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iPad mini iPad Mini Retina Questions for Gaming.

A

apolloa

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Original poster
Oct 21, 2008
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7,802
Time, because it rules EVERYTHING!
Hi,

Think I am going mad, anyway my sister was on holiday in America and has returned with an iPad Mini 1, she got it very cheap there.
So I had a play with it when she came round, and I hate to say it, but I really liked it :eek::eek::eek:

It felt more compact than I thought, I have a 2012 Nexus 7 and it's been fine but lately the back has started to creek and I can now press the edges of the screen and it causes the actual screen to be pressed if you know what I mean?

One thing I don't like is poor build quality, I play a lot of games too and having lived with 3 iPhones know the extensive exclusive collection the app store gets of these.

Also it's a lil annoying as my Nexus 5 has really shown up my Nexus 7 in speed, it really flies.

So, I am now thinking of getting a 32GB iPad Mini Retina, I can get one through a scheme at work that saves me £22 on the price.

My mum has an iPad 3 and I keep it up to date and had a play today, yes the iPad is very smooth now, iOS7 seems to have sorted it's problems out and it works better on a tablet.

So, some questions, is the Mini a good quality product? Well built? Does it have any known hardware issues with it like backlight bleed or fault home buttons? How future proof will it be for those games? I ask as I know iOS7 supports all iPad models I think and some games will come out requiring it?
I also use my tablet for web browsing and You Tube, which is daft also as the iPad app refreshes your subscriptions by pulling down on your subs page if I remember, on the Nexus it has no refresh feature, you have to go into most watched or something then back to your subs.

Oh, and what are the new game controllers like? I said to myself long ago if I got another iPhone I would want the PowerVR 6 series as it's next gen, and Apple did deliver that.

So are their any iPad mini Retina gamers out there? I play the graphically intense ones really like Real Racing, Dead Trigger, Dead Effect etc and I love pretty graphics.
I also really enjoy the Defense Zone games and the Anomaly series, of which Anomaly 2 lagged a bit on my Nexus 7 towards the end.

eco systems don't bother me, because I have tons of iOS apps I've bought from before which will still be linked to my account, and my Nexus 5 isn't going anywhere so I'll still have Android.

I need to think fast as the offer through my work stops on the 20th of this month, most likely as next month is the new financial year. I am also not too fussed about an iPad Mini 3 as design wise it isn't going to get much smaller, they'll just boost the power.


I am very surprised with myself with this, because I love my Nexus 7, but I don't think it's going to last and don't really want to take it apart just to tighten screws up to stop the creaking of the case. And even though I really didn't like iOS7 on my iPhone (hence I now have a Nexus 5) it does work better on a tablet, and their is no denying that iPad smoothness.

And also, this is not a troll post, I am very serious about getting the mini but would like help with my questions?
 
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457 views and no reply?????

Never mind, I've taken the plunge now haha, pulled the trigger on a Space Grey 32GB WiFi Retina Mini. Can anyone tell me what is the best bluetooth gamepad for iPad's?
 
The build is rock solid. All of my Bluetooth devices work perfectly with my 32gb rMini. I'm not a hardcore gamer, I can't help u much there, but you will enjoy he device. It should outlast your plastic backed devices.
 
Thanks guys, and I have bought one.

A couple of other questions are, how good is the battery life, are we talking a couple of days between charges?
And am I right to assume if I need to I can connect the iPad to my Nexus 5 hotspot?

Thanks :)
 
I've owned quite a few tablets including all versions of iPad, a few flagship Android devices and an MS Surface. For me the rMini is the best of the bunch. Excellent build quality, same performance as the Air and amazing battery life. My biggest issue with the N7 was the small widescreen display (the mini is noticeably bigger), for 4:3 on a tablet is the way to go.
 
madgibbon said:
I've owned quite a few tablets including all versions of iPad, a few flagship Android devices and an MS Surface. For me the rMini is the best of the bunch. Excellent build quality, same performance as the Air and amazing battery life. My biggest issue with the N7 was the small widescreen display (the mini is noticeably bigger), for 4:3 on a tablet is the way to go.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I had a play with one in the supermarket today and I have to say, to my eyes the screen looked fantastic? It's a typical high quality Apple screen I think?
And yes, that ratio is better for browsing, it also confirmed my theory that iOS7 is much better on a tablet screen I think. The text and icons at the top are a lil small, but I'm happy to trade off with that for a smaller tablet. It's also very fast and responsive.

Looking forward to it, not sure when I'll get it, maybe next month.
 
apolloa said:
Thanks guys, and I have bought one.

A couple of other questions are, how good is the battery life, are we talking a couple of days between charges?
And am I right to assume if I need to I can connect the iPad to my Nexus 5 hotspot?

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

Battery life is great, but will vary depending on usage. I am currently getting about 15 hours of actual usage on my rMini between charges.

You should be able to connect it to your hotspot like you would with any wifi device.

Enjoy your new iPad!
 
apolloa said:
Thanks guys, and I have bought one.

A couple of other questions are, how good is the battery life, are we talking a couple of days between charges?
And am I right to assume if I need to I can connect the iPad to my Nexus 5 hotspot?

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

Gaming will drain the battery pretty quickly in comparison to 'normal' tasks. I get maybe 4-5 hours of gaming on a charge in a graphics intense game. With just occasional web browsing & e-mail I could go days between charging.
 
Panch0 said:
Gaming will drain the battery pretty quickly in comparison to 'normal' tasks. I get maybe 4-5 hours of gaming on a charge in a graphics intense game. With just occasional web browsing & e-mail I could go days between charging.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate, hmm that's alright, can get a few hours a day, but by the sounds of it the Mini will last me a long time on a charge as I don't game everyday on it, got a PS4 too.

How long does it take to charge up the Mini from say 10%?
 
apolloa said:
How long does it take to charge up the Mini from say 10%?
Click to expand...

I'd say 3-4 hours. I just plug in my iPad (mine's an Air) every night before I go to bed, and it's fully charged in the morning. I do often run it down to 10-5%, but I'm on it all day long. When I'm not eating I'm on the iPad, lol.
 
Appl3FTW said:
Well of course, duh
Click to expand...

You say that but I have been pretty impressed with the Tegra Zone games, very nice and fluid. And they look pretty.
But iOS gets the games first and also exclusive ones. And it's just easier on an iPad. Although they should follow Google and give you a window to automatically get a refund if the the game is trash.

Anyway will be looking forward to Modern Combat 5 on my Mini :) also have my eyes on a few others and I'm looking forward to seeing what the Unreal Engine 4 games look like.

----------
Badrottie said:
I know that I was being sarcastic! :apple:
Click to expand...

That never works in a forum, you type it out in your mind thinking its sarcastic but no one reads it like that. We need the face expression or the voice tones to know its sarcasm.


EDIT:
I just wanted to reiterate, the problem with Android can be fragmentation, for instance a Tegra Zone app runs nice and smooth on my Nexus 7 Tegra 3, but if you look at the store their are Tegra 2 and Tegra 4 optimised apps, and a couple of them like Portal and Half life are Tegra 4 exclusives.
And whilst my tablet will run games, it won't run them at full graphics sometimes.

Now, my mums iPad 3 is what 3 years old? My Nexus 7 is 1.5 years old. Yet when I load up Real Racing 3 or Asphalt 8 on her iPad it plays them better, much smoother, with much higher graphics settings. It is very very obvious the games are far more optimised for the iPad.

So the overall gaming experience on an iPad is easier and smoother. If I play Tegra 3 optimised games on my Nexus they run great, but it seems if you play any game on an iPad it plays with that same great and smooth running.
Optimisation is the key I think, it doesn't happen half as much for my Nexus 7, and people will even hack games now to run at full graphics on non Tegra devices. With an ipad you just install the game and play.
 
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Thought I would update my thread, I got my luuuurrrrvvveeeelllyyyy iPad Mini Retina 32GB yesterday :D and I'm sorry, but the screen is AMAZING! It is really nice and colourful, and the games look fantastic on it.

Looking forward to Modern Combat 5 but have been enjoying my older games like Robocalypse (great game if you haven't heard of it, first came out on the Nintendo DS I think?) and others.
Love the form factor, love the smoothness. iOS rocks on a tablet.. IMO of course :p

Got a dirt cheap case on it for the moment. I'll be putting a lovely Noreve case on my Christmas list for it.
 
Sorry I'm late to the party, but I love my rMini for gaming. It seems to be the perfect size for great screen viewing, and easy to use controls, whether it's a dual stick, touch screen, etc. I found playing some games on my wife's iPad2 really difficult because the controls didn't go well on a screen that big. On the iPhone, the screen was often too small, and many games were iPad only (KOTOR, XCOM, both of which I believe are now universal.) But on the rMini, it's perfect.

It won't push the boundaries of the device, but Battleheart: Legacy is a lot of fun, just finished that one.

Glad you're enjoying!!
 
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