Martin Good, exec VP of THQ’s Kids, Family and Casual Games label, has said that THQ aren’t too surprised with Nintendo’s Wii U controller as the company “thought of it 18 months ago and released it last season.” What do you all think? Is the Wii U a blatant rip off of THQ’s uDraw, or is it just pure coincidence that the design and idea are slightly similar?
“We think we’re really on the front for it and well poised to exploit this because we’ve already been playing with the drawing mechanic and we’ve got a lot of game designs in the pipe. It’s only going to get better with that experience,” he said.
“That other thing that’s really interesting is that THQ never really went about being a peripheral manufacturer – that wasn’t our intent. But we had to do so to exploit this new gameplay opportunity and that broader market.
“The fact is we had to create our own peripherals including for 360 and PS3 to be able to play with that audience.”
– Martin Good, THQ
I’d argue Nintendo came up with a second gaming screen about seven years ago.
Even got the name right!
I’m pretty sure Nintendo has been throwing this idea around for more than a few months, so they probably thought of it before THQ. And all uDraw is is a drawing tablet, nothing more really.
Oh please its barely the same thing at all the only similarities between the two is that you can draw pictures on both of them, but even then thats only a small feature of the overall Wii U controller.
I wouldn’t knock off Wii U as a “ripoff” of any sort. I say THQ should think of bringing any future uDraw games to Wii U as some sort of series.
Turn this into something profitable instead of being butthurt about the similarities between the uDraw tablet and the Wii U controller.
drawing mechanic and we’ve got a lot of game designs in the pipe. It’s only going to get better with that experience,” he said.
I don’t think he’s being nasty about it! Sounds very supportive! Plus I’m not sure there’s a screen on the UDraw? And I believe the original article for this when it game out is that they got help from Nintendo!
I think Nintendo was developing this longer than 18 months. I bet THQ isn’t that mad though, they can finally release their games to a wider audience who won’t have to pay for an extra accessory.
Oh, and the U Draw is completely original and didn’t rip off a Wacom.
^This.
Really, they are comparing a friggin drawing pad to the new controller, I smell an apple-esque lawsuit here…
You’ve got to be kidding me. That white box isn’t exactly a screen. We all know the only ones who thought of the idea before is Sega. *cough*Dreamcast.*cough*
uDraw is a drawing tablet…
The Wii U controller has a stylus, and yes you can draw on it, but those are just side things, it has no similarities…
It’s like saying Apple basically copied your idea when they brought out the iPad, because you already developed a tablet pc…
That’s a horrible example! I don’t think the Wii U ripped off anything (besides the DreamCast) but seriously? Of course Apple ripped off Tablet PC’s! People have been saying that since the iPad was announced!
I disagree, it’s arguably an original idea, but at the end of the day, it’s a glorified giant iPod touch…
Though idk tbh, it probs was a bad example…
Oh and I can’t make sense of this article because I can’t see where THQ is saying what the article claims…
WOW THQ thought of a tablet that you can draw with hmmmm let me think sounds like Wacom but a failed kid version
wasn’t there a drawing pad for mario paint way back in the day? just sayin…
Agreed Dreamcasts VMU has closest similarity. Ridiculous to say that the Wii U bears any resemblance other than the same shape.
We all knew it was partially based off of the uDraw tablet, but the Wii U is clearly not the exact same thing THQ designed.
It doesn’t contain a front-facing camera and microphone, lacks a gyroscope and accelerometer, can’t cooperate with all Wii-compatible controllers (only houses a Wiimote for communication w/ the system) and doesn’t have a screen (only a panel) which prevents browsing the internet/video chat/playing games solely on the uDraw/etc. The screen is also bigger than their panel.
Beside the fact it’s touch-control for a console, the included stylus and the color scheme, there’s nothing in common with the Wii U controller.
These guys came up with it FIRST lol – http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/resources/2008/05/marioPaint.jpg
What an arrogant, presumptuous prick. Is he seriously taking credit for the Wii U controller? What a joke. Drawing tablets like this have been out for a long time, and this doesn’t even have a screen, just wasted plastic. Besides that, Nintendo has been thinking about a touchscreen controller since the GameCube. This guy needs to step off his high horse.
This looks nothing like the Wii U’s controller, besides, the Wii U controller’s main idea and functionality is not only a place to draw in, it’s that, plus (and most importantly) a huge screen, microphone, camera, accelerometer, etc. combinen.
It’s like saying Wacom = iPad or something equally stupid
The controller is about having a second screen, not about having a touch screen. This is stupid.
For those that don’t really follow up to date with Nintendo, Nintendo actually been developing it for 3 years.
Should etch-a-sketch (or more likely whatever the correct spelling is) not be annoyed with THQ since they have had a drawing pad for much much longer?
But seriously udraw is just a graphics tablet that works for the wii. And graphics tablets were first designed around the 60s or 70s.
And the uDraw is a blatant rip off of a DRAWING GRAPHICS TABLET. THQ need to get over themselves, they’re hardly in the right to claim Nintendo have ripped off their “idea”. I sense butthurt over Nintendo’s sudden success with the release of the news and demonstration of the Wii U. Game industry is srs business.
I recall I had a screen on my Dreamcast controller well over a decade ago
a VMU memory card/mini handheld
see when i first heard the name wii u i thought the u in wii u was for udraw
that’s stupid, THQ can shut the hell up, all it does is draw, what’s similar between a tv drawing thing and A bad ass controller with a Big Screen?? THQ is giving themelves too much credit
…I don’t see the resemblance. D:
The Wii U is a console, they didnt get the idea for a new console from the drawing pad. The controller idea, like someone said, Nintendo came up with a second gaming screen seven years ago.
Nice! ;-)