Any recommendations for a mobile gaming device?

[Pedeadstrian]

For a while, I've been interested in mobile (iOS/Android mobile, not 3DS/Vita mobile) games. Now that Genymotion had their latest update, I've been unable to play Android games, and I need my Candy Crush Saga fix. I was wondering if anyone here knew of a good device to play those games (.apk's) on that doesn't cost a pretty penny.

Also, a somewhat related question: which OS has better exclusives? iOS, Android, or are they pretty much equal?

 

[Foxi4]

Good device that doesn't cost a pretty penny? HUM!

You could:

• Use any pre-existing phone and a game controller to go with it
• You could get any of the existing Chinese Android gaming phones/tablets/phablets with built-in controls
• You could buy an *shudders* iPhone and a nice controller to go with it

Now, techically, as of today (bare with me now), iOS does have better exclusives and does get better "big name developer"support, however the scales are gradually tipping towards Android's favor with the increasing marketshare. The problem with Android is that it has an Open Source policy and as such, game developers are sometimes afraid to release their games for it... which doesn't stop the great majority of them from hitting both platforms.

The handful of iOS exclusivels is easily outweighed by the fact that Android is (usually) easy to ROOT, easy to install any Apps on and has an extensive variety of emulators in its store, most are free, too! The iOS store does not allow emulators on-board, so you're practically required to Jailbreak which is a b*tch each time a new iOS revision is released.

Not only that, Android has the specs advantage and it's cheaper - more bang for the buck.

Once you decide which side you lean towards the most, we'll talk specs and price range.

 

[Xexyz]

Moto G is a phone that costs $179 without contract.

Exceptional phone. Exceptional price.
The sharpest 4.5" HD display in its class, all-day battery, quad-core speed, Android 4.3 with guaranteed upgrade, and colorful backs† to customize your phone.
From $179. Order now.

http://www.motorola.com/us/consumers/moto-g/Moto-G/moto-g-pdp-ways-to-buy.html

 

[Pedeadstrian]

Good device that doesn't cost a pretty penny? HUM!

You could:

• Use any pre-existing phone and a game controller to go with it
• You could get any of the existing Chinese Android gaming phones/tablets/phablets with built-in controls
• You could buy an *shudders* iPhone and a nice controller to go with it

Now, techically, as of today (bare with me now), iOS does have better exclusives and does get better "big name developer"support, however the scales are gradually tipping towards Android's favor with the increasing marketshare. The problem with Android is that it has an Open Source policy and as such, game developers are sometimes afraid to release their games for it... which doesn't stop the great majority of them from hitting both platforms.


The handful of iOS exclusivels is easily outweighed by the fact that Android is (usually) easy to ROOT, easy to install any Apps on and has an extensive variety of emulators in its store, most are free, too! The iOS store does not allow emulators on-board, so you're practically required to Jailbreak which is a b*tch each time a new iOS revision is released.

Not only that, Android has the specs advantage and it's cheaper - more bang for the buck.

Once you decide which side you lean towards the most, we'll talk specs and price range.

When I said mobile gaming device, I meant exclusively for mobile games. I couldn't give a Year of the Horse's ass about emulators. I've already played every game I want to play for older consoles. I'm not one of those people (not saying it's a bad thing) who spend a ton of time (and sometimes effort) playing games they already played to death when they were a kid.

I was already 99% leaning towards Android before I wrote this. Partly because of the typical "iOS? Bah! That's the Nintendo of OS's!" attitude, but also because it always appealed more to me in general. I only named iOS as well in case there were devices/games that made the switch to iOS worth it. Also, when I said "good device without costing a pretty penny" I meant to say "as good of a device as I can get without spending a pretty penny." So basically, Android unless you can sway me towards the other direction, although I find that highly unlikely, considering your iOS bias (founded or unfounded it may be).

My mom could have bought a fairly recent, unused iPad for $100, and I wish she did, but oh well.

Moto G is a phone that costs $179 without contract.

http://www.motorola.com/us/consumers/moto-g/Moto-G/moto-g-pdp-ways-to-buy.html

It'd probably be ~$200 after taxes and shipping. I was hoping for something less than that. Although I guess it could be used for future proofing in case I decide to toss my current crap-pile of a phone.

 

[Duo8]

Just get any phone with decent specs (dual core and 1gb ram).
If you're just gonna play games like Candy Crush then that's more than enough.

 

[Pedeadstrian]

Just get any phone with decent specs (dual core and 1gb ram).
If you're just gonna play games like Candy Crush then that's more than enough.

Well, of course I'm not getting a device just to play Candy Crush. There's been some mobile RPGs/action games that have piqued my interest, and I would like to play them, but not if it requires me to spend $200 more on a device.

 

[Chocolina]

Used phones on ebay? Why are you even here? If $179 is too much to put on your big boy pants for, then just consider the used flagship phones released in the last 1-2 years.

That Moto G post was an exceptional suggestion. I make minimum wage, pulling in embarrassing amounts of money a week, still have to reserve 85% of my pitiful income to cover my cost of living (rent, food) and I still see that Moto G as a great deal that I would instantly jump on if I didn't already own something better.

 

[Nathan Drake]

I gotta say, if you plan on doing any decent mobile gaming, the idea that you expect to spend less than about $150 to $200 is fairly laughable. You'll either end up in the "used but questionable" market, or not getting a device that actually meets your needs. Electronics cost good money. Cutting corners isn't really possible. I also agree that $179, even with taxes, is a damn good deal for that phone.

 

[Pedeadstrian]

Used phones on ebay? Why are you even here? If $179 is too much to put on your big boy pants for, then just consider the used flagship phones released in the last 1-2 years.

That Moto G post was an exceptional suggestion. I make minimum wage, pulling in embarrassing amounts of money a week, still have to reserve 85% of my pitiful income to cover my cost of living (rent, food) and I still see that Moto G as a great deal that I would instantly jump on if I didn't already own something better.

There's no reason to belittle me because I don't wanna spend $200 on something that would only be useful for games. Maybe if it was a tablet, that'd be a different story, but since I already have a phone, I'd rather just spend an extra $50 and buy a Nexus 7 from Amazon. It's not that I don't have enough money, it's that I don't want to spend extra money if I don't have to. That's why I came here, to see if anyone knew of any devices with the best costerformance ratio.

 

[Boy12]

So you wanna play ROMs huh?
What kind of ROMs?
NES,SNES,GBA,PS1,Atari etc.?
If you want something nice and cheap, you can get the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, it play's almost all of the above quite nice, and even N64, although, with a few hicups here and there. It's also dated, and run's Android 2.3.4, but you can also use custom rom's to upgrade the version.

 

[Duo8]

devices with the best costerformance ratio.

Korean phones.
Seriously though you could get an old nexus phone. Maybe used Nexus 4/Galaxy Nexus?

 

[Pedeadstrian]

So you wanna play ROMs huh?
What kind of ROMs?
NES,SNES,GBA,PS1,Atari etc.?
If you want something nice and cheap, you can get the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, it play's almost all of the above quite nice, and even N64, although, with a few hicups here and there. It's also dated, and run's Android 2.3.4, but you can also use custom rom's to upgrade the version.

ROMs was a mistake on my part. I meant .apk's or the iOS equivalent. I have no interest in emulators. I shall adjust my post accordingly.

 

[Pedeadstrian]

Moto G is a phone that costs $179 without contract.

http://www.motorola.com/us/consumers/moto-g/Moto-G/moto-g-pdp-ways-to-buy.html

It looks like that phone is now $99 at Best Buy. Only caveat is that it's locked to Verizon. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/motorola-moto-g-no-contract-cell-phone/3041063.p#tab=overview
Unfortunately, since it's such a recent release, with some stores not having them yet, I was unable to find out if the Verizon model can be Superbooted like the unlocked one can.

 

[pengpeng]

a phone and a smart controller=a mobile gaming device

 

[xcrimsonstormx]

The NVIDIA Sheild is supposed to be pretty good giving you the android Kit Kat experience, while also allowing the ability to stream older PC games such as Half Life 2 or even Civ V straight from you PC with minimal or no lag, although it's pretty expensive at about $200 for it, but it would be well worth it I believe.

 

[Krakatau]

There's no doubt that the NVIDIA Shield is the most developed and the highest-quality having mobile gaming device.

 

[xcrimsonstormx]

I wanna get one, but currently my wallet says no.