Student Developer: Microsoft Surface Pro - Log 1

The Microsoft Surface Pro on my dad's table.

Roughly one month ago, I decided to sell my laptop. This is an important part of my technology cycle and usually, I purchase a new one within a few days or so. Disappointingly, this time I was a little lower on money than I would have liked and was forced to default to strict desktop development for a few days. Coincidentally, it was at around that time that my friends and I decided that it would be a great time for me to visit them roughly 200 miles away in New Jersey; and so, without a laptop for the first time in years, I was forced to remove myself from the development equation and just chill out for once.

It was an amazing time and a needed break from all the stresses of life (I ended up going to a lot of parties...), but, sadly, all things come to an end and I was in dire need of a new portable computer to develop on during my travels. After a lot of research and inquiry from Internet dwellers, I decided to look into the Microsoft Surface Pro as it was an interesting device that did a lot of things well, but not perfectly. Despite this issue, I believed that the device was one that would fit the needs of a game designer in a lot of important ways.

The Microsoft Surface Pro

The Surface Pro is small, so it'd be portable for those designers who like to travel a lot. The pressure sensitive pen would allow art-focused designers to draw with it on the go, creating prototype and even complete art in much the same way they would with a regular tablet; while the type cover (not the touch one) would offer a pretty solid experience for the programmer-designers. In addition to this, it could (seemingly) run pretty much all of the development tools that you could throw at it (with a few obvious exceptions such as heavy 3D modeling or video editing tools that you'd be best working with on a desktop). With all of this in mind, I purchased the Surface Pro 128 GB version for roughly 1400 dollars ($999 (the device) + 130 (type cover) + $150 (complete warranty) + tax).

Now, with my, relatively new (I've had it for a week or so) Surface Pro in hand and two weeks away from home at my dad's house, I'm going to test the device as a portable tool for game developers while I begin development on Boatventure 2013. I hope to update frequently during the week, but I will primarily be tweeting about my experience so follow me! @TheRyanHuggins.

Expect Greatness~
Ryan Huggins.