Recommend me a tablet for emu-gaming

[Rak_]

Hello folks, i'd like to ask the more experienced members of this community the help me pick a tablet, to play the good old classics on.

Currently i play on my Galaxy Note 4 using the DraStic NDS emulator and i'm fairly happy with it. But i'd like to get a bigger screen, more battery and hopefully all the other emulators. I don't have any kind of experience regarding emulators or what devices run them best. My last emulator adventure was with the PSP and Prometheus for PSX games!

I'm looking for a quality device with expandable storage (SD/XC), a beautyfull panel and good battery life. I'd like to play PSX, N64, NDS, Android and if possible PS2 and GameCube. I have looked in to a few devices such as the Galaxy Tab S2, the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet and a few 2in1 like the Lenovo Yoga 500 (with the i7 6500U). Butt as much as i like PC Hardware i don't know much about mobile CPU and GPU.

[Zaladane]

PS2/Gamecube isn't really viable on any Android device right now. There really isn't anything out there emulator wise. It's not just strictly an uber mobile device hardware wise at this time but an emulation/software/game compatibility issue. Dolphin is making strides though so maybe in a year or three on mobile for them.

N64 emulation is sketchy at best and always has been, once again depending on the title. However for that generation like psx and even psp if it's running fine now - don't bother. Dreamcast emulation and psp have made some wonderful advances in the last year with Intel mobile chips so if you're intent on buying something that's an idea.

But..save your money and do something else with it. There really is no point in doing so right now.

There just really isn't any point right now. Remember: you can buy the best hardware out there but in the end means nothing if the emulators out there just aren't far enough along. Watch out for fake PS2 stuff, there really isn't anything playable for commercial games yet.

Edit: if you really want to go mobile just buy an old used PSP and mod it. Pretty much the best way to go still to this day at the moment for mobile gaming.

Edit 2: An mobile/android device is not a PC and not the same as a PC no matter how powerful they get so keep that in mind (at least for now)

[Rak_]

Thanks for that advice. Well, i really hoped to play the pokemon titles on GC and .Hack// on PS2. I will consider them for PC if good solutions surface.

What combination of OS (win 10, android) and hardware (snapdragon, intel, mediatec) are the best combination for current (working) emulators? I remember Intel beeing shamed for their tablet CPU because of power consumtion, lack of performance and price.

Hey, to add a question:

I found a good offer for a Surface Pro 4 with 4GB RAM an i5 6300U and 128GB storage. Now i'd like to know how those intel Core M or Core iX U performe in emulators compared to an Exynos (Samsung Tab S2) or Snapdragon 820 (Z4 Tablet).

Enlighten me please!

[Zorlon]

Mobile Windows is as awful as it sounds, android is the only real option for free emulators outside of getting a PC

For comparison sake you are going to need more information than the name of a CPU, most devices list how fast the CPU is and how many cores they tend to describe battery life also, most will from heavy use like emulation run out of battery quickly anyway 2 to 3 hours if you are lucky


Emulation go for a PC not a Mobile device

To be honest stick with what you have at the moment for a mobile platform and get yourself a good PC or Laptop
An upgradable PC is a better option you can start basic if you wanted a CPU with GPU built in or a cheaper lower end Graphics card, enough ram to get you started, so you can always save for a better GPU later and more ram

You can even play android via emulation on PC if you wanted

[Rak_]

I have a beast pc but try getting a define r5 in a messenger bag. The Powerbank to run a pc mobile isn't that cheap either.

I want it for comfortable travel fun and chill couch/bed gaming.

What I have my eyes on:

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 value edition (snapdragon 652)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (Exynos 5433)
Sony Xperia z4 tablet

If I get a clear answer within 12h of this post, i could snatch this for 700$:
Surface pro 4, "i5", 4gb ram, 128gb ssd, keyboard cover and that slip in case.

I don't mind paying for a good emulator. I paid 5$ for drastic and it was worth it.

[Zorlon]

snapdragon 652 is more powerful than the Exynos 5433

I would go for the first one you mentioned and have a feeling that is exactly what you will go for

[Rak_]

I may get a "used" Tab S2 with 64GB and 4G cheaper than the lowest model coasts new. I just don't know if there is an exynos or snapdragon built in. Is there a place where CoreM Core iX U/Y and the common mobile chips are compared? I quiet hard to find comparable informations for the chips.

And a little update: I found out that google sells it's pixel C here in switzerland. 650chf for the 64GB and no SD card slot but comes with the Tegra X1. Since the auction for the surface pro 4 endet (got sold for 700chf) i will take some time to get some knowledge on tablet/convertible emulators. I can wait till mid july befor i have to decide.

Be the way: thanks for the help zorlon!

[Zorlon]

I can't even find that CoreM at all let alone a benchmark

Benchmarks tend to all go by the same stats though so if you find the stats individually then you should be able to do a manual compare