The Best Tablets for Gaming: A Comprehensive Review

As a gamer, you're always on the lookout for the best devices to enhance your gaming experience. With the rise of tablets, several options have emerged as top contenders in the gaming world. In this article, we'll explore three tablets that are worth considering: the Nvidia Shield Tablet K1, the ASUS Transformer T100HA, and the iPad Mini 4.

Nvidia Shield Tablet K1: A Powerhouse for Gaming

The Nvidia Shield Tablet K1 is a powerful device that's been around since 2015. Originally called the Tablet K1, it was later updated with a new name, price, and Android 4.0 Marshmallow. This tablet packs an impressive punch, with a bright 920x460 8-inch display, several accessories like the Shield Controller and cover, and a price tag of $3000.

The shield controller supports Vainglory, the mobile equivalent of League of Legends, and GeForce Now, which allows you to stream full PC games. The addition of Android controls, such as back and home buttons, opens up games that aren't well-suited for just a touchscreen. Paired with an NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor, 2GB of RAM, and a cut-down Kepler graphics card, this tablet is a force to be reckoned with.

ASUS Transformer T100HA: A Windows Tablet with a Twist

The ASUS Transformer T100HA is a $500 Windows tablet that offers a unique twist. With the help of a couple magnets, the T100 transforms into a touchscreen laptop with a small but unusable trackpad and keyboard. This device boasts a solid variety of ports, including microUSB for charging, HDMI for external displays or TVs, and USB Type-C.

When paired with the MacBook USB-C adapter, you get a full USB 3.0 port, perfect for using an external hard drive. The ASUS T100 also runs full Windows 10, giving access to the massive Steam library. While not as powerful as other devices in this list, it's still capable of handling lighter titles like Minecraft and even bumping up settings a bit.

iPad Mini 4: A Flagship Tablet with Stunning Performance

The iPad Mini 4 is the most expensive option on our list, priced at $400. However, it absolutely feels its price. With an all-aluminum build that's thin yet supports features like TouchID, this tablet delivers an incredible experience. The 7.9-inch Retina display is not only the best here on paper but also boasts killer color on viewing angles.

Geekbench 3 single-core performance helps the iPad A8 overcome its lack of cores, while the NVIDIA GPU pulls out the win over both the iPad and Soos. While it might be down in raw power compared to other devices, it's worth noting that the T100 has twice as much RAM and 64GB of storage.

Gaming on These Tablets: What Can You Expect?

So, what kinds of games can you play on these tablets? Nvidia has done a lot of work on Android the last couple of years, and it shows on the Shield. Vainglory is the mobile equivalent of League of Legends, and the K9 has more than enough power to keep things running smoothly. Leo's Fortune performs well, which shouldn't be a huge surprise.

The ASUS T100 runs full Windows 10, giving access to the massive Steam library. While not as powerful as other devices in this list, it's still capable of handling lighter titles like Minecraft and even bumping up settings a bit. The iPad Mini 4, on the other hand, delivers stunning performance with its NVIDIA GPU.

Design, Battery Life, and Performance: A Verdict

When it comes to design, battery life, and performance, each tablet excels in its own way. However, there are some cut corners with the Shield like no microUSB charger included in the box, throw in the cover and controller, and it quickly approaches $300.

Despite its age, there's not a lot to complain about with the software on the Shield. It's essentially pure Android with legitimate additions by Nvidia and even little things like front-facing speakers go a long way, making it a nice experience to game on. Considering its price, however, it's hard to argue with the Shield K9.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the best tablets for gaming are not just about raw power but also about user experience, design, and value for money. The Nvidia Shield Tablet K1, ASUS Transformer T100HA, and iPad Mini 4 all offer unique experiences that cater to different needs and preferences. Whether you're a hardcore gamer or just looking for a device to enhance your mobile gaming experience, these tablets are worth considering.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Hey guys, this is Austin.What's the best tablet for gaming?Nvidia have been known for their graphics for years,but only recently have they gotten into actual hardware.The Tablet K1 originally came out in 2015,but after some issues with the battery,it's been updated with anew name, price, and Android 4.0 Marshmallow.At $3000, you're getting atablet that still holds up today with anice bright 920x460 8-inch display,and several accessories like the Shield Controller and cover.Moving up the price ladder a bit,we've got the ASUS Transformer T100HA.This is a $500 Windows tablet, with one big addition:A keyboard dock.With the help of a couple magnets, the T100 turns into atouchscreen laptop with a small butunusable trackpad and keyboard.It's also got a solid variety of ports like microUSB for charging,HDMI for using external display or TV,along with USB Type-C. pairthis with the MacBook USB-C adapter andPair this with the MacBook USB-C adapter,and you've got a full USB 3.0 port for using something like an external hard drive.The iPad is the most popular tablet out there for good reason,and the iPad Mini 4 has a lot going for it.At $400, it's the most expensive option here,but it absolutely feels its price.With an all-aluminum build, it's thin, while still supporting feaatures like TouchID.It has a fantastic 7.9 inch Retina display.Not only is it the best here on paper,but it also has killer color on viewing angles.It shoves up even more expensive options like the iPad Air.With Android, iOS, and Windows covered,what kinds of games can you play on these tablets?Nvidia has done a lot of work on Android the last couple of years,and it shows on the Shield.Vainglory is the mobile equivalent of League of Legends.The K9 has more than enough powerto keep things running smoothly.Leo's Fortune is a more casual game that performs well, which shouldn't be a huge surprise,but a nice addition is the Shield Controller support.This is the same gamepad from the Shield console andI like it.It has built-in Android controls, like back and home,but more importantly, it opens up games that aren't well-suited to just a touchscreen.With GeForce Now,you can stream full PC games.This is relying on you having a good connection,but if you do, it's a solid experience.Pair that withan Android version of ShadowPlay to let you record your gameplay,and you have a very cool way of playing,and even streaming your games to Twitch.The ASUS T100 has the advantage of running full Windows 10,giving you access to the massive Steam library.This is a tablet,so don't expect it to destroy a gaming PC,but hook up an Xbox One controller,and you've got yourself a decent little Rocket League machine.With a mouse and keyboard,you'll have no problem playing lighter titles like Minecraft,and even bumping settings up a bit.Games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive aren't quite as smooth,even with the graphics on low,but it is playable for a quick game or two.The full PC version of Minecraft also works here.It might not be able to keep upwith a ton of mods,but it's not bad.iPad on the other hand has tons oftitles that are well suited to atouchscreen. Agar.io started out as abrowser game but you can sink(?) just asmany hours into the iPad version bytapping and swiping Lara Croft Go isanother great example of a fun tabletgame the art style is on point and whileit wouldn't look out of place on aconsole it works well here speaking oftelltale has most of their games likeGame of Thrones available on iOS andwhile graphically they aren't tooimpressive if you've never played titleslike The Walking Deadyou're missing out. while all threetablets can handle gaming inside theycould be much more different the shieldis rocking an NVIDIA Tegra k1 with aquad-core processor 2 gigabytes of RAMand a cut-down version of a Keplergraphics card the t100 is no sloucheither with a quad-core Intel Atom x5processor 4 gigabytes of memory alongwith Intel HD graphics the iPad Miniuses an apple a dual-core CPU 2 gigs ofram and potent power VR graphics inGeekbench 3 the single traderperformance helps the a8 overcome itslack of quarters where an GFX bench thekiller NVIDIA GPU helps pull out the winover both the iPad and a soos while itmight be down in raw power it is worthnoting that the t100 not only has twiceas much RAM but also 64 gigs of storageversus 16 on the others which isespecially important for running fullWindows 10 of course things aren'tperfectwhile the addition of the keyboard dockis a huge advantage the tablet itselfhas large bezels and the plastic buildlooks fine but the 2/100 feels by farthe cheapest here the screen also isn'tanything special it's a 10-inch 1280 by800 panel which is totally usable butit's not as sharp nor is nice to look atas the others the iPad Mini has thedesign battery life and performance toeasily keep up with gaming but at $400not only is it significantly moreexpensive than the others it's also onlya bit cheaper than the more useful iPadhere as by far the cheapest option herethere are some cut corners with theshield like no microUSB charger includedin the boxthrow in the cover and controller and itquickly approaches $300 but evenfactoring in its age there's not a lotto complain about the software isessentially pure Android withlegitimately useful additions by Nvidiaand even little things like thefront-facing speakers go a long way andmaking it a nice experience to game onit might not be perfect but for theprice it's hard to argue with theShield K9