- May 8, 2012
- 4,334
- 3
I was lucky enough to get a Gen 2 Nexus 7 a few days ago.
tl:dr
This thing is an absolute beast. The current set of tables have absolutely Zero issues performance wise using this device. Which is not surprising considering this device is about twice as powerful as my Tegra 3 TF300T.
Let me know if you want any specific things tested regarding TPA or see any screens for particular tables. I'll do my best to get them.
User Experience with TPA
Gameplay wise, I think my thumbs are too big for portrait mode. I find my thumbs drift into the tilt touch zone between the flippers. However the fact the tablet has speakers on the left and the right of the back of the tablet suggests it is designed to be used in Landscape mode. Definitely more comfortable to play in landscape when holding with hands. Portrait will be the mode I configure hardware controller mapping for though. The tables seem to be designed to play in landscape.
As for me downgrading from a 10.1" tablet to a 7" tablet, I thought it was going to take some adjustment. But I have been surprised. Because the screen resolution is double the resolution of the TF300T, I am essentially about the same from a viewing perspective. But with less weight, less bulk in my bag each day, and some serious grunt.
Technical
From a technical standpoint, this tablet does not have Tegra, but a Snapdragon processor. This means that MSAA 4x graphics mode works flawlessly accompanied with the power of this device. Not a chug to be seen or heard. Crisp text. Smooth textures.
Battery life is quite decent. I was using it to play music and try out some games yesterday and I was down to about 50% from usage between 7am and 2pm. My TF300T got about that much life as well, and it was a much bigger screen with a much bigger battery.
Sound
Twin speakers work quite well. Crank them up and decent sound comes out of them. Don't expect much bass.
One thing I did notice is there is a terrible hiss coming from the speakers when in-game on TPA. It happens at the end of a single played sound. For example the Boininininining noise on FL2K in attract mode has a really audible hiss associated with it at the end. This doesn't occur on other games I play. Whether this is the device or the game sound server, I can't be sure.
General Gameplay
As an aside, with the Nexus 7 I am able to play DoubleFine's Dropchord using a graphics mode called "The Future" - hoooollllyyyyy moly it is eye scorchingly beautiful, *and* performant. The TF300T ran like a Pentium 1 when I activated The Future graphics on this game.
As far as Zen Pinball goes, well, if TPA looks great on this device, then Zen looks astounding. Bring on Pro Pinball Timeshock!
I need to find myself a SlimPort HDMI adapter kit so I can connect the tablet up to my 22" landscape screen and see how it all performs in this configuration. It is possible that I might actually be able to get back stereoscopic 3D mode in Zen Pinball HD (unless they crippled it when I reported it a while back).
Shiny Screenshots
Some screens for you (be assured in-game the graphics are super sharp and ball movement is like you're standing in front of the table. No fast-movement ball ghosting or tearing):
Portrait orientation. Detail so fine on the Pin*Bot talbe you wouldn't believe it from this picture.
Landscape Home Screen
Landscape ST:TNG
tl:dr
This thing is an absolute beast. The current set of tables have absolutely Zero issues performance wise using this device. Which is not surprising considering this device is about twice as powerful as my Tegra 3 TF300T.
Let me know if you want any specific things tested regarding TPA or see any screens for particular tables. I'll do my best to get them.
User Experience with TPA
Gameplay wise, I think my thumbs are too big for portrait mode. I find my thumbs drift into the tilt touch zone between the flippers. However the fact the tablet has speakers on the left and the right of the back of the tablet suggests it is designed to be used in Landscape mode. Definitely more comfortable to play in landscape when holding with hands. Portrait will be the mode I configure hardware controller mapping for though. The tables seem to be designed to play in landscape.
As for me downgrading from a 10.1" tablet to a 7" tablet, I thought it was going to take some adjustment. But I have been surprised. Because the screen resolution is double the resolution of the TF300T, I am essentially about the same from a viewing perspective. But with less weight, less bulk in my bag each day, and some serious grunt.
Technical
From a technical standpoint, this tablet does not have Tegra, but a Snapdragon processor. This means that MSAA 4x graphics mode works flawlessly accompanied with the power of this device. Not a chug to be seen or heard. Crisp text. Smooth textures.
Battery life is quite decent. I was using it to play music and try out some games yesterday and I was down to about 50% from usage between 7am and 2pm. My TF300T got about that much life as well, and it was a much bigger screen with a much bigger battery.
Sound
Twin speakers work quite well. Crank them up and decent sound comes out of them. Don't expect much bass.
One thing I did notice is there is a terrible hiss coming from the speakers when in-game on TPA. It happens at the end of a single played sound. For example the Boininininining noise on FL2K in attract mode has a really audible hiss associated with it at the end. This doesn't occur on other games I play. Whether this is the device or the game sound server, I can't be sure.
General Gameplay
As an aside, with the Nexus 7 I am able to play DoubleFine's Dropchord using a graphics mode called "The Future" - hoooollllyyyyy moly it is eye scorchingly beautiful, *and* performant. The TF300T ran like a Pentium 1 when I activated The Future graphics on this game.
As far as Zen Pinball goes, well, if TPA looks great on this device, then Zen looks astounding. Bring on Pro Pinball Timeshock!
I need to find myself a SlimPort HDMI adapter kit so I can connect the tablet up to my 22" landscape screen and see how it all performs in this configuration. It is possible that I might actually be able to get back stereoscopic 3D mode in Zen Pinball HD (unless they crippled it when I reported it a while back).
Shiny Screenshots
Some screens for you (be assured in-game the graphics are super sharp and ball movement is like you're standing in front of the table. No fast-movement ball ghosting or tearing):
Portrait orientation. Detail so fine on the Pin*Bot talbe you wouldn't believe it from this picture.
Landscape Home Screen
Landscape ST:TNG
