OSU is a rhythm game which is free to play. The aim of the game is to hit circles and slide your mouse or pen in time with the music.
It sounds simple, but it's pretty addictive! You play on beatmaps and can choose between several levels of difficulty.
It's a very engrossing game. which is a very engaging carnival of color, speed, and music.
This game is really competitive, so you need to have the right equipment if you want your name on the leaderboard.
Why drawing pads?
A mouse is a common controller used possibly by the majority of players. But for the higher league, you will need a computer art drawing pad .
It will enhance your gameplay and make it even more fun! also will help you improve your speed and accuracy.
Drawing Tablets are pads that operate with a stylus that connect to your computer. As you hover the pen around above the pad, the mouse cursor moves with the pen, and tapping the pen clicks the mouse.
Absolute tracking from graphic tablet Means that unlike the relative tracking from your mouse you'll be able to instantly move the cursor over to a new location.Thus saving you some precious seconds.
graphics tablets are an optional device to let you play the game in a different way. They were originally intended for digital art, but happen to work very well when playing osu!. Most specifications such as pressure levels will make no difference in osu!.
What features you should look into the best OSU tablet?
1. Active Area
The biggest selling point of tablets for osu! is this absolute tracking. so the size of the tablet has a big effect on the gameplay.
In this respect, the smaller the device, the faster you can reposition your hand and score additional points. but if too small you will lose accuracy.
with large tablets, you will have to flick your arm too much which is not only tiring but also not good for your wrist. also the more time is spent.
So, the smaller active area is better for Osu drawing tablets , it can definitely save your few milliseconds.
2. Report Rate
The Report Rate is a very important factor for OSU gameplay. Because it is responsible for the response time of the tablet – higher is better.
Basically, how many times per second the tablet sends information about the stylus position & pressure to the computer is called report rate. It is measured in the Report Per Second. Usually, above 200+ RPS is ideal for OSU.
Some of the players recommend using the Hawku tablet driver which increases its response time.
the Hawku tablet drivers improve every tablet if it supports it so be sure to get it!
3. Connectivity
The wired connection is always better than the wireless in terms of reliability.
In the OSU gameplay, a millisecond interruption can ruin your whole gaming progress, and we can't get this risk.
4. Resolution
The resolution is about the accuracy the higher resolution is always better. But you don't have to worry about that, because I have never seen a tablet with bad accuracy, you would find your cursor at the position where you would expect it to be.
At any rate, whether you get a professional tablet or the most affordable one, your results will noticeably improve over what you could do with a mouse.
5. Pen Type
What really matters here is the type of pen. For successful gameplay, you really want to get the stylus that is battery-free. Opt for the EMR type because it is very precise and spares you from the inconveniences of charging.
If you don't, you will experience some issues as the battery drains. You might even lose a great result when the pen suddenly discharges in the middle of the game.
Don't overlook the pen build and design, too. It should also be comfortable to hold and durable. You don't want to mess up the game because of a slip of the pen!
6. Tablet Buttons
When you use a tablet to play OSU, you won't need any buttons or extra features. You don't want to worry about pressing buttons without meaning to.
That's why it's best to go for a streamlined tablet without lots of buttons and extra features. But You can also choose disable the buttons on tablets.
7. Versatility
just use the drawing tablet for playing OSU? Or will you also use the tablet for illustration , online teaching and graphic design?
Your needs will dictate which tablet you buy and what features are essential.
8. Hover or Drag
It's really preference, hovering is faster while dragging is more stable/accurate, I personally drag.
That doesn't mean a person that hovers can't be accurate or a person that drags can't aim fast, if you stick to hovering or dragging you'll probably make the downsides almost negligible.
Try both. Just use the style that is most comfortable for you
Tablet Vendors
Wacom needs no introduction. The Japanese behemoth is considered to be the pioneer of drawing tablets. Their only pain point is their pricing: Wacom tablets tend to be more expensive, than other options such as XP-Pen, Huion....
XP-Pen is a tablet company that has been around since 2005. XP-PEN graphics tablets are actually good though. They may not be as nice as Wacom tablets but they have good specs and decent build quality. Their tablet pens neither require a battery nor needs to be charged, just like Wacom tablet pens, and come with more Quantity of nibs than Wacom.
Given the price I think it's the only cheap Chinese tablet brand that's actually worth buying. They've also built up a pretty solid reputation in the Osu community, especially the Star g640.
Not just Osu! but digital artists will be fairly familiar with the name XP-Pen. After all, most of the users newly stepping into the tablet realm start their journey with XP-Pen tablets.
The tablet manufacturer's tend to just make tablets for digital writing and drawing and they simply slap the title "Osu" on it to sell a few more units.
So when making a decision, don't make it based on the Osu in the name. Look at the size, the RPS, resolution and activation height.
Osu! Graphics Tablet Recommendation
1. XP-Pen Star G430S / Star G640
Easy to recommend because of the "lower" price and thinness ( only 2 mm thick ) . Not a lot of input lag and good design.
XP-Pen Star G430S / Star G640 comes with a active area of 4 x 3 inches / 6 x 4 inches which is slightly smaller than other tablets and a great option if you play on a smaller display device such as a laptop.
There are several other cheaper options available in the market but this tablet has a nice blend of price and features making it one of the best options for beginner OSU players.
The included stylus has fast-tracking with 266 RPS (Reports Per Second) and pressure sensitivity of 8192 levels which can be handy if you want to try your hands in graphic design and making custom OSU skins.
The Pen is battery-free and lightweight making it a better choice for long OSU sessions.
People do mention the pen tends to slip so might wanna get rubber bands, blu tack or silicon pen grips.
Don't buy the wrong one. choose the Star G640 Rev A (MAX 266 RPS for OSU Game Play). Rev B is Chromebook Supported for online teaching but have some lag when playing Osu!.
2. XP-Pen Deco Fun XS / S
XP-Pen Deco Fun Available in three sizes tracking area– XS ( 4.8 x 3 inches ) , S ( 6.3 x 4 inches ) and L ( 10 x 6.27 inches ) plus in four colour variants of Classic Black, Space Blue, Carmine Red and Apple Green.
It's just as fast and super responsive, with a ≥220RPS report rate. which ensures you have constant cursor movements without lagging.
For keeping the tablet stable on the desk or smooth surface, there are 4 large rubber pads located at the back of the tablet.
The tablet compatible with Windows, Mac, Chromebook and Android devices.
If your budget is low but you still want a quality tablet that looks good and feels expensive, this is a good option.
3. XP-Pen Star G640S
The tablet provides you with a 6.5 x 4 inch actual work or play area, and its thickness is 9mm. it can comfortably and conveniently fit in your laptop bag or briefcase.
It has a great EMR stylus that eliminates all charge-related worries and also has a comfortable rubber grip for when your hands get sweaty with tension.
In addition, it is very stable and accurate, shows minimum latency ( 266RPS ). this will be a great device for playing and indulging in digital arts or design.
For people who're looking to use this for drawing purposes too,With this tablet, you can customize the six buttons to meet your needs.
Valid for Chrome OS, Android , Windows , and macOS . It is easier to handwritten write, edits, annotate with stylus for online education,e-learning, remote working or web conference.
4. XP-Pen Deco mini 4
This tablet is very good and responsiveness on par with the other XP-Pen tablets. It has a great pen and overall solid build quality.
The XP-Pen Deco Mini 4 tablet comes with a tracking area of 4 x 3 inches and 6 programmable shortcut keys . It's versatile, super-thin, compact, and durable.
There is no any cursor delay and the accuracy are just fantastic. It also features an EMR stylus with rubber grip – hassle-free gaming with the effective grip.
Another benefit is that it's super portable, and you don't need to worry about breaking it! It's a lot less fragile than other drawing tablets and can withstand heavy use.
The tablet is compatible with Chromebook, Android , Windows and Mac operating systems.
5. XP-Pen Deco Mini7
With an active area of 7 x 4.37 inches, this tablet feels just as large as any pricey ones. The size of this tab is more than enough for not just Osu! but graphical arts enthusiasts as well.
The surface gives off the same highly durable and responsive feel as the Wacom one. the rubber grips on the bottom sides of the stylus for a more refined grip.
the build quality of the stylus feels genuinely well made so durability is not a problem. Moreover, the stylus has quite a significant hovering distance so that is sure to come in handy as well.
XP-Pen Deco Mini 7 supports tilt senstivity ( Deco mini4 does not). this is very good for drawing so if you wanna draw yes.
Apart from ergonomic designs, the Deco Mini7 manages to perform fairly well in high-speed rhythm mapping maps of Osu!.
It works with Windows, macOS , Chromebook and Android devices.
This tablet also comes in a wireless variant called XP-Pen Deco Mini7w, which is very similar in looks and features.
Conclusion
if you are going to use your tablet only for OSU playing then you can pick any one of these according to your budget.
Actually you can get cheaper tablet if its purpose only for OSU.You don't need wide size & the high pressure to fully enjoy the game.
But if you also want to use your tablet for drawing purpose then going with the cheaper tablet is not a good idea. but if you just need something for beginner level then these are also not bad as well.
It'll definitely be a good experience if you use a pen pad. But what's more important is your skill and how you decide to practice.
Thank you very much, have a great day!