Tablets for retro-gaming?

[shponglefan]

I'm thinking about getting a tablet.  Never owned one before.

Right now I'm deciding between either a Surface 3 (regular one, not the Surface Pro) or an Android tablet like a Galaxy Tab S.  Apple can go suck a big donkey dick.

My primary use will be web browsing, porn videos and digital comics.   But the more I can use this thing, the more I can justify getting one.  So I'm wondering how good they are for gaming and particularly retro-gaming.

The Surface 3 seems ideal because it's basically a Windows computer, so it will run any Windows compatible software.  Being able to use it for both retro PC gaming as well as console emulation (NES/SNES mostly) is ideal.  I'm not sure how well Android tabs do in this regard, but obviously retro PC stuff might be out...

Anyone use tablets for retro gaming?  Any pros/cons to consider?

[pbj]

Use tablets for tablet stuff.  iPads far surpass competitors at the tablet experience. 

[Xiaou2]

Bleh.

  I got a Galaxy Note 2..   as a smartphone was a Requirement for one of the Jobs I had.

 Apple phone was going to be released a little sooner.. but I wanted the N2 for the Pressure sensitive Stylus... as I like to draw.

 Ive found the whole phone experience to be a huge pain in the butt.   The interfacing is slow and clunky.   The lack of something like a d-pad makes games worthless.    Ive thought about picking up one of the new gamepads... but fear its not worth it, due to the low processing power, and that most games are written to be stupid easy... due to the fact that most are playing them without a controller.

 (of course, playing them with your fingers in the way... these games are horrible.  No tactile control = absolute crap control = frustration = Dont bother playing)


 As for the Stylus..  its really nice.   The problem is...  I cant find any drawing applications that dont Stink.   They are the absolute worst.  It takes you so much effort to do something with them... that you spend 85% of your time trying to manipulate the wretched interface... than actually creating something.    A lot of them are also so slow... that it causes lag when trying to draw.  It then is futile.. as you end up having to undo / erase .. when the thing got out-of-sync.. and messed up your lines.

 I believe Android tablets are nothing more than larger screens.. using the same kind of technology.   Maybe theres a slight performance boost.  But you still have the same crap apps.

 At least with something like Surface... you have windows functionality.. I think.   Which would allow for the standard apps to be ran in full... not crippled...?   I think the surface is also more akin to laptop level of performance.  Though, I could be mistaken.

 Android is such a pain to deal with.. that I often just dont bother with it.  I got a used Fujitsu lifebook laptop that has a digitizer screen... and I use it far more than anything else.     Im curious to know how Surface stacks up.. but I dont have the money these days anyways.

 I have no real experience with Apple.  They dont have pressure sensitive stylus displays.. and they are far too pricy... so I never bothered.
I think they are also quite locked-down, in what they do, software wise.   Maybe their interface is better... but I wouldnt know.

[Howard_Casto]

Ok without going into too much detail, I've tried all three and my findings are to get the best emulator experience (not to mention overall tablet experience) if you can afford it, go with a true windows tablet.  Buyer beware though... there are windows tablets and there are windows rt tablets.  Windows rt is kind of like windows ce back in the day.  It's windows "ish" and thus not all programs will run on it.  If you get a windows tablet though, you essentially have a laptop.  Windows 10 is the first windows OS that fully supports tablet features, so you are good to go.  Gamepads just work as you are running windows (DUH). 

Apple tablets are crippled by the fact that they have to run the awful iOS.  If you want to use a gamepad or what have you, be prepared to fork over more money for a Bluetooth gamepad that is compatible with apple apps. 

Android tablets are fantastic.... when you get an expensive one.   If you get an expensive one though, it isn't much more to get a surface or an asus convertible.  You can get gamepads and other USB devices to work on some of the higher end tablets, but  if the actual app supports it is a crap shot.  Thankfully most emulators do. 

[knave]

I am using a dell windows tablet to write this. it is I got the attachable keyboard so it is basically a small laptop. Plays games just like any windows computer with intel 4000 graphics. I like it a lot and I found the dell version with 4 gb ram and a core i3 cpu to be about half a comparable surface.

It plays most of my steam library fine. The keyboard is small to use to control games but I can use an xbox controller if I like. The better experience are for games where touch control is a feature not just a substitute for a mouse. Playing touch games on an 11 inch 1080 screen is a pleasure.

I bought the tablet for portable light productivity work, games and surfing and it does a great job. (great battery life)

But:

In the end I realized that I was able to do 90% of what I wanted with a better interface with a small laptop. not to mention the laptop was half again the cost of the tablet. (1/4 the cost of a surface)

I don't regret the tablet but if I were going to do it again I would pick up a high end convertible touch screen laptop for a better experience.

[yotsuya]

Use tablets for tablet stuff.  iPads far surpass competitors at the tablet experience.

I'm gonna agree with this 100%

[shponglefan]

Thanks for the replies, all.

Regarding Apple tablets, what puts me off them is a combination of price and locked down flexibility when it comes to installing software.  After looking up emulation on iPads and reading about people having to jailbreak their tablets or jumping through other hoops just to install an emulator... no thanks.  I don't want any extra hassle just to use the software I want.

 

[shponglefan]

Ok without going into too much detail, I've tried all three and my findings are to get the best emulator experience (not to mention overall tablet experience) if you can afford it, go with a true windows tablet.  Buyer beware though... there are windows tablets and there are windows rt tablets.

Yeah, the newer Surface 3 tablets seem to come with Windows 10.

Out of curiosity, since a lot of applications look like regular windows applications, how do you find it in terms of usability?  Are things easy to navigate and use with the touch screen as opposed to a mouse?

Android tablets are fantastic.... when you get an expensive one.   If you get an expensive one though, it isn't much more to get a surface or an asus convertible.  You can get gamepads and other USB devices to work on some of the higher end tablets, but  if the actual app supports it is a crap shot.  Thankfully most emulators do.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S seems highly regarded.  I got a chance to try one out the other day and it was quite nice.  I can't believe how amazing the screens look on these things, especially compared to regular laptops.

[shponglefan]

In the end I realized that I was able to do 90% of what I wanted with a better interface with a small laptop. not to mention the laptop was half again the cost of the tablet. (1/4 the cost of a surface)

I don't regret the tablet but if I were going to do it again I would pick up a high end convertible touch screen laptop for a better experience.

That's kinda my dilemma too.  I'm not sure how close to that laptop/tablet hybrid zone I want to get.  Especially since I have a work laptop already, so getting something else and then just using it as a laptop would be redundant.

[pbj]

Right, which is why you use tablets for tablet stuff.

Like streaming football games you can't get to your living room tv.



 

[ark_ader]

Tablets for retro gaming?

I have a JXD S7300 and it is a great tablet for retro gaming and general tablet use.

I am sure there are newer ones but this was just an example. Plays everything full speed, and it is underclocked too.


Link Here...

[shponglefan]

Tablets for retro gaming?

I have a JXD S7300 and it is a great tablet for retro gaming and general tablet use.

I am sure there are newer ones but this was just an example. Plays everything full speed, and it is underclocked too.

Link Here...

That looks pretty sweet, too bad its discontinued.  Out of curiosity, I looked for more recent similar tablets, but the nVidia Shield Portable was the only one I could find.  But it too looks discontinued and was quite expensive and apparently too heavy for portable gaming.

[shponglefan]

Got a chance to try out a Surface 3 running Windows 10 today.  I immediately liked it better than the Android tablets I'd tried previously.  The Surface 3 seemed a bit more responsive and intuitive to use.  I was a bit surprised, since I was worried that using a Windows-style interface on a tablet might be less than ideal.  But they've crafted a surprisingly good interface and it worked quite well, even using something like Windows Files Explorer.

Also discovered that apparently it's possible to stream games using Steam over a home network.  So theoretically my gaming PC could do all the legwork and just stream to the Surface 3.  This opens up some bigger possibilities for gaming, although I'm not sure I'd take advantage of that in most instances.

Anyway, now I'm leaning towards the Surface 3 as a tablet.  It seems nicer for both tablet stuff than the Android tabs, and more gaming possibilities.

[Howard_Casto]

Just for the record, the surface is the most expensive windows tablet on the market.  You might want to try a lower-end tablet running windows if that's what you like about it.  I saw a generic windows tablet on dealnews.com the other day for 150 bucks.  With tablets you don't want to get a junk one, but at the same time don't go crazy in terms of spending because they become obsolete faster than laptops. 

[shponglefan]

Just for the record, the surface is the most expensive windows tablet on the market.  You might want to try a lower-end tablet running windows if that's what you like about it.  I saw a generic windows tablet on dealnews.com the other day for 150 bucks.  With tablets you don't want to get a junk one, but at the same time don't go crazy in terms of spending because they become obsolete faster than laptops.

This is my most recent dilemma; I've been toying with everything from going with a basic non-Microsoft tablet to a higher end Surface Pro 3.  So many choices, not enough money. 

[Donkey_Kong]

Just for the record, the surface is the most expensive windows tablet on the market.  You might want to try a lower-end tablet running windows if that's what you like about it.  I saw a generic windows tablet on dealnews.com the other day for 150 bucks.  With tablets you don't want to get a junk one, but at the same time don't go crazy in terms of spending because they become obsolete faster than laptops. 

Check MS store online, they have a sale on the SP3

[shponglefan]

Just for the record, the surface is the most expensive windows tablet on the market.  You might want to try a lower-end tablet running windows if that's what you like about it.  I saw a generic windows tablet on dealnews.com the other day for 150 bucks.  With tablets you don't want to get a junk one, but at the same time don't go crazy in terms of spending because they become obsolete faster than laptops. 

Check MS store online, they have a sale on the SP3

Just noticed they dropped them at my local BestBuy too.  I was there two days ago trying to see if they'd cut a deal on one and they refused.  Two days later and they slash the price.  Go figure.