Hands on with Acer's Predator 8 GT-810 gaming tablet

[HEXUS]

Is this the first true competitor to Nvidia's Shield?

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[Froggywoggy]

That is a pretty damn ugly tablet.

[Wozza63]

Still don't understand how you can call it a gaming tablet if it runs Android. The games suck and can be played just as well on my phone or regular tablet. The Nvidia stuff is a bit better with some PC games being playable directly on the PC and many more being streamable.

[cptwhite_uk]

Looks like it was designed by a 16 year old.

[TooNice]

Look Alienware-ish to me. Perhaps trying to tap into those users? Honestly, I don't care about the look of a device. If I did I wouldn't be slapping a ZeroLemon battery into my phone. At the same time, I don't think that tablets games are good enough to justify a device for it. If I want a handheld gaming device, I'd stick with Nintendo / Sony. Games may be expensive (until you look at the cost of some of those in-game purchases), but they tend to be so much better.

[ba1atu]

Gaming on android happens. Online games like Game of War, racing games like Asphalt 8, and a lot more. Im not talking about the casual cliques like farmville, candy crush or clash of clans. There are real games among the big pile of copycats. You just have to know where to find them.
I think a gaming tablet has its own place on the market. The advantages will have to be the big screen (obviously) and good battery life (better than a phones, that has a battery limited by its size).
I agree. This isnt a hand on, its just news.

[jag272]

Well I'm part of the younger generation, atleast I like to think I am, just barely still being in my teens. I think that thing is pretty ugly, but then I chose a Corsair Carbide 300R for my build and despise LEDs with a passion, preferring a simple and not attention drawing appearance. So maybe I'm of the right age but not the right taste, who knows, either way I won't be buying something that looks like that.

[nobodyspecial]

Still don't understand how you can call it a gaming tablet if it runs Android. The games suck and can be played just as well on my phone or regular tablet. The Nvidia stuff is a bit better with some PC games being playable directly on the PC and many more being streamable.

Clearly you haven't looked at the most recent android games. We are WAY past minecraft crap today. Asphalt 8 airborne, Modern Combat5 Blackout, Frontline Commando WWII, Dungeon Hunter 4 & 5, Wild Blood, Chaos Rings 3 etc etc. Dungeon Hunter 5 looks like an xbox360/ps3 game as do many others. The only thing I hate about much of android is in-app crap, but once far more people have gpu power of say X1 (everyone at 14nm will basically have this soon), I think we'll see more games go with an option to buy outright (no in-app crap) as we all start pumping mobile devices to TV's etc with game pads. There is a pretty massive list of games I'm looking forward to playing when I get time, never mind that they keep adding more monthly. Many of these games are 2GB+ now and as new tech finds more ways to squeeze out even more perf, we'll start getting even bigger assets etc in games. Take a look at Wild Blood (unreal engine) and tell me these games suck...LOL. That game is nearly a year old, can't wait to see this xmas batch of stuff and forward.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftWBHM
Remember once 14nm is everywhere in the next 6-12mo, there will be at least a BILLION devices with pretty much X1's power at 20nm and we may start seeing devices late next year with HBM2 in them giving them even more tricks (think, pascal based Tegra etc) to get more perf. I'd rarely play on the road/out of the house (unless out to tv in a hotel or something), but at home as an extra way to game in the house on the TV, I'll take it as a great addon to PC that keeps getting better and better yearly. I have no intention of paying $60 a game for xbox1/ps4 (own ps2's, xbox360, but no more consoles for me) ever again. The best part about mobile is, until they have the gpu power to put up awesome graphics (or something like xbox1/ps4 anyway), they MUST make a game FUN and I'm all for that. I have the PC for glitz/glamour and HUGE games, but mobile is constantly showing some really FUN games. I can't wait to see NV's 14nm xmas devices (next nexus tablet probably has one for Nov too) and all of it's competition. Unreal4/unity5 etc games will be aimed at these next xmas most likely and I can't wait. Vulkan will massively boost mobile games too (so easy to port to anywhere), and will be included in all game engines next year at some point. That's not to say I don't like PC gaming (ROFL, of course), but mobile is gaining some great stuff too. Great times ahead as the audience with top end stuff grows (compared to today, 1B units will probably be faster at 14nm than top end 20nm) and devs just start shooting higher across the board.

[DemonHighwayman]

I think if they want to be serious competition to the shield tablet then they need to include a proper controller, although 64gb storage built in is also a good start. Also if they could stream games from PC that'd be a big winner.

[crossy]

Still don't understand how you can call it a gaming tablet if it runs Android. The games suck and can be played just as well on my phone or regular tablet. The Nvidia stuff is a bit better with some PC games being playable directly on the PC and many more being streamable.

I was going to reply with the slapdown that a dumb statement like the ones above deserve, but "ba1atu" and "nobodyspecial" pretty much said all that can be. If you're expecting a PC style "experience" on something with a fraction of the resources then you're hunting the impossible dream.

Actually, I'm probably being a bit hard on you there, because I can't really see how - force feedback excepted - Acer have the gall to tout this as a "gaming tablet" either. Shield IS worthy because of the extra battery and various peripherals, none of which seem to be present here. And of course the GRiD streaming service (if you can use it).

I'm going to disagree with Parm on one thing - that a Windows version of Predator would be more desirable. No it wouldn't since the limitations of that tablet would mean that even if you could get a Wintel game to run on it, it'd be so lousy as to be unplayable. Yes, I know there's game streaming, but I've never heard of anyone with a good streaming experience outside of private Wifi coverage.

As to the styling of Predator - hmm, "interesting", I think it's a Marmite design. I think it looks quite in keeping with other game-specific stuff like cases and mice, but I wouldn't be ashamed to have one of those tablets. However, being Acer, I'm sure it'll be fragile...

[Lord Midas]

I'll stick to my Surface Pro 2 thanks.
This does indeed look ghastly. You want to game on the go then you need Windows 10, and Skylake. Bring on the Surface Pro 4.

[crossy]

You want to game on the go then you need Windows 10, and Skylake. Bring on the Surface Pro 4.

No, just no.

I think the many, many, many folks who are happy with their PSPs and DS's would disagree vehemently. Plus the legions of iPad and Android-tablet gamers would also not be happy with your statement.

Then there's all the folks - like Saracen - who have reservations about Windows10. Plus the free-software advocates who regard Windows itself as the spawn of Satan.

Oh, and it's okay for you rich guys who can afford to schlepp around with a ~£600 indulgence. Some of us would have to scrimp and save for a PSP. Plus, as has been said above, there's some pretty decent "full on" games on Android and iOS these days. Okay, not as pretty as the AAA titles on a PC, but I'd like to see you run those on your SP4 with the eye candy on. That said, if you can afford it then the Surface Pro's are pretty nice compromise boxes - more portable than low-end laptops, while still being able to run most of the desktop software unlike the majority of tablets.

Yes, I know, I'm in a bad mood today but this "if it ain't on Windows PC then it sukz" attitude is really hacking me off...

[daddacool]

To be honest the Shield Tablet can run Reicast and EPSXE pretty much perfectly (as well as MAME, PSP, SNES, MD etc obviously), which gives you access to the the entire PS1 and Dreamcast catalogue of games. This means you don't have to get mired in first person shooters. I hooked my Shield tablet up to our 60 inch telly yesterday and spent a happy couple of hours introducing my 8 year old to Wipeout 2097, Einhander, R-Type Delta and Soul Calibur.

Haven't tried the grid gaming as we've only got 5Ghz G wifi in the house, and I can't imagine that's going to be quick enough for streaming? Even if the PC is connected via gigabit ethernet...

I've had a lot of tablets (Nexus 7, HTC Flyer, ASUS Transformer PAD, Nook HD/HD+, Lenovo Miix 2, etc) but the Shield is definitely the best of the lot IMHO.

[crossy]

To be honest the Shield Tablet can run Reicast and EPSXE pretty much perfectly (as well as MAME, PSP, SNES, MD etc obviously), which gives you access to the the entire PS1 and Dreamcast catalogue of games. This means you don't have to get mired in first person shooters. I hooked my Shield tablet up to our 60 inch telly yesterday and spent a happy couple of hours introducing my 8 year old to Wipeout 2097, Einhander, R-Type Delta and Soul Calibur.

Haven't tried the grid gaming as we've only got 5Ghz G wifi in the house, and I can't imagine that's going to be quick enough for streaming? Even if the PC is connected via gigabit ethernet...

I've had a lot of tablets (Nexus 7, HTC Flyer, ASUS Transformer PAD, Nook HD/HD+, Lenovo Miix 2, etc) but the Shield is definitely the best of the lot IMHO.

From what I've seen a G WLAN should be good enough to stream - especially if there's minimum signal contention. Grab a copy of "Wifi Analyzer" from the Play store (farproc's version) and check out what the signal "landscape" looks like. Heck I seem to remember that the gen was that streaming should work over a 4G signal and surely 11g should be just as good in practice?

Nice collection of tablets - got an Asus T'former myself (slow as heck now since it's only Tegra2) and quite liked it. Current "gaming" tablet is a Lenovo Yoga2-8 - although the screen on the (similarly priced) Lenovo S8 tablets is better. Apologies for the inadvertent Lenovo advert. I'd forgotten about the emulator scene - maybe a chance to reacquaint myself with some classics from my misspent youth...

[edzieba]

It looks ugly as hell, but worse, it's from Acer. Which - unlike Nvidia (who have been pretty on the ball) - means it will receive Android version updates sometime between never and the heat death of the universe.

[daddacool]

From what I've seen a G WLAN should be good enough to stream - especially if there's minimum signal contention. Grab a copy of "Wifi Analyzer" from the Play store (farproc's version) and check out what the signal "landscape" looks like. Heck I seem to remember that the gen was that streaming should work over a 4G signal and surely 11g should be just as good in practice?

Nice collection of tablets - got an Asus T'former myself (slow as heck now since it's only Tegra2) and quite liked it. Current "gaming" tablet is a Lenovo Yoga2-8 - although the screen on the (similarly priced) Lenovo S8 tablets is better. Apologies for the inadvertent Lenovo advert. I'd forgotten about the emulator scene - maybe a chance to reacquaint myself with some classics from my misspent youth...

Cheers, I'll give it a go. One of the reasons I've not bothered is I have an i3 Brix set up on our main telly for Steam Home Streaming, so I've not really needed to but I suppose it would be nice to know if I could.

If you pick the right PS1/DC games you'll be in for some great fun. Currently reliving my post graduation days with Fighting Vipers 2, Soul Calibur, Rival Schools, Star Gladiator, Rage Racer, Einhander and a load more. It's easier than hooking either of the physical consoles up to the telly as it's wall mounted and the ports are a faff to get to