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[MRORANGE]

What is this madness?

With the new Atoms it is now possible to run older PC games on windows 8 tablets. With the continuous competiion of MS/Intel with Android in the cheap tablet market we are getting tablets that can run old X86 games (circa 2005) on very cheap hardware. This is great for people who have a lot of old PC games or have a backlog of old Steam/GOG games.


Some examples of what a $99 tablet can do (HP Stream 7):

Half-Life 2
PPSSPP
Skyrim
Crysis
TF2
Fallout 3
Counter-Strike: Source
UT3

As you can see it runs CPU demanding games pretty well (for it's price-point), and should handle old PC games like a charm. Depending on how much or little you want t to spend it could be a interesting venture into true portable X86 gaming. It's advisable to get something better than the tablet in the videos though,


Download these useful apps:
TouchMousePointer:
GestureWorks Gameplay
virtualgamepad


Any other advice?
- Atom Z3735 is the minimum you should go for.
- More ram is a good idea, you can run games on 1gb ram but more demanding games will benefit from 2gb.
- Most 7/8 inch devices are 1280x800, most 10/11 are higher resolution.
- Most tablets have bluetooth/wifi so you can connect any wireless controller you have. or get a nyko tablet or a iPega 9023
- Some tablets have HDMI out and all should have a USB port to connect to a TV and other devices, a cheap one that is recommended is the Linx 7
- Try keeping games on external storage (MicroSD/USB/External Hard-drive) as internal HDD is still quite small.
- Play at lowest possible settings for better frame rates.
- If all else fails use Steam Streaming

A big thanks to bomblord1 and brain_stew for the insight.

​

 

[ILoveBish]

They run pretty good, but still not there yet. I'm hoping there is a nice refresh in 2015 to finally get it to a acceptable point.

 

[Fezan]

can i play dota 2 at decent resolution and fps

 

[Ludovico]

My T100 convinced me that the form factor was legit. Never thought I'd prefer a tablet, but it's super versatile and mobile.

My biggest issue is RAM - with 2gigs, I find over half of that easily taken up by a combination firefox, office, and a program I use for work. I couldn't imagine getting by with just 1.

One day I'll splurge and either go for a SP3 or a dedicated ultrabook, until then I'm stuck with much less demanding games.

 

[Naked Snake]

Very interesting. It should run non-demanding new indie games too, right?

 

[MRORANGE]

can i play dota 2 at decent resolution and fps

probably not native and not 60fps, but there are more expensive tablets that can run games at more decent frame-rates.

Very interesting. It should run non-demanding new indie games too, right?

Should be okay if it's not GPU intensive, it really depends on the game.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

I'm utterly stunned it even boots into Crysis. Stuff like Game Dev Tycoon is a bit laggy sometimes on my Surface Pro 2.

 

[Orayn]

I'm utterly stunned it even boots into Crysis. Stuff like Game Dev Tycoon is a bit laggy sometimes on my Surface Pro 2.

I think some of the newer stuff on modern engines can have enough CPU overhead to cause problems. Rogue Legacy, which is XNA, doesn't run terribly well on my Asus T100 despite being a nominally 2D game with minimal lighting effects.

 

[diaspora]

Is it possible to play a game like Broken age exclusively with the touch screen?

 

[HUELEN10]

Let's say I am interested only in SCUMM and Retroarch.

Any tablet out there that has a GPU, discrete or not, with a confit utility for overscan compensation over HDMI out, a Micro SD Slot, 2 GB Ram, and a battery life over 2 hours for under 200 USD with a resolution of at least 1600x900?

If so, I will buy one.

 

[MRORANGE]

Is it possible to play a game like Broken age exclusively with the touch screen?

If the Devs have implement a touchscreen I see why not,or use a 3rd party implementation.

Let's say I am interested only in SCUMM and Retroarch.

Any tablet out there that has a GPU, discrete or not, with a confit utility for overscan compensation over HDMI out, a Micro SD Slot, 2 GB Ram, and a battery life over 2 hours for under 200 USD with a resolution of at least 1600x900?

If so, I will buy one.

1600x900 and 2hr battery life might be a stretch for $200

 

[Gipsy Danger]

Are these available now? Does anyone have a link to the site with specifications and the like? I'm very interested in picking up something for in-home streaming like this. Is there a higher model with 1080p output and/or HDMI out?

 

[HUELEN10]

If the Devs have implement a touchscreen I see why not,or use a 3rd party implementation.



1600x900 and 2hr battery life might be a stretch for $200

What about 1280X800 then?

That would be fine; it's 136somethingX768 that is a no no...

 

[EctoPrime]

The tablet can run Doom 3 and going by the benchmark RE5 on low. The cpu in these things a four core Z3735 can outperform low end laptops (netbook) using the two core N2800 in multithreaded programs.

 

[BigTnaples]

They run pretty good, but still not there yet. I'm hoping there is a nice refresh in 2015 to finally get it to a acceptable point.

Yup. I really want to get a Surface Pro 4 next year.

 

[CharmingCharlie]

Hm picked a Linx 10.1 up for 80 quid in the sales and been using it to mess about with windows 8.1. I tried a couple of games such as minecraft (single figure fps on low settings due to only having 2gbs of RAM). However didn't even think to run Crysis, might give it a go and see what happens.

I have to say though as a streaming device using steam it is fantastic. I can stream games from my i5 + GTX 670 straight to the Linx 10 tablet and it's beautiful

 

[MRORANGE]

What about 1280X800 then?

That would be fine; it's 136somethingX768 that is a no no...

1280x800 are probably the minimum, tablet in OP should be okay with SCUMM not sure about retroarch but it can run PPSSPP to give you an idea, also since it's CPU bound don't expect amazing battery life.

 

[Orayn]

What about 1280X800 then?

That would be fine; it's 136somethingX768 that is a no no...

1280x800 are probably the minimum, tablet in OP should be okay with SCUMM not sure about retroarch but it can run PPSSPP to give you an idea, also since it's CPU bound don't expect amazing battery life.

The general trend seems to be toward 7" and 8" Windows 8.1 tablets being 1280x800, with larger ones at 136(0/6/8)x768

 

[MRORANGE]

Some more videos of that $99 tablet, holy shit:

TF2
Fallout 3
Counter-Strike: Source
UT3


At least we can now debunk the $2000+ PC myth now :lol

 

[Lorul2]

I am pretty sure the win 8.1 OS is the 32 bit version on the intel processor 2 in 1 Tablets/ netbooks, but the Processor is 64 Bit. Would a 64 Bit OS make things run better, anyone know?

 

[Spinluck]

Might get this for my youngest bro.

He tries to play games on my moms PC a lot from what I'm told. And her computer runs most of them mid range at best.

Might just get him this so he can mess around with it. He doesn't play anything too demanding.

 

[Flappy]

Pretty impressive. But my concern is battery life when playing such demanding games.

 

[TheSeks]

At least we can now debunk the $2000+ PC myth now :lol

Yes, and no.

Yes for "you need a $2000 PC to play games."

No for "but you need a $2000 PC to play games past 2005 on a tablet-level powerhouse."

I mean, come on...

 

[bomblord1]

Thanks for turning my musings into a more uniform thread

 

[brain_stew]

Not gaming related but a good piece of advice is to avoid using Chrome on these devices. The modern IE is actually a fantastic browser and makes very efficient use of RAM, you'll have a much better browsing experience if you stick to it. Its also more secure.

You need to temper your expectations with these devices but they're surprisingly capable full Windows PCs for under $100/£60.

Avoid the 16GB eMMC versions and personally I'd make sure that you buy a device with HDMI out, so the Stream 7 wouldn't be my first choice.

Considering you get a year's worth of Office 365 / 1TB Onedrive / 60 worldwide Skype minutes included, its easy to justify one of these as a toy/experiment to mess around with.

I've turned my Linx 7 into a full Windows 8,1 HTPC in the bedroom with Plex, XBMC, Steam streaming and access to full IE and Office. I was using an Android TV stick previously and its a huge improvement having full Windows available now.

 

[shacklesmcgee]

I am pretty sure the win 8.1 OS is the 32 bit version on the intel processor 2 in 1 Tablets/ netbooks, but the Processor is 64 Bit. Would a 64 Bit OS make things run better, anyone know?

I know that dell and asus don't provide 64 bit drivers, and with the stupid new EFI thingy you can't install 64 bit windows without a 64 bit EFI, which aren't provided either.

And of course when the 64 bit versions do come out, you know the companies won't backport the drivers/EFI...

 

[MRORANGE]

Thanks for turning my musings into a more uniform thread

Apologies for stealing the limelight, I was working on this thread yesterday but forgot to post it until I saw yours :s

Not gaming related but a good piece of advice is to avoid using Chrome on these devices. The modern IE is actually a fantastic browser and makes very efficient use of RAM, you'll have a much better browsing experience if you stick to it. Its also more secure.

You need to temper your expectations with these devices but they're surprisingly capable full Windows PCs for under $100/£60.

Avoid the 16GB eMMC versions and personally I'd make sure that you buy a device with HDMI out, so the Stream 7 wouldn't be my first choice.

Considering you get a year's worth of Office 365 / 1TB Onedrive / 60 worldwide Skype minutes included, its easy to justify one of these as a toy/experiment to mess around with.

I've turned my Linx 7 into a full Windows 8,1 HTPC in the bedroom with Plex, XBMC, Steam streaming and access to full IE and Office. I was using an Android TV stick previously and its a huge improvement having full Windows available now.

Is there any other recommended tablets such as the Linx 7 you mentioned?

 

[gregor7777]

Yes, and no.

Yes for "you need a $2000 PC to play games."

No for "but you need a $2000 PC to play games past 2005 on a tablet-level powerhouse."

I mean, come on...

whoooooshh

 

[MRORANGE]

Linx 8 £99 GRID Autosport: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2EEb-aY9GQ

25-30 fps at 1280x800

 

[Speevy]

It's nice that you can play these games, but with the need to plug in external hardware, I'm not really sure where this would be convenient compared to a laptop.

 

[Orayn]

It's nice that you can play these games, but with the need to plug in external hardware, I'm not really sure where this would be convenient compared to a laptop.

I think it's pretty interesting from the perspective of testing what kind of gaming experience you can have on the cheapest new PC hardware that's available. Most people don't consider it a practical thing or a major selling point outside of the few games that actually have adequate performance and are well-suited to a touch screen.

Also, keep in mind that there are a fair number of laptop/tablet convertibles with similar hardware and slightly higher pricing.

 

[cvben]

I used to have one of these until it met an unfortunate end (collapsible rear car seat was collapsed onto it a few times, don't ask), but I can confirm they are pretty great.

 

[bomblord1]

It's nice that you can play these games, but with the need to plug in external hardware, I'm not really sure where this would be convenient compared to a laptop.

Well the 7 and 8" variants can literally fit in your pocket. Some of them (HP tablet) even have built in (50mb free) 3g/4g internet

 

[Oxirane]

Hopefully windows game developers start to consider better implementations of touch screen controls (for turn based games etc.), requiring external control accessories can become unwieldy.

Steam in-home streaming on a Venue 8 Pro.

 

[bomblord1]

Hopefully windows game developers start to consider better implementations of touch screen controls (for turn based games etc.), requiring external control accessories can become unwieldy.


Steam in-home streaming on a Venue 8 Pro.

I've heard borderlands can run on low on the 8 can you confirm or deny?

Either way that's pretty cool that the streaming can do that.

 

[magnumpy]

gee... some competition for the n3DS. it's not really a fair fight, like Hulk Hogan vs. a 2 year old.

 

[HolyBaikal]

I have a Lenovo Yoga 2. And I can play Valkyria Chronicles on it on lower settings.

It has goods at 480p or a little above. But at 720p or more it slows down a little bit.

 

[scitek]

Not sure where to ask this, but can the Shield port of Half-Life 2 run on a Nexus 6, or any Android tablet?

 

[bomblord1]

Not sure where to ask this, but can the Shield port of Half-Life 2 run on a Nexus 6?

Technically it probably could but it's not available for it under normal conditions.

 

[SmokedMeat]

This is the future of gaming.

 

[Oxirane]

I've heard borderlands can run on low on the 8 can you confirm or deny?

Either way that's pretty cool that the streaming can do that.

In not sure about running it natively, because there isn't much space left to install games, I was just testing how well streaming worked.

 

[bomblord1]

Something just hit me. Might be worth adding to OP maybe.

Things to look for
Expansion
Micro SD Slots (these tablets tend to run very low in the memory department so expandable store is a must)

Processors
Atom Z3735 (or equivalent) minimum. (the higher the number the better)

Screen resolution
7/8" 1280x800 absolute minimum (higher is better)
10/11" 1366x768 absolute minimum (higher is better)

Extras to look for
HDMI/Micro HDMI out
USB port
Mobile broadband
Removable battery

 

[webkid94]

Wasn't sure if I could run Valkyria Chronicles on my first gen Surface Pro, but it does!...at locked 30fps, 1280x720...but there are some weird texture glitches. Not sure if its just the intel hd graphics or something more, but damn i'm impressed. Played Trails in the Sky, ran flawlessly at full HD, looked better on my surface than my PC (probably cause my TV isnt IPS and my Surface is) Have about 50GB left for maybe a couple more games, gotta try Skyrim next should probably buy an ethernet adapter...Wifi takes forever.

 

[RedSwirl]

For me, the promised land is being able to run my Steam copies of low-end games like Rogue Legacy and Spelunky, with buttons, on a device the size of a Vita or my iPhone 6 Plus, without streaming.

If tablets can already run intense 2004-2005 PC games with decent performance, I don't think we're far away from this goal. I remember people laughed at the SteamBoy concept some company teased a while back, but eventually I really do hope someone tries that shit.

It seems like the era of straight-up PC gaming handhelds is nearing.

 

[TomShoe]

Anyone think I can get League of Legends to work on a tablet? I normally play on Ultra Low settings because I normally play on non-gaming laptops.

 

[Orayn]

Anyone think I can get League of Legends to work on a tablet? I normally play on Ultra Low settings because I normally play on non-gaming laptops.

I could get 40's/50's with low settings and native resolution on my Transformer T100, so yeah, League is probably within reach. I think the new map actually reduces the polycount on some things, so it might be even better now.

 

[shandy706]

While I do have a curiosity about how low you can go $$$ wise and still play, most of this stuff is just too framey/ugly for me to actually want to play games beyond a 5 minute experiment.

I've been considering the T100 for just messing around.

 

[bomblord1]

Anyone think I can get League of Legends to work on a tablet? I normally play on Ultra Low settings because I normally play on non-gaming laptops.

Intel says you can they even used to mention it by name (something like play your favorite games like league of legends).

 

[Daigoro]

I think some of the newer stuff on modern engines can have enough CPU overhead to cause problems. Rogue Legacy, which is XNA, doesn't run terribly well on my Asus T100 despite being a nominally 2D game with minimal lighting effects.

yup. Spelunky runs like shit on this device as well unfortunately.

 

[Orayn]

yup. Spelunky runs like shit on this device as well unfortunately.

Which is a real shame, because that's exactly the kind of game I'd want to play on it. Even Hearthstone has some major slowdown with high settings, and the low/medium settings are both locked to 30 FPS for whatever reason.

Hopefully Cherry Trail is a big improvement.