I have been belaboring over my cheap pen and tablet, feeling a thin sheen of sweat forming in some obscure parts of my body, when my friend barged in my room and without further ado announced that he finally got a new tablet. I dropped whatever I am doing (I wasn't making much progress anyway, so why continue emptying my juice?) and intently listened as he described how meticulous and perfect his new tablet is.

And this is one of the moments when you want to ask why the world is so freaking unfair. At an artist's point of view, no amount is really that expensive if that's all what it takes to do something good, but for goodness' sake, I've barely reached half the amount of what I need to buy a new Graphire BT (a lovely, wireless 6x8) when Wacom already introduces two additions to the Cintiq family. According to him it gives you options for working directly on screen. Although I don’t want to be freaking affected, I browsed the web to find the product overview and this is what it says:

The Cintiq 12WX and the Cintiq 20WSX join the Cintiq 21UX as versatile interactive pen displays that combine the advantages of an LCD monitor with the natural feel and superior performance of Wacom's patented, professional pen technology.

The Cintiq family of interactive pen displays continues Wacom's tradition of delivering world-class productivity tools that make using a computer as natural as possible. By using a pen directly on screen, you work more quickly and naturally. All products in the Cintiq family share Wacom's most advanced pen feature-set to provide world-class precision and control. This pen sophistication, combined with the ability to work directly on screen, make Cintiq products key to a digital experience that is closer to working with traditional materials and tools than ever before.

Pixel-level pen accuracy provides highly precise cursor control. The Cintiq Grip Pen features 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity on the pen tip and eraser for precise image editing, accurate brush control, and selective application of effects and filters. The result is an amazingly smooth, responsive on-screen experience that mirrors a traditional pen-on-paper feel. Additionally, the cushioned, contoured barrel of the pen has been designed to minimize grip effort for hours of comfortable use.

All products in the Cintiq family have textured, scratch-resistant surfaces and are completely flat edge-to-edge, allowing the hand to glide over the entire surface easily, and also have adjustable stands that allow you to angle or pivot the display to achieve optimal working angles. Strategically-placed, programmable ExpressKeys™ and Touch Strips let you zoom, scroll, and activate keyboard shortcuts for even greater speed.

The Cintiq 20WSX provides a widescreen alternative to Wacom's flagship Cintiq 21UX. Optimized for widescreen use, the Cintiq 20WSX offers 1680 x 1050 resolution for high image quality, a wide viewing angle, and accurate color reproduction.

With an aspect ratio of 16:10, the 20.1" diagonal display joins the Cintiq line in providing a best-of-class pen experience for working on screen. The work area size and shape provide space for creating and editing large images in great detail, previewing wide-format content, and positioning pallets and tool menus in an efficient desktop layout.

The completely flat surface allows the hand and pen to glide over the surface of the Cintiq without bumping into bezels or borders. A dynamically-adjustable stand allows you to rotate the display up to 180° in each direction, incline the display from 10° to 65°, and even remove it for comfortable lap use. Rear roller feet make the incline adjustments easy-the result is freedom to adjust the display to positions that work for you.

 

A dream for me, yeap. With the price of $2499 for CINTIQ 21UX, $1999 for CINTIQ 20WSX, and $999 for CINTIQ 12WX, I don’t know whether I should continue to dream or to just stick to what I have.