Database Users

reading so many bad reviews

so i been keeping up with reviews with this phone
http://www.businessinsider.com/xperia-play-review-2011-6
i see nothing but bad reviews for this phone =/ people are saying this phone is weak and handhelds that are out now are more powerful..... i dont see how the psp has a 333mhz cpu 64mb of ram and the ds 133mhz cpu with 16mb of ram
i dont see how this phone is not powerful compared to these? i really like this phone alot better then my epic 4g, ya the screen was pretty but now i dont really noticed it anymore as im use to the play screen, and the speed of my epic was only fast because it was rooted with all bloat ware removed and had CIQ and everything else removed for speed

the reviewers dont like it because there are dual core tegra units out already and this phone is a single core snapdragon with an adreno gpu, sure its not as powerful as the new phones coming out but its plenty enough for the games being thrown at it and to handle psone titles.
i honestly dont care what the reviewers say, i love this phone, its very fast and does everything i need in a nice way, its way better than my old iphone 3g, i love the gamepad, the touch surface takes a while to get used to but its decent as opposed to having to smudge my screen with my fingers

I don't know if you're asking a question or anything, but my Play runs faster than my DInc2 review unit and MUCH better/faster than my Fascinate. I think many people are mad that it didn't come with future-proof dual-cores or even 4G. But as a regular phone with basically stock Gingerbread on Verizon, it runs great and outperforms any phones I've reviewed or owned. The only real slowdown you might notice is multi-tasking, but for me it's really only been on low battery plus lots of apps/games running in the background. Sure, they skipped over any extraordinary features besides the controller, but that's why you get this phone really and it is solidly constructed and plays very well.
That being said, I would love root and custom roms/kernels to make this a beast.

That website likes to bash sony, not going to take him seriously. He should be able comparing the gaming experience between phones.. Not the psp... That's what this was made for... Play some first person shooters not Maiden... And then come to all negative conclusions. Never read a more biased review in my life.
It can play all the games coming out right now... Mainstream is not dual core yet... How many computer games require quad i7s, just because it's out and exists, doesnt mean you need it right away.
Sent from my R800a using XDA App

i mean i wish they waited and put at least the 1.2ghz cpu in or the 220 adreno gpu but oh well it has the power to play ps1 games and if sony really wants to make money code psp games to this and throw in some PSN access

Almost all my ifriends who have seen this phone love it.
I love this phone.
Games run fine.
Why play a game on a powerhouse when you still have to comtrol it by touchscreen?
Touchscreen controls are the worst thing to happen to most games. (except angry birds )
If you want a gaming phone, buy this. If you dont want a gaming phone, buy something else.
If sexplay 2 is out when my 2 year contract is up i will easily upgradeg to it. Dont think i could ever go back to a touchscreen only phone now.

Even engadget is suggesting a xperia play 2 indirectly
Sent from my R800i using XDA Premium App

Most reviewers don't focus on what this phone is, I've seen a website compare it to a 3DS it's not trying to revolutionise hand held gaming.
It's a mobile phone with a gaming controller and I love it.
Sent from my R800i using XDA Premium App

If you enjoy game playing, then this is the sickest thing in the world, so they can all shutup

The bad reviews should not be surprising at all. The Xperia Play is a phone for a pretty niche market even for handheld gaming. Android games are nothing to write home about in terms of quality (please don't mention Gameloft games... I think they're horrible for the most part).
The real boon of this phone has been emulators and the battery life. Coming from a Galaxy S where I had to make sure to not use the screen too often or it wouldn't make it through the day, the Play is amazing. Emulators speak for themselves. In my time commuting I've completed Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid, a few Mario games, and Zelda Minish Cap. Every single one of these is head and shoulders above every single Android title on the market right now.

Deoxlar said:
Never read a more biased review in my life.
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You should check out anything Sony on IGN. Talk about biased.

I have to agree with some comments on here, the phone is aimed at a pretty niche market and there are more powerful phones already out.
However, I can say that I played a good amount of Android games before and on the Xperia Play I can say you can actually play those games accurately. I don't know how people can struggle with on screen game pads for emulators or even regular games, I never bothered to download any emulators on my previous phone because I knew it wouldn't be enjoyable. The only game I ever completed was Angry Birds because of the basic controls, anything that needed accuracy was impossible.
Anyone that has seen me playing my phone always asks what phone it is. Even non-gaming coworkers are intrigued by it.

This PLAY is awesome.. but unfortunately, i got a defective one.. Only can enjoy games with emu's, and can not update it to 2.3.3 firmware, also can not enjoy gameloft games or any other HD games as it would crash the android OS till the touch screen, power button, wifi, bluetooth, gamepad touch, sdcard not function if i play those games for too long. Have to remove battery to make PLAY works normal again.
Luckily, firmware 2.3.2 (UK version) still makes a bit friendship with my PLAY.. although the android OS crash after playing gameloft or hd games for too long, the touch screen would still work so that i could reboot my PLAY using quickboot app (thanks to deoxlar for recommending the app to solve my removing battery issue after the OS crash)

To be honest I have not seen even one positive review about the Play, the reviewers seem far too concerned about the latest dual core devices even though the Play runs every current game and app the same and thats not even including the gamepad that defines the Play.
It's like none of the reviewers have ever played a game on a mobile device ever, amazing how bad some of those reviewers are, how they got jobs I will never know.
And yeah, the Play is by far the best gaming phone out there thanks to the game pad, no other phone comes close, as a phone it lacks a few features and the hardware may seem a bit dated compared to the very latest phones on the market but make no mistake, this is a fantastic mobile gaming device.
Just a shame SE totally failed at advertising and securing some "must have" games for the device.

Reviews I've seen by gamers love the phone. Those that aren't gamers don't like it because it doesn't come with some word printed on the spec sheet. I've yet to see any performance problems so I'm personally glad it doesn't waste battery life for performance I can't see. But I gave up having to have the latest buzz word item right away many years ago.
In the same way that the handhelds haven't replaced my consoles and the same way the consoles haven't replace my computer, the Play isn't replacing the handelds. The Play certainly replaced my phone and I will never willingly go back to a phone without a game pad on it.
As for the comparisons to the handhelds, why would somebody think I'd carry my 3DS or PSP with me wherever I go like I do with my phone? Who are these people that do this or think this is reasonable?

Screw that son of a hamburger(his name is else hamburger lol )
I am an LG optimus and HTC hd 7 user and im really happy with this phone
Sent from my R800i using XDA Premium App

Sigh, most people who have reviewed this phone review it with the crappy pre-installed games. I have hardly played the pre-installed games to busy with emulators and now Samurai II: Vengeance (friggin awesome game ).
I could care less if the hardware feels dated or is not "dual-core" since every game ive tried on the xplay has played extremely well (apart from some Fpse games) but once the xplay gets overclocked (or even if it is not overclocked) im guessing most games for the next two years the xplay will still be better than the touch screen alternatives.

I guess the best reviews are the ones made from people who own the phone. And from what I read on this forum in other place, people are, generally, extremely satisfied. I have one, too and I'm happy as well!
These reviewers say "wait for PS Vita or buy a 3DS". That doesn't make much sense, since I won't carry on my pocket any of these devices, and my phone I carry everywhere I go.

I mainly agree with Clyzm, the bad reviews come because it is a niche product. It destroys any other phone for emulating games, but non-gaming reviewers will not attend to that; it has surprisingly good rear camera and GPS performance, but a reviewer won't spend much time with those features, and the most important thing, its price is outrageous through official channels. In Spain it costs €650 out of contract (ca. $1000). Its brother, the Arc, costs €540; a Samsung Galaxy S II costs €580 and a HTC Sensation fetches €600 (and it's selling way less than the SGS II).
I researched quite a bit and found mine cheap (€400) on eBay Germany: your average consumer is less likely to research as much. If I had paid a thousand bucks for this phone, it'd be already back in the store. This phone does deliver a very good performance where it should: but it lacks a lot of oomph to command such high prices.

Logseman said:
I mainly agree with Clyzm, the bad reviews come because it is a niche product. It destroys any other phone for emulating games, but non-gaming reviewers will not attend to that; it has surprisingly good rear camera and GPS performance, but a reviewer won't spend much time with those features, and the most important thing, its price is outrageous through official channels. In Spain it costs €650 out of contract (ca. $1000). Its brother, the Arc, costs €540; a Samsung Galaxy S II costs €580 and a HTC Sensation fetches €600 (and it's selling way less than the SGS II).
I researched quite a bit and found mine cheap (€400) on eBay Germany: your average consumer is less likely to research as much. If I had paid a thousand bucks for this phone, it'd be already back in the store. This phone does deliver a very good performance where it should: but it lacks a lot of oomph to command such high prices.
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near $1k over there is crazy, you guys are getting the shaft in europe, you can get an unlocked one for around $550 on ebay, i got mine for around $100 on contract but it would have been around $600 if i got one without a contract

[Q] Is the Xperia Play worth Getting?

I am very hesitant in getting that phone, I've heard alot of good things and alot of bad things
I've seen specs and I've seen reviews, but I want to know people's personal opinion as they have the phone for full everyday use and not just reviewing it.
Is it worth it?

My advice do not go for it,you have better options for the same price.even if you are into gaming do not go for it...you can wait for NGP later and get dual core mobile now like galaxy s2/sensation/optimus 2x

I say go for it 4 sure. If you're like me who loves Zelda OOT, buy it! There is nothing like sitting on the subway while kids are playing their angry birds on their iphone while you sit there with your play and play Zelda or tekken 2 It's totally worth it!
everyday phone? Oh yeah! It works great!
Don't listen to that guy talking about dual core. You don't need it on a phone!! seriously, WHY would you need dual core? Everything i've tried on my play works like a charm!

jassired said:
My advice do not go for it,you have better options for the same price.even if you are into gaming do not go for it...you can wait for NGP later and get dual core mobile now like galaxy s2/sensation/optimus 2x
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Yeah, get a dual core mobile now so you can play the exact same games you can play on the Xperia Play, only with worse controls and worse battery life.
Then get an NGP later so you can carry around two devices for ultimate portability!

hairdewx said:
Yeah, get a dual core mobile now so you can play the exact same games you can play on the Xperia Play, only with worse controls and worse battery life.
Then get an NGP later so you can carry around two devices for ultimate portability!
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that was exactly what i meant haaha +1

^^^ I'm being sarcastic in my last post, in case the OP didn't catch that.
I'm very happy with my Play as a gaming phone and everyday phone. My wife has a Droid 3, and there isn't much difference at all, if any, in app performance and daily phone use. I have much better battery life as well. She has a better camera Maybe eventually apps will start taking advantage of multiple cores, but it's going to be a while.
You can't play this game on a touch screen very well...

Yourmama said:
I am very hesitant in getting that phone, I've heard alot of good things and alot of bad things
I've seen specs and I've seen reviews, but I want to know people's personal opinion as they have the phone for full everyday use and not just reviewing it.
Is it worth it?
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It is very simple. How much do you value playing both Android-native and emulated games against the rest of features in a phone? If you really want to play games in a phone, this is your device.
If you don't value playing games over dual core CPUs, slick designs, gorgeous screens and feature-rich cameras, you're not the target for this device. It has a very specific niche, which Sony Ericsson has spent millions in digging out. It's a love-it-or-hate-it product, with little middle ground.
Oh, and it has an astonishingly precise GPS.

There are bad points about this phone but show me a perfect phone.
The best 2 things about this phone are obviously the control pad for 1 and the battery life, which has amazed me so far.
The only thing that I find annoying is the lack of decent games taking advantage of what is a great phone.
But I have to say I have started using emulators and they are quality, n64oid and fpse especially.
So to sum up its a great mix up between a gaming device and a smart phone. It is let down on the development side.
It all just depends on what you want if you like gaming I dont think you will be let down in purchasing this phone
Thats my two pennies anyway
Sent from my R800i using XDA App

I have an xperia play and a few of my mates have dual core phones (SGS2, Optimus x2 e.t.c). I would not swap the Xplay for any of them.
As hairdewx has shown if you plan on playing anything with FPSE or emulators it is pointless on anything other than an xplay. The emulators alones let you play thousands of games with proper controls (makes it a 1000x better)
The speakers are the best on any phone. And the battery life is amazing to say this is a gaming device. Just using it as a normal phone it is as good as the rest.
I would recommend you get this phone. I think it will be hard for me to upgrade to a newer phone @ the end of my contract, unless it has proper gaming controls . (Xplay 2 hopefully)

Thanks guys I don't know I just might get it the only setback was the lack of an HD screen and the core issue but seems that the people who have the phone are enjoying it, I will see

Just wanted to give a perspective from someone who just bought the phone yesterday.
Waiting in the Verizon store I got the chance to mess with a few other phones. I actually played a couple games on some as well and just took an overall look. So to start lets forget the coolness of the control pad, and also that IMO playing games with motion/touch controls aside from something designed for it like Angry Birds absolutely sucks. Its why I seriously have not been into mobile gaming until now and I'm a big gamer. Just can't stand those controls.
Most of these new 4G dual core phones are huge. Seriously I was playing with one of the new 4G phones and the damn thing was like a doormat it was so big. Meanwhile the Xperia Play dimensionally is almost identical to my OG Droid, but space wise is designed better so that the 4" screen pushes to almost the edges of the device which uses space very well. Fits in my pocket WAY better than those 4G devices with a screen thats only 0.3" smaller.
Next up is speed. The OS is just as responsive on the Play as any of the 4G devices, I'm honestly not sure how much a dual core processor can help on a cellphone especially for normal every day tasks, with an OS that while multitasking, is not like a PC where you can physically have 2+ windows on screen at once. The way Android prioritizes memory, if you are using multiple apps at once, I just don't see there being a possibility of an everyday advantage. Needless to say, touch them side by side, there is NO difference in speed. Which brings me to games. I played a couple on the newer devices, they looked and played the same as on the Play, no faster, no better graphics, no nothing.
Finally would be features, ok so the camera is ok but not as good, 4G where available, is REALLY fast so thats nice as well and if you're in an area its common, and you have a need for that kind of speed, well then its something you should consider. And HDMI out, not on the Play. I personally have no use for it but if you do then theres another loss. So this comes to opinion - IMO the camera is good enough, it does the job, its a cell phone not a Canon. 4G? I live in the NY metro area basically where 4G service should be mostly available but its spotty, meanwhile WiFi is everywhere, and everywhere I'd sit and use it I have WiFi (my home, my folks house, my firehouse etc), when I travel I book hotels that have free WiFi, also my ISP provides open WiFi in many areas. Also I have no shame I use peoples open WiFi signals if I have to, so honestly I don't miss the speed there. 3G really isn't THAT bad either, however its a compromise, and I'm sure outside of this area it could be a problem for some. Then HDMI out, I bet I'd try it out for a novelty but I'd probably never use it. I have a PS3, I watch movies on my big screen from that or my PC with HDMI out.
And 2 things I've said above become an advantage for the Play, no 4G and no Dual core = better battery life.
So all in all I don't for a second regret the purchase, you get 95% of the performance of a 4G phone, with the advantage of better battery life, and the completely awesome built in control pad. If you want to game, its a no brainer.

When I saw the title of the thread I opened it to give my opinion about this phone. But when I read the previous answers, all that I wanted to say had already been said, so I gave up writing a big text because I don't have anything new to say!
Then I'll only say that it's an awesome phone, buy it without any fear, you won't regret it.

_terror_ said:
If you're like me who loves Zelda OOT, buy it! There is nothing like sitting on the subway while kids are playing their angry birds on their iphone while you sit there with your play and play Zelda or tekken 2 It's totally worth it!
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WTF! did you get a stable enough N64 emu (not to mention enough ram to run the rom) I have a GBA SNES NES GameGear and Genesis, but i cant find a good (preferably free at least till applanets back up) 64emu anywhere....and how are you running tekken two though all the psx emus crash cause of sony releasing this phone....oh and as long as you plan to plug the thing in everynight for like 8 hours (although 2.3.3 update fixes that a small amount if you dont game or browse or call or well pretty much emulate any sort of energy from it) than dont buy this phone really takes a commitment, i hate that i bought it then found out motorolla is releasing the droid 3(name changes between SP's) with HDMI out 1Ghz process 8mp cam rear and ii believie dont quote 3.2 front (might have been 2.3 or somewhere goin on memory of specs) THAT IS THE PHONE YOU WANT IF YOU ARE STILL LOOKING but release does depend on SP Bell got it first! havent folllowed up on it much just pisses me off that i bought a damn sony product over a 3ds.......oh and sorry if i repeated anyfacts

It is my favorite device. I just put in 2 hours of Beyond the Beyond without any awful on screen controls or bluetooth shenanigans.
Sound quality is spectacular too, as is the battery life.
The only thing that could use some improvement is the camera.
If you enjoy games more than just casually and really enjoy emulation, there is no other real option IMHO.
Sent from my R800at using Tapatalk

KronikonE said:
WTF! did you get a stable enough N64 emu (not to mention enough ram to run the rom) I have a GBA SNES NES GameGear and Genesis, but i cant find a good (preferably free at least till applanets back up) 64emu anywhere....and how are you running tekken two though all the psx emus crash cause of sony releasing this phone....oh and as long as you plan to plug the thing in everynight for like 8 hours (although 2.3.3 update fixes that a small amount if you dont game or browse or call or well pretty much emulate any sort of energy from it) than dont buy this phone really takes a commitment, i hate that i bought it then found out motorolla is releasing the droid 3(name changes between SP's) with HDMI out 1Ghz process 8mp cam rear and ii believie dont quote 3.2 front (might have been 2.3 or somewhere goin on memory of specs) THAT IS THE PHONE YOU WANT IF YOU ARE STILL LOOKING but release does depend on SP Bell got it first! havent folllowed up on it much just pisses me off that i bought a damn sony product over a 3ds.......oh and sorry if i repeated anyfacts
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N64oid v2 runs alot of roms pretty perfect now, and fpse eats tekken alive, infact i havent found one ps1 rom it dosent run pefectly

jdsemler said:
Sound quality is spectacular too, as is the battery life.
The only thing that could use some improvement is the camera.
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K Sound Agreed, Battery however i would like to know what miracle device you are using to keep it powered cause even with the 2.3.3 update which i wont le improved battery life significantly, i dont find its able to keep up with the demand especially noticable when streaming data i.e. skyFM or TuneInRadio(awsome app by the way for a phone with no FM reciever any radio station you could imagine....from all 7 contenent...yes there is a sat radio station based in antarctica for the 12 people that are ever there at one time, sheesh im Canadian and i say no thanks to that lol sorry off topic tired and ranting), and camera is decent quality 5.0mp front is only1.2 so self portraits are a little grainy i find, but none the less i have to agreee it could use more features to the actual cam its self

AndroHero said:
N64oid v2 runs alot of roms pretty perfect now, and fpse eats tekken alive, infact i havent found one ps1 rom it dosent run pefectly
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didnt know N64oid v2 was out thanks!, and as for the ps one emu i think i might just steal whatever games they release seeing as i pretty much bought a psone in a phone seems a little redundant to download a program on top of that....just cant wait to see if they find a way to release FFVII and VIII to the phone

Just get an android phone you like
to the guy who started this thread truely you just want an android phone PERIOD with it dominating over 50% of the smart phone generation other companies are trying to figure a way to eat a piece of googles pie....ie rumors which are now apparently confimed (which i havent seen first hand knowledge) but the iPhone 5(BOOO) is set to release with BBM installed, and we all know android with get it first probably for free with some sort if ad support....its like comparing a PS3 to Xbox360 its just not necessary 360 wins in every department like android.(minus blueray but you can obvi get a cheap one of those now to make up for it)

Anyone interested
found a decent site on app creation for android....vogella.de/articles/Android/article.html
sorry bout not making it a link apparently i havent posted enough for our Naziesq forum rules

KronikonE said:
to the guy who started this thread truely you just want an android phone PERIOD with it dominating over 50% of the smart phone generation other companies are trying to figure a way to eat a piece of googles pie....ie rumors which are now apparently confimed (which i havent seen first hand knowledge) but the iPhone 5(BOOO) is set to release with BBM installed, and we all know android with get it first probably for free with some sort if ad support....its like comparing a PS3 to Xbox360 its just not necessary 360 wins in every department like android.(minus blueray but you can obvi get a cheap one of those now to make up for it)
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Haven't you pissed on this guy's thread enough? Then you come into a forum with people who are obvious playstation and Sony fans and say the Xbox360 "wins in every department" which is so untrue its not even funny but I'm not getting into that flame war here.
You don't seem to like the phone much, and you don't seem to like PS much, door is to the left, go buy another phone then.

Yayyy!! RealRacing 3 Free is out for the Note2!!!

A brilliant game, awesome graphics and great gameplay! You must play this if you have a note 2

How to get this?

Search for it on google play store.
I agree, great game

This game is ruined by how unbalanced it is to play, read some reviews. You need to spend a lot of real world money to get anywhere as it relies on a lot of in-app purchases.

Yupe in app purchasing just ruins the game, but then again most free games do come with a catch.
Sent from the rabbit hole.

Does this sync up with the iOS version so any purchases made and progress made carry across? Thankyou.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

Game is nice ... but unfortunately most game features are baid :crying:.

I've been playing this for quite some time now and yes, you do have in-app purchases. It's totally optional as to what you'd like to spend. But either ways, come on guys....this is console quality graphics for your handheld with multi million dollar budgets spent on development - of course they expect to make some money back! But you do have the option if you want to spend or not If you dont think the game is worth spending, then dont! But trust me guys, with RR3....it's so damn justified!
Give it a shot, you've got nothing to lose

Nfs mw the best racing game xD
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

How big is the install? It's been on wifi for awhile!

DaBountyHunter said:
How big is the install? It's been on wifi for awhile!
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i've read its somthing like 1.5GB

Is this game also giving some previliges to iOS platfrom over Android?

yahyoh said:
i've read its somthing like 1.5GB
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1.7 GB
It says it at the description.

Installed and played the game.. its really **** (my opinion).. id maybe like it if i didnt played Need for Speed most wanted before
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I hate to spoil the party, but when I play on the note 2, it immediately becomes apparent how much better the ios version is on a retina device. The graphics look TERRIBLE on the Note 2 and absolutely stunning on my ipad.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2

EP2008 said:
I hate to spoil the party, but when I play on the note 2, it immediately becomes apparent how much better the ios version is on a retina device. The graphics look TERRIBLE on the Note 2 and absolutely stunning on my ipad.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2
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720p phone GPU vs a 1500p iPad with a tri or quadcore powerVR GPU. Not exactly fair game.

irzero said:
720p phone GPU vs a 1500p iPad with a tri or quadcore powerVR GPU. Not exactly fair game.
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I didn't say it would be, but the difference is quite noticeable.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2

The real problem is: Developers simple made it nicer on Apple devices. Simple fact.
I know it might sound strange for some, but that's the truth.
The current SOC of the Note 2 would be able to run this game equal to the IOS counterpart, but developers did not bother to adjust/polish/optimize the game for the top android devices.
That's very common these days

TerrAme0 said:
The real problem is: Developers simple made it nicer on Apple devices. Simple fact.
I know it might sound strange for some, but that's the truth.
The current SOC of the Note 2 would be able to run this game equal to the IOS counterpart, but developers did not bother to adjust/polish/optimize the game for the top android devices.
That's very common these days
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when you said android devices, did you know how many are they? and when you said apple devices, how many are they? so it is easy to develop a perfect game for apple(dont need for me to explain more)

dreamtheater39 said:
I've been playing this for quite some time now and yes, you do have in-app purchases. It's totally optional as to what you'd like to spend. But either ways, come on guys....this is console quality graphics for your handheld with multi million dollar budgets spent on development - of course they expect to make some money back! But you do have the option if you want to spend or not If you dont think the game is worth spending, then dont! But trust me guys, with RR3....it's so damn justified!
Give it a shot, you've got nothing to lose
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total agree with what u saying, ive been playing it for 3 days now and its incredible to be honest, some of the cars are expensive and so far ive had to redo races to get more R$ to buy a car . . but hey . . . its kept me interested, i think the only downside to this game is the fact that i dont think you can just have a proper season of racing like 16 races over X amount of laps for points etc etc . . and also you cant actually race against friends in real time multiplayer . . but other than that is brilliant! 8/10

Just how many more Cores??

I simply would like to know just how many more cores do Android phones require to render basic games smoothly without lag?
It seems on paper, these devices will have enough power to virtually take off! yet my HTC One cannot handle a game like Cordy 2 or Granny Smith without stutter and lag.

I would put it down to the immense fragmentation of the android eco system which makes it nearly impossible to optimise for every device that may be running the app in question. I'm sure many developers will optimise for the One eventually...

well i can play cordy 2 and real racing in power save mode (reduced cpu) with no lag or stutter at all....

hawrai68 said:
I simply would like to know just how many more cores do Android phones require to render basic games smoothly without lag?
It seems on paper, these devices will have enough power to virtually take off! yet my HTC One cannot handle a game like Cordy 2 or Granny Smith without stutter and lag.
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I've played Temple Run 2, Real Racing 3, Need for speed, Asphalt 7 and they're all running fine? Plus I've heard Game-loft are updating their apps so it runs better than good on the new Snapdragon 600 processor

I am sorry, but unless each device is made slightly different, then there is no way those games run 100% lag free...as this is not just an issue with HTC One, Its the same with my friends Xperia Z....simple games are simply not smooth.
It seems the higher the spec on theses phones, the more lag there is on simple games.

You ask a question then disagree with everyone who answered, why ask?
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

Haha. You really shouldn't blame Android...too much. Games with ****ty support run ****ty no matter what. Words with Friends is still crap on my iPad. And Zynga decided to break Scramble as well with their new update. Android makes it harder for even well supported games to work flawlessly. All the multitasking and stuff. It's like when your instant messenger freezes a game of Crysis on a $2000 computer? Yeah, that's what you get for picking the platform that can do more stuff at one time and is more "open". Like a swiss army knife to cut your filet mignon instead of a dedicated steak knife. If you don't need the extra functionality of Android, why not switch to the iPhone?

You ask a question then disagree with everyone who answered, why ask?
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I was hoping to a technical explanation to what is clearly a problem with most high end Android devices, and I would hardly classify replies by two individuals as "everyone"...anyway not sure what rattled your cage.

katamari201 said:
Haha. You really shouldn't blame Android...too much. Games with ****ty support run ****ty no matter what. Words with Friends is still crap on my iPad. And Zynga decided to break Scramble as well with their new update. Android makes it harder for even well supported games to work flawlessly. All the multitasking and stuff. It's like when your instant messenger freezes a game of Crysis on a $2000 computer? Yeah, that's what you get for picking the platform that can do more stuff at one time and is more "open". Like a swiss army knife to cut your filet mignon instead of a dedicated steak knife. If you don't need the extra functionality of Android, why not switch to the iPhone?
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True, I have an Iphone as my other device, I was just hoping there would be a bit more power to such a top specced Android phone than just for benchmarking and how fast you can open, close and swipe between home screens.

Its not the device but the apps/games. Then again you cannot blame the app devs because android ecosystem is just enormous and you cannot really compare with ios with handful of models and most importantly only one manufacturer.

Don't say your phone can't handle a game because it can, use a heavily developed game that has a lot of attention payed to it. Big difference between a game like that compared to a small under developed game.
Sent from my SGH-I727 using xda premium

Don't feed the troll...

Seriously? There are two huge threads almost exclusively talking about gaming on this phone right in the one general forum. Do a little footwork.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda premium

Heh, troll thread. Recommend everyone just report this thread to the mods. It's blatantly obvious the OP is trolling, don't feed this little critter.

Is the Shield Tablet still worth buying?

I've been considering new tablets, and honestly the Shield Tablet has the features I want and I'm able to get one for $250, which seems reasonable. But I'm just wondering if it's still worth it as the it is a year old. How does it compare to newer devices?

If you're primarily going to be using it for gaming, there isn't a better tablet out there. The tablet is a steal for $250. The latest official update really makes the tablet shine and the custom rom called "Blisspop" even makes the device that much better in terms of performance. You won't regret getting one.

Well at the moment there are not many tablets that are faster (maybe even no faster) than this tablet.
Antutu scores are one of the highest even compared with the latest phones.
So speedwise it is still top notch and tablets that maybe come close you have to pay double the price for compared to a shield.
The 32Gb with Lte is unbeaten for that price.

I bought the 32GB LTE version in July, because an LTE tablet anywhere close to the Shield in terms of specs/screen etc. would have been ~$150 more.
Despite the battery recall issue, I'm satisfied with it. My (original) unit has been working perfectly and is very smooth with Lillipop 5.1 (the 3.1 OTA).
I should be receiving my replacement tomorrow, according to UPS. Presuming it doesn't have a defect, I'm looking forward to settling in. I never bothered to settle in on the old tablet (automatic actions, power saving stuff, that kind of thing) since I found out about the recall shortly after buying it, and didn't bother to fine tune it.
I recommend the tablet as an LTE device in the US, though if I didn't need the LTE connectivity probably there might be better values in wifi only (I'm not a gamer, so other tablets could meet my needs... but there are relatively few 8" LTE tablets without permanently locked bootloaders here).
Marc

The problem of the tablet is really the processor that is getting old pretty quick (don't know exactly it's true performance), but nowadays everything coming out is already being 8 cores at 2 ghz or more.
Keep Cool

But they are often not faster. Gpu of the shield is very fast maybe the fastest around at the moment. The SOC is still one of the fastest around and it is just on the market for 1 year so not that old.
Sent from my HTC One M9

Where can you even buy one of these? In Canada every single place is sold out and saying they won't stock them again. The used market can't find for under $500 either.

M3drvr said:
Where can you even buy one of these? In Canada every single place is sold out and saying they won't stock them again. The used market can't find for under $500 either.
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Checkout swappa.com

nbollinger said:
Checkout swappa.com
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There is nothing there for it.

M3drvr said:
There is nothing there for it.
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https://swappa.com/buy/nvidia-shield-tablet-wifi
its the non-lte, 16 gb version

nbollinger said:
https://swappa.com/buy/nvidia-shield-tablet-wifi
its the non-lte, 16 gb version
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And there are no listings.... Useless.

M3drvr said:
And there are no listings.... Useless.
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Its something on your end then

nbollinger said:
Its something on your end then
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No. It's just that there are none...

There seem to be two of them for sale at that link when I go to it. One for $290, one for $320, both advertised as new (resale). Probably you're just filtering by Canadian sellers, based on your picture. Lots of folks in US won't ship outside the US, so no big deal that they aren't showing up for you.
Best of luck finding one!

Frankenscript said:
There seem to be two of them for sale at that link when I go to it. One for $290, one for $320, both advertised as new (resale). Probably you're just filtering by Canadian sellers, based on your picture. Lots of folks in US won't ship outside the US, so no big deal that they aren't showing up for you.
Best of luck finding one!
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Yeah my question was basically how to get one to Canada that's under $500. Impossible! Cheapest I've found is on eBay shipped for $530 for 16gb model no accessories.

Snah001 said:
But they are often not faster. Gpu of the shield is very fast maybe the fastest around at the moment. The SOC is still one of the fastest around and it is just on the market for 1 year so not that old.
Sent from my HTC One M9
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The thing is that there aren't much AAA games to play in the shield, it's a good device more for the extra nvidia stuff.
I'm waiting for Borderlands 2 for a damn long time, but it never comes, and I don't even know if it runs on the device with good performance or if it's just for the Shield TV.
More impressive are some cheap windows tablets that for around 350€ can even run Battlefield 3 on low to mid.
Now with DX12 and tons of compatibility tablets might go more for windows again.
In fact I'm not liking much android, not a single game like the good old C&C Red alert 2, boot takes almost 2 times longer than my wind 10 PC, some websites stop working, multitasking is a joke since we can't even play a youtube music while doing anything else...
ps: Also in most performance tests we see other tablets ahead of Shield, so I don't think anything is actually that much optimized for it, not even most tegra games.
Keep Cool

My Shield Tablet LTE topped my Nexus 9's scores on Antutu plus the Shield gaming is great to have. Let's not forget about the SD slot and the mini HDMI port on top either. This tablet still destroys everything else (even most phones) a year later. I really mine because it has a stylus and no dumb Samsung home button like their Tablet S/S2 does. Its hard to find a good tablet these days yet the Shield holds its ground and doesn't seem to lose any performance over time. I like playing Half Life 2 on it or DOOM 3 especially when I travel. Its nice to have a tablet which can play nice games too even though that's not its primary purpose for me.
---------- Post added at 23:39 ---------- Previous post was at 23:32 ----------
guily6669 said:
The thing is that there aren't much AAA games to play in the shield, it's a good device more for the extra nvidia stuff.
I'm waiting for Borderlands 2 for a damn long time, but it never comes, and I don't even know if it runs on the device with good performance or if it's just for the Shield TV.
More impressive are some cheap windows tablets that for around 350â?¬ can even run Battlefield 3 on low to mid.
Now with DX12 and tons of compatibility tablets might go more for windows again.
In fact I'm not liking much android, not a single game like the good old C&C Red alert 2, boot takes almost 2 times longer than my wind 10 PC, some websites stop working, multitasking is a joke since we can't even play a youtube music while doing anything else...
ps: Also in most performance tests we see other tablets ahead of Shield, so I don't think anything is actually that much optimized for it, not even most tegra games.
Keep Cool
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Those cheap windows tablets also use Intel chips in most cases plus Windows an as OS handles things differently than Android does. I agree that there aren't many great games but the ones they do have are fun in my opinion. I have the Shield TV as well and I play all kinds of games including emulators without any issues. My i7 Samsung Ultra book probably can't handle some of the games the Shield can then again I haven't tried. I'm not a big PC gamer but I do know the GPU isn't that great in most Windows tablets/ultrabooks. Android M fixes a lot of the productivity issues and adds multi window and I'm sure Nvidia is working on it now anyway. They tend to lush updates out promptly in most cases unless there's a big issue.
I haven't seen another tablet have better gaming performance than he Shield or Nexus 9 since hwy share a GPU yet use different CPU's. My Nexus 6's SD805 doesn't come close to he 3D score that the tablet does but on Marshmallow it does get a nice ~1500 pt boost likely from the optimization in it. I can imagine the same will occur in the Shield Tablet but we won't know until Nvidia releases it.
I'm not saying the Shield is the best fit everyone but it is a great tablet if you are in the market for a LTE enabled 8in tablet thats fast, runs near stock Android and has nice games for it.

Most of those BEST Nvidia Shield games coming soon are old and I finished them already. (RES5, Half Life, Borderlands, Doom...).
The thing is, you get a good device, but you will probably end playing most games that your phone already can play maxed out.
Other thing is Nvidia blahblahblah says it's more powerful than a X360 GPU, but then most games have a little lag and nothing, but really nothing made to the android yet comes close to most X360\PS3 gameplay\physics (they just look good, but plays like crap).
Then it's my 4th Nvidia shield all are defective and the last one needs to go to RMA again.
I never had an android device, so I wanted to try it, with my experience is just a god damn bugged SO worst than windows.
Also I got sad with the strategy games and how nothing on the android thousand of games even come close to Command and Conquer Red Alert II from like 2000
My opinion:
GOOD:
- hardware Performance;
- Sound;
- has it's own wireless gamepad;
- Nvidia software + remote pc play (button mapping already in the tablet, no need to root 4 that);
- More games than other android devices;
BAD:
- Android is not really optimized;
- Not much AAA games:
- Nothing like C&C, age of empires, Skyrim........ (most games are very cheap copies of good games, but look like a 2003 game);
- In the real world, performance is not as big as nvidia make you think (best phones now probably have better performance, like Samsung S6 which is a lot more little and doesn't come close to having more than a hundred cores like this nvidia);
- Screen quality is not that awesome, it is a High resolution LCD, but nothing special besides that. It doesn't get any close to samsung phone's\tablet amoled screens;
- Battery doesn't last much either;
I actually think that something like that made for DX12 and wind 10 would probably get almost twice the performance than on the actual android OS. At least I saw some people playing BF3 on dell cheap 1 year old tablets that cost basically the same as this nvidia shield. Nowadays with DX12 and Wind 10 soon may be a new era for tablets (it seems windows based hardware have more performance per price than android devices). At least I never seen any 300€ android tablet playing anything close to a BF3 which is years ahead in gameplay + physics than any android game I ever seen\played until now.
ps: If it was today I would buy a ~350€ DELL wind tablet that can even play BF3 (guess what? No need to Root for anything as you own everything already and can update\mod everything).
Keep Cool