as Batman Arkham Origins. Incredibly, the Wacom Cintiq Companion works flawlessly with my Razer Onza controller plugged into the USB slot.
Surprisingly enough, Wacom’s Cintiq Companion also doubles as a semi-compact gaming tablet, powerful enough to run high end video games. The Wacom Cintiq Companion is an unbeatable mobile workstation for the modern graphic artist.
A few issues I experienced included random stuttering when running multiple programs, coincidentally this also led to the tablet getting extremely hot, however this only happened when I had both Adobe Premiere and Photoshop open, while rendering out a composition in After Effects with a few other apps minimized. The vents at the bottom of the tablet do a fairly good job of ventilating the unit enough to where it never got scorching hot on my lap, which is more than I can say for my laptop. I also noticed my fair share of WiFi connectivity issues.
Overall, the Wacom Cintiq Companion is perfect for the graphic artist who needs the precision of a Wacom tablet and the power of a laptop. The Cintiq Companion comes bundled with a convenient carrying case and stylish stand, as well as a nice case to fit your stylus and the bundled nibs. At just under $2500, the 512GB Cintiq Companion should be on the wish list of serious graphic artists everywhere.
