Earlier this year, I purchased the TourBox Lite for myself. The pricing was just right and it did everything I needed it to for an improved workflow. After a few weeks of use, there was no turning back. I knew this device would now be a permanent addition my setup. Then TourBox sent me their more advanced variant, the TourBox Elite, for a review and comparison. It’s got a few extra bells and whistles, and is darn near perfect. Let’s take a closer look.
Note: TourBox did send me this unit for review, however the thoughts expressed here are entirely my own. This post also contains affiliate links.
Box Contents
- The TourBox Elite
- 2x AA batteries
- Quick Start guide
You can purchase a USB-C cable and a case separately. I definitely recommend getting the case if you tend to travel or take your TourBox between home and your office.
The Tourbox Elite is currently ~270 USD on Amazon.
TourBox Elite Design
The TourBox has a square-ish design with an arrangement of 11 buttons, and a knob, dial, and scroll wheel (which can also be pressed as buttons). One of the buttons sits along the left side and makes an ideal modifier button for everything else on the top.
Each of the buttons sets and inputs of the TourBox have a distinctly different feel to them, and the hand movements associated with them are unique too. I really like this and the variation of shape and location is a key aspect of building clear muscle memory.
Around the back is a USB-C port for using in wired mode.
The body of the TourBox Elite is made of a strong matte plastic, and unlike my drawing tablet, it doesn’t collect fingerprints at all. It’s available in different colours. The one I have here is the Modern Smoke – Black Translucent variant. I love having a subtle impression of the hardware encased inside, and it’s part of what makes this feel a bit like a retro game controller for me.
The overall size of the TourBox Elite is around 11.5 x 10 x 4.5cm, and weight a little under 400g. It’s sturdy and doesn’t slide around on the desk much while in use thanks to the rubber feet on the underside.
Connecting the TourBox Elite
You’ll have the option to connect the device either by cable or by Bluetooth. I received a nice threaded cable with mine but this is typically sold separately or in a bundle. When plugged in, the Bluetooth automatically disables.
The TourBox Elite uses Bluetooth 5.0 and quickly connected directly with my laptop. I did not experience any noticeable difference in response time between cable and wireless connection. It uses two AA batteries (included) which are expected to last around 2 months.
You can also pair the TourBox Elite with up to two computers. Pressing the button on the underside with toggle between connections.
TourBox Console – the brain behind the device
With interesting hardware like this, the software for it can really make or break the experience. TourBoxTech have done a great job designing their TourBox Console software that makes customizing their device a real breeze. And there is A LOT to work with here:
- use preloaded presets, import from their website, or create your own;
- create button and dial combinations for shortcuts;
- single press, hold, and double-press;
- enable haptics and adjust strength for knob, scroll wheel, and dial;
- create custom on-screen menus;
- customize a general HUD.
Different inputs
There is more than just single-pressing of buttons here. You can hold down a button to keep it active temporarily (such as holding Alt for your eyedropper), or you can program an action to trigger only on the release of the button. Shortcuts can be assigned to the double-press of a button as well.
The one feature that I am a big fan of though with TourBox, is being able to combine inputs for unique actions. For example, I use the central knob for my brush. By default, this adjusts the size of the brush. But by pairing the side button with the knob, it changes the function to adjust my brush opacity instead. I could go further to combine a different button to change the flow or other settings.
The scroll wheel handles my viewport. Regular scroll zooms in and out, while pairing it with the side button rotates my canvas. No more pressing a button repeatedly to cycle through functions like with the touch ring of the Intuos Pro.
The programming experience
Customizing the TourBox can be somewhat overwhelming at first, with all the different programming possibilities. Thankfully, if you are unsure of where to start, you can load up a preset available for the wide range of popular apps. You can find a whole lot of other presets on their website, or go ahead and create your own for any application on your computer that has keyboard shortcuts.
The main thing that makes this so easy to program though is that performing a certain action on your actual TourBox will jump to and highlight that action in Console. So, you don’t need to scroll up and down trying to find the action you want to change.
In the beginning, I’d keep my Console window open on my second display while I work. This way I could quickly adjust my shortcuts if I felt like they weren’t working well for me the way that I had initially assigned them.
Heads-up displays
Some buttons and functions probably aren’t necessary to have on the HUD as you get more comfortable with the TourBox. In that case, you can actually remove or add visible functions as you need them in the HUD, which is quite nice.
TourMenu – more actions
You can assign one of your TourBox buttons to open a custom on-screen menu with additional actions. In my case, I use this for opening my reference window, or making changes to my viewport while painting. This menu can be called up either under your cursor or at its last location, and be pinned on screen if you need to visit it frequently. I wouldn’t mind if there was a bit more visual customizability here. Wacom, for example, lets you choose from a few different menu layouts.
Demo mode – for the art streamers and instructors
There is also a Demo mode that can be activated which places a Tourbox graphic on your screen that highlights controls as you use them. This is great for those in a more educational setting that are demonstrating something in their process, or perhaps art streamers as well to include in their stream overlay.
The painting experience with the TourBox Elite
I found myself very quickly getting comfortable with the TourBox in my painting workflow. At least with the more obvious and accessible actions like adjusting brush size and opacity, or adding and merging layers. Other stuff requires me to consult the HUD first until I’ve built up better muscle memory.
Even with just simple actions programmed though, I right away felt the benefits. When I’m testing other devices now, and have to force myself not to use the TourBox, it feels weird. I can’t talk about another tablet brand’s shortcut remote without mentioning the TourBox either.
Additional benefit – editing videos
There was another workflow I wanted to use this for: video editing. Now I am very much a novice in this realm. The review views I do on the channel are fairly simple but still very time consuming for me. The TourBox Elite, however, made scrubbing through sections and making cuts on the timeline faster and easier.
The level of what is possible with this though makes me pretty confident that the TourBox Elite would be an absolute essential for more skilled video editors who do this all day, every day.
The difference between the TourBox Elite and Lite
The Tourbox Elite has haptics, Bluetooth, and more customizability than the Tourbox Lite. There is the additional dial, the D-pad, and the button along the side of the Elite which can add another layer of functions to everything on top. The Neo version is pretty much identical minus the Bluetooth and haptic feedback.
Tourbox Lite is cheaper, connects only via cable, and has a slightly different design with fewer buttons and dials. This would suit the needs of most users. As a painter with a relatively simple workflow, it does everything I need it to. But as my own skills grow and if my workflow gets more complex, I feel like I will be able to get more out of the Elite.
If you’re looking for iPad compatibility, Tourbox have recently released the Elite Plus.
Tourbox Elite vs other controllers
The shortcut remotes from tablet brands often have an assortment of similar-shaped buttons that all pretty much feel the same. Sometimes they try to help you distinguish one button from the other by adding slight indentations or textures. Or maybe you’ll get a set of colourful stickers to paste on them. The TourBox stands out against other controllers by having more unique-feeling inputs.
The button sets and dials all feel quite different from each other and I found that this made hitting the shortcut I needed MUCH easier.
Another thing that sets the TourBox apart is that you can combine buttons with each other, and buttons with dials to modify their function. I definitely prefer this to the usual approach of cycling through wheel functions by repeatedly pressing a button in the middle of it.
Who is the Tourbox Elite for?
This is definitely a device for the more advanced creator with elaborate workflows. I think that professionals in the field of animation, graphic design, videography, etc. will find the Tourbox Elite to be a valuable addition to their setup.
For creators who are in an earlier stage of things, the Lite version can still significantly upgrade your workflow at a more affordable price point.
Wrapping up…
Overall, I think that the TourBox a great device, in that it is genuinely useful. Both its hardware and the software are well designed, which makes adding it to your workflow relatively smooth. Of course there is a bit of a learning curve or adjustment period, but it’s worth it. While the TourBox may seem like a costly accessory, it’s far more intuitive to use than other controllers, and the Elite will bring so many more actions under your fingertips.
I mentioned in the opening that it was ‘darn near perfect’. The only I felt was missing, was compatibility with my mobile devices such as the iPad or Galaxy Tab. This was feedback that many creators had, and in response, the Tourbox Elite Plus was released. It’s compatible with iPadOS, so for those who want to do animation or video editing on-the-go, this might be one accessory to consider.
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