Switch Discussion Thread

[noiseredux]

I have often wondered - what IS the best Windows tablet for gaming?

My Acer only has 2GB RAM, but does perfectly fine for playing DOS stuff (and Duelyst, and Hearthstone, etc). But I mean is there really a Windows tablet *made* for gaming?

[darsparx]

See but the thing is nintendo is really old fashioned on a lot of things(see their network system) and behind. Though I like how they go against the norm and wish people didn't criticize when they do. Yes they've made some bad choices but at the same time it seems they play it safe with hardware costs(unlike sony since it works for them but not N). They've made some poor choices when they originally started but i don't know it seems like N still has some standards towards games that other companies don't. Especially since sony's support and pricing strategies are bizarre and really stupidly overpriced....

[ElkinFencer10]

Nintendo was definitely a dick to publishers and developers in the 80s and early 90s, but they loosened up on that a lot in the late 90s and 2000s. Most of what people criticize since the N64 I consider to be more Nintendo's uniqueness/quirks than actual shitty business practices.

[Ack]

Nintendo was definitely a dick to publishers and developers in the 80s and early 90s, but they loosened up on that a lot in the late 90s and 2000s. Most of what people criticize since the N64 I consider to be more Nintendo's uniqueness/quirks than actual shitty business practices.

Well, they had to. A lot of great developers jumped ship as a result of their practices. That said, considering the environment when Nintendo got into the game, I've never been surprised about their behavior.

[darsparx]

I mean part of it is I think Nintendo was trying to combat what happened with the Atari fallout but didn't exactly implement it very well. Though we do have them to thank for a lot of standards we have today. I still appreciate the fact they don't go with the norm on a lot of things. I just see it as they play it safe but try to be innovative even if they're behind. It's almost like they block out anything sony and microsoft so they can just focus on themselves now. I think they might be on the right track with NX and really hope more people give it a chance than it seems are now. I'm just a little mad that all we have is what Nvidia dropped on it and N did, and the fact there's going to be a big information drought between now and when it's released...

[isiolia]

But I mean is there really a Windows tablet *made* for gaming?

The Razer Edge Pro was, several years back, but Razer didn't make a newer version.

In general, it's just not a form factor that's especially suited to high performance computing due to the power/heat limitations for such thin and light devices. There are 2-in-1s that are a bit bigger, and could have more potential...but might not be as appealing as touch/tablet devices as a result.

Again though, more a consideration for a do-it-all PC gaming device, and part of that is the ever-shifting target. Doing 720p at 60fps+ is probably doable. Integrated graphics can manage to make more games playable at some degree...it's just probably not what you'd want to drop $2k on a machine for.

[ElkinFencer10]

Nintendo's licensing practices early on (until '89 or '90, maybe) remind me of Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus during the American Civil War - it's not good, but once you take into account the historical context, it was necessary and makes perfect sense.

[noiseredux]

The Razer Edge Pro was, several years back, but Razer didn't make a newer version.

RIGHT! I totally forgot about that thing. I've read up on it in the past.

it's just probably not what you'd want to drop $2k on a machine for.

Agreed. I'd like to see a ~$300 Windows tablet 'for gamers' on the market though. Basically, the Windows equivalent of the Shield or... well, Switch.

I know Acer made a Predator tablet, but they went with Android which didn't really differentiate much from the Shield. They could have filled a niche by making it Windows based.

[isiolia]

There are a fair number of Atom based Windows tablets, which hit the price point at least (this Asus is $279 for instance).

They wouldn't be sufficient for modern games unless streaming them. My only real experience with that class machine is with an HP Stream 7 though, which is...subpar (but also only cost $80 new, so, I wasn't expecting much, and it only has 1GB of RAM).

[Tanooki]

Sorry about the side track debate there, but it kind of fits, and yes had someone done a windows OS version of the shield tablet (or shield 2 in the Switch as it appears to likely be) that would be plenty good. Sure it wouldnt be running DOOM 2016 like the box art if probably really at all acceptably but most stuff would play along fine enough and anything in tune for it like a Switch game for or ported to Switch would, that is really more than enough as that level hardware could easily handle a virtual environment from DOSBox to whatever else for older stuff like GoG releases do.

Dont get me wrong I do enjoy this tablet I am now stuck using as a micro laptop with my annoying micro keyboard (which is why you see some odd spelling or missing ' for contractions lately) I do miss the bigger space to do stuff in. I just miss my beefy laptop, stupid hdd failure...I could have had it up and running as is in 1 day had there been no warranty. That is not to say if there was a Surface Pro like device running win10 that could run my DOS to present stuff, Android things too so dual booted or some environmental setup, that I would ignore it And if it had a few USB ports or one with a hub possibility so I could still use my trackball, portable HDD, and game pad Id be thrilled.