Hey guys, I thought I'd share my experience so far with using my stock .30 FW TF700 as a gaming console device. My setup is using a MicroHDMI cable to output to a 55" TV with a 5.1 surround sound receiver and speaker set, and using the dock, I am able to use the wired, PC version of the Xbox 360 controller. There are ways to use the wireless console version using a wireless receiver, but I won't get into that as I have no experience with it. There are, however, how-to's on YouTube and other sources. You can also use Wii and PS3 controllers over Bluetooth. I chose the Xbox controller because I am used to it and more comfortable with wired versus a wireless connection.
First I'll get movies out of the way. I'm using BS Player with the the BS Engine hardware acceleration (after some very basic and general testing I found this option to yield the most/best average frames per sec, which comes out to an average of 23.97 FPS). The video is a DVD rip, standard 700ish meg file. The movie is Snow White and the Huntsmen (I chose this because it has a LOT of dark scenes and dark scenes always yield the worst viewing distortions in my experience). The movie looks and plays perceptibly identical as when I play the file on my PC and output via HDMI to the same TV, so no complaints there. I'm happy with movie playback here. My one complaint, though, is that you are not able to either close the tablet docked or power off the tablet screen and keep playing the movie on the screen. If anyone knows a workaround to this I would really appreciate some feedback. My only workaround atm is to turn the tablet away from me so I don't see the screen glow that distracts me from the movie. This also drains the battery faster if you don't have the option to be plugged in.
For gaming, the first game I tried was Dead Trigger, available for free, using a pay to win type strategy I think. Prior to plugging in my Xbox controller, I did not have any game pad options. After plugging in the controller, I was given a game pad option to map keys, and after that setup, I was able to play the game with my Xbox controller with no problems. Controls are very smooth, but fine tuning options you get on console games are absent, like aim down sights toggle versus hold and release, but I can live with that. When playing through the MicroHDMI cable on the TV, it would be very easy to confuse this game with an Xbox arcade game, if not even a retail title, the graphics are really clean and crisp. This game doesn't have bloom effects and other types of high end graphics tricks, so I'm not sure what it's fully capable of. But I did not notice any difference in performance between playing on the tablet itself and the TV. One hiccup though that I found annoying was that despite using a game pad, I was still required to use the touchscreen to advance through the menu. Maybe there is some mapping options I can tweak to fix this, because it is very annoying with the tablet having to be in the dock to use the controller. If anyone has successfully used a USB to MicroUSB to use the controller without the dock I'd love to hear about it. All in all I was happy with it.
Next game up was N.O.V.A. 3. This game does not appear to natively support game pads. If it does please someone correct me and tell me what I'm doing wrong. In order to address this, I picked up a couple apps off the app store, Joystick Center 6 and Joy2Touch, both by the same author, Poke64738. I'm struggling to get these to work, but I am sure it is ID 10 T error on my part, as many people have had success using his apps to play android games using USB and Bluetooth controllers, as well as keyboard and mouse combos. These apps work by using controller input from USB and Bluetooth devices to emulate touch input on the capacitive touchscreen, and involve a mapping overly while in the game requiring you to touch the screen and map that screen tap to the appropriate button on your input device. Once I get it sorted out, I'm sure it will be right as rain, and if anyone has a source for a walk through or how-to I would greatly appreciate the link, or better yet, a source for Xbox controller profiles would be better. N.O.V.O. 3 loading times seem to take a very long time, which I think is caused by our tablets' I/O issues, and I don't see how JB/Project Butter could address that. But has for video and audio quality, just as Dead Trigger, it looked great and ran at good speed with no tears or artifacts or any noticeable defects. Once I figure out my Joystick Center 6 setup I'm sure this will be a fun game to play.
All in all I'm having fun using my tablet as a console like device, aside from the few minor issues i described. I hope this was helpful to anyone trying to decide if they want to invest in the stuff needed to do this. Also, any feedback for the issues I'm having, apps I'm using, or ways to improve the experience are very welcome, for the benefit of myself and the community.
TL;DR TF700 makes a pretty good gaming console IMO.
WeSiDe said:
Hey guys, I thought I'd share my experience so far with using my stock .30 FW TF700 as a gaming console device. My setup is using a MicroHDMI cable to output to a 55" TV with a 5.1 surround sound receiver and speaker set, and using the dock, I am able to use the wired, PC version of the Xbox 360 controller. There are ways to use the wireless console version using a wireless receiver, but I won't get into that as I have no experience with it. There are, however, how-to's on YouTube and other sources. You can also use Wii and PS3 controllers over Bluetooth. I chose the Xbox controller because I am used to it and more comfortable with wired versus a wireless connection.
First I'll get movies out of the way. I'm using BS Player with the the BS Engine hardware acceleration (after some very basic and general testing I found this option to yield the most/best average frames per sec, which comes out to an average of 23.97 FPS). The video is a DVD rip, standard 700ish meg file. The movie is Snow White and the Huntsmen (I chose this because it has a LOT of dark scenes and dark scenes always yield the worst viewing distortions in my experience). The movie looks and plays perceptibly identical as when I play the file on my PC and output via HDMI to the same TV, so no complaints there. I'm happy with movie playback here. My one complaint, though, is that you are not able to either close the tablet docked or power off the tablet screen and keep playing the movie on the screen. If anyone knows a workaround to this I would really appreciate some feedback. My only workaround atm is to turn the tablet away from me so I don't see the screen glow that distracts me from the movie. This also drains the battery faster if you don't have the option to be plugged in.
For gaming, the first game I tried was Dead Trigger, available for free, using a pay to win type strategy I think. Prior to plugging in my Xbox controller, I did not have any game pad options. After plugging in the controller, I was given a game pad option to map keys, and after that setup, I was able to play the game with my Xbox controller with no problems. Controls are very smooth, but fine tuning options you get on console games are absent, like aim down sights toggle versus hold and release, but I can live with that. When playing through the MicroHDMI cable on the TV, it would be very easy to confuse this game with an Xbox arcade game, if not even a retail title, the graphics are really clean and crisp. This game doesn't have bloom effects and other types of high end graphics tricks, so I'm not sure what it's fully capable of. But I did not notice any difference in performance between playing on the tablet itself and the TV. One hiccup though that I found annoying was that despite using a game pad, I was still required to use the touchscreen to advance through the menu. Maybe there is some mapping options I can tweak to fix this, because it is very annoying with the tablet having to be in the dock to use the controller. If anyone has successfully used a USB to MicroUSB to use the controller without the dock I'd love to hear about it. All in all I was happy with it.
Next game up was N.O.V.A. 3. This game does not appear to natively support game pads. If it does please someone correct me and tell me what I'm doing wrong. In order to address this, I picked up a couple apps off the app store, Joystick Center 6 and Joy2Touch, both by the same author, Poke64738. I'm struggling to get these to work, but I am sure it is ID 10 T error on my part, as many people have had success using his apps to play android games using USB and Bluetooth controllers, as well as keyboard and mouse combos. These apps work by using controller input from USB and Bluetooth devices to emulate touch input on the capacitive touchscreen, and involve a mapping overly while in the game requiring you to touch the screen and map that screen tap to the appropriate button on your input device. Once I get it sorted out, I'm sure it will be right as rain, and if anyone has a source for a walk through or how-to I would greatly appreciate the link, or better yet, a source for Xbox controller profiles would be better. N.O.V.O. 3 loading times seem to take a very long time, which I think is caused by our tablets' I/O issues, and I don't see how JB/Project Butter could address that. But has for video and audio quality, just as Dead Trigger, it looked great and ran at good speed with no tears or artifacts or any noticeable defects. Once I figure out my Joystick Center 6 setup I'm sure this will be a fun game to play.
All in all I'm having fun using my tablet as a console like device, aside from the few minor issues i described. I hope this was helpful to anyone trying to decide if they want to invest in the stuff needed to do this. Also, any feedback for the issues I'm having, apps I'm using, or ways to improve the experience are very welcome, for the benefit of myself and the community.
TL;DR TF700 makes a pretty good gaming console IMO.
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Click to collapse
do you have any pics? i'd love to see some you should try asphalt 7
PantechBurstOwner said:
do you have any pics? i'd love to see some you should try asphalt 7
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Click to collapse
Asphalt 7 won't install from the play store for our device, i had bought it on my phone but am unable to install it.
PantechBurstOwner said:
do you have any pics? i'd love to see some you should try asphalt 7
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Click to collapse
user311 said:
Asphalt 7 won't install from the play store for our device, i had bought it on my phone but am unable to install it.
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Click to collapse
I'll see what I can do....
Edit:
I've managed to dig up an old copy I had of the game and forgot I backed up from my Galaxy, if I can get it running I'll take some pics or maybe a video, but not sure where I could post the video, haven't done this sort of thing before. Youtube? Or this there an easier option?
No need for a video unless you want to, I just wanted to see how that was set up. does it look good on the TV?
Sent from my PantechP9070 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2
Yeah, every thing looks great on the tv, same quality as what appears on the tablet. I had to fiddle with the ratio button on the TV remote to get it to fit right, set it to "Just Scan" and it all fit nicely.
I got asphalt 7 on my tf700, and it runs and plays nice, but it doesn't support game pad natively, so I gotta wait until I figure out the joystick center 6 app. It's starting to seem like none of the Gameloft games have support for game pads built in. I really hope developers get in the habit of including this.
I've tried a couple of games on my TV and I always have a very noticeable, yet small, delay from the tablet screen to the tv screen. I find it makes some games difficult to play. Have you noticed this at all?
Sent from my Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
Does anyone happen to know if Shadowgun THD happens to support game pads natively?
newellj79 said:
I've tried a couple of games on my TV and I always have a very noticeable, yet small, delay from the tablet screen to the tv screen. I find it makes some games difficult to play. Have you noticed this at all?
Sent from my Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
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No, fortunately I haven't noticed this issue, not that I was looking for it though. I was having to use the touch screen while playing so I think I would have noticed. But now that you have mentioned it I will keep an eye out for it. Just a shot in the dark, but does your TV operate at 120Hz? Not sure if that would cause the delay, but it wouldn't surprise me if it did. Also, it may be the cable. I know that it's a digital signal and a crappy cable is suppose to work just like a good one, but there might be an issue there in the cable. I would try a different cable, and / or a different TV, if you are able to. Then you could narrow it down. If it's still doing it after a different cable and on a different TV, then it's more then likely something to do with the tablet itself.
newellj79 said:
I've tried a couple of games on my TV and I always have a very noticeable, yet small, delay from the tablet screen to the tv screen. I find it makes some games difficult to play. Have you noticed this at all?
Sent from my Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
OK so I went and did some testing, with games, movies, and web browsing, scrolling up and down and stuff, and I didn't notice any lag between what was being displayed on my tablet and what was displaying on the TV. Hope this is helpful to you.
One workaround to the tablet screen issue is using an app like rootdim to decrease the backlight of your tablet to zero. This would turn the screen off on the tablet and not the tv. Getting the backlight back on wouldn't be too hard since you can use the mouse on the dock to control things on your tv instead of the touchscreen.
Oh and there are some ways to navigate the tablet easier. With the joystick app you bought, it's possible to use the joystick on your controller as a mouse. This could easily be activated with the touch of a button that isn't really used on the controller, making it possible to switch back and forth. A downside of this is that games that natively use the gamepad (such as dead trigger and shadowgun) won't work if you're using the joystick center app.
Another way to navigate is blueputdroid. Simply download this app on your phone and now you have a bluetooth mouse and keyboard. This could control virtually everything on your tablet. Games like dead trigger could be navigated from the couch and you could even easily browse the internet since you now have a keyboard.
hajalie24 said:
Another way to navigate is blueputdroid. Simply download this app on your phone and now you have a bluetooth mouse and keyboard. This could control virtually everything on your tablet. Games like dead trigger could be navigated from the couch and you could even easily browse the internet since you now have a keyboard.
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LOL I was just thinking earlier today "How can I use an android phone to control an android tablet?". Thank you so much for that info, and I am most definitely going to check it out! But wouldn't this require some kind of server app running on the android tablet? I've used my phone as a keyboard/nouse with my pc before, and they all required the pc side to have a server program running in the background.
WeSiDe said:
Does anyone happen to know if Shadowgun THD happens to support game pads natively?
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Click to collapse
I believe it does.
If you're rooted and have a PS3 controller, you can always install Sixaxais Controller. It lets you maps virtual controls. I've done it with Dead Trigger. It works pretty good, but I can't quite get the movement setting just right.
I risked it and went ahead and spent the five bucks on Shadowgun THD. It does support game pads natively, so that's awesome. Plays like a Gears of War Lite.
My next endeavor will be to get the TF700 LTE model when it comes out, unless a better option comes along. I want to use a data plan with it along with something like splashtop to remote into my pc at home.
I can see it now, grinding out levels in guild wars 2 at the bus stop. I did this over my home wireless network and it worked great.
I'm curious about some things concerning the differences between the current TF700 and the LTE TF700 coming out, but I'm gonna make a separate post about that.
WeSiDe said:
LOL I was just thinking earlier today "How can I use an android phone to control an android tablet?". Thank you so much for that info, and I am most definitely going to check it out! But wouldn't this require some kind of server app running on the android tablet? I've used my phone as a keyboard/nouse with my pc before, and they all required the pc side to have a server program running in the background.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't need an app installed on the tablet because it acts as a bluetooth mouse and keyboard, which the tablet natively supports.
Another alternative to blueputdroid is the app called tablet remote, the buttons are similar to that of a tv remote, so it's not as versatile as blueputdroid, but and you can connect via bluetooth or over wi-fi. You'll need the app installed on both the tablet and phone.
We all know that the SHIELD is meant to play. But there are some things i would like to know about.
1) Do i can use the same apps i use on tablets and smartphones? You know, social networks, office suites, google drive, MX Player, wikipedia and others? Will i need some kind of workaround?
2) Is it possible to connect a keyboards, mouses, USB sticks and USB HUBs through a OTG cable?
3) Does the streaming works with most Windows games or select games only? The games can only be streamed through WAN, right?
4) Is it possible to install APKs? I want it for testing the apps i am developing.
5) Does it feature a accelerometer for certain games (Like Infinite Flight) or some kind of way to emulate it?
6) Is it possible to play games that use MOGA controllers? (Asphalt 8, Block Story)
7) Is there some app i can use for stream the Xbox 360 to Shield?
8) How much i can play while not in charge?
Thank you.
1) Do i can use the same apps i use on tablets and smartphones? You know, social networks, office suites, google drive, MX Player, wikipedia and others?
They all work
2) Is it possible to connect a keyboards, mouses, USB sticks and USB HUBs through a OTG cable?
From what I've heard, yes.
3) Does the streaming works with most Windows games or select games only? The games can only be streamed through WAN, right?
Controller compatible only, unless you launch it through the Steam browser, functionality is not guaranteed. Yes, WLAN.
4) Is it possible to install APKs? I want it for testing the apps i am developing.
Yes, same as any Android device.
5) Does it feature a accelerometer for certain games (Like Infinite Flight) or some kind of way to emulate it?
?
6) Is it possible to play games that use MOGA controllers? (Asphalt 8, Block Story)
Yes, if the controller is not supported by default, you can download custom mapping made by users by long pressing the "start/play" button.
7) Is there some app i can use for stream the Xbox 360 to Shield?
I... I would think it's feasible... You would need a fast capture card, really fast,, like no delay, and a USB prog device for the system.
8) How much i can play while not in charge?
I've gone 5-6 hours running 3D intensive games and about 7-8 hours running regular apps with maybe some music.
Doodle210 said:
5) Does it feature a accelerometer for certain games (Like Infinite Flight) or some kind of way to emulate it?
?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Infinite flight requires you to tilt your devices to the sides and or upside down like you were actually controlling a airplane.
Also, Racing Games like Asphalt 8 makes you tilt your devices to the sides to turn the car.
Does NVIDIA Shield supports this kind of games? Is there someway i can emulate this through the keymapper?
Anyway. I still have more questions.
9) Does the Shield work with USB 3G/4G Modems? Can i use modems with SD card readers?
10) Do i can use Bluetooth/USB keyboard and mouse for using the OS (Navigation, youtube, facebook, others)? Do i need
11) Do can i use keymapper with external controllers (Like MOGA or Xbox 360)?
12) Is there some way i can charge the Shield while using a USB HUB? Is it worthful?
13) Is the screen good enough for reading/editing documents?
14) The HDMI cable must be mini or can it be normal HDMI?
15) What is the maximum SD Card storage size?
Marcos de Castro said:
Anyway. I still have more questions.
9) Does the Shield work with USB 3G/4G Modems? Can i use modems with SD card readers?
It does work with my mom's 4g modem. I'd think so if it works for other Android devices... That's just wireless storage correct? If so, then yes.
10) Do i can use Bluetooth/USB keyboard and mouse for using the OS (Navigation, youtube, facebook, others)? Do i need
I've seen people connect a mouse to the Shield, never a keyboard... I never tried BT though but am certain it will work.
11) Do can i use keymapper with external controllers (Like MOGA or Xbox 360)?
You can connect those controllers, I think (not sure) you can use Nvidias settings to use external controllers.
12) Is there some way i can charge the Shield while using a USB HUB? Is it worthful?
Mine charges when I have my external USB port plugged in via USB and power connections, when the power is cut it won't charge, just sends and receives data.
13) Is the screen good enough for reading/editing documents?
I read PDF's and manga all the time on this thing, most of my college texts books I read of here. DO NOT BUY BOOKS FROM THE AMAZON MARKET PLACE (Kindle books)!!! MOST DO NOT WORK, sadly... Ended up spending $140 for some E-books and wasn't even able to get a refund.
14) The HDMI cable must be mini or can it be normal HDMI?
Mini-HDMI to HDMI/Composite
15) What is the maximum SD Card storage size?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
64GB is the biggest MSD there is... Isn't it?_?
Marcos de Castro said:
Infinite flight requires you to tilt your devices to the sides and or upside down like you were actually controlling a airplane.
Also, Racing Games like Asphalt 8 makes you tilt your devices to the sides to turn the car.
Does NVIDIA Shield supports this kind of games? Is there someway i can emulate this through the keymapper?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it works pretty good too.
Does the Shield support HTML5 Gampegad + DeviceOrientation + DeviceMotion APIs
Hi,
Can someone with a shield please tell me if gamepad api works on Chrome and FireFox, it would be kind of daft if it doesn't.
Could you also please check device orientation and device motion works ( I tried to add links, but it wouldn't let me sorry!!) their are websites for testing these easily found on Google
If these work then I'll get one,
Thanks
p-giggles said:
Hi,
Can someone with a shield please tell me if gamepad api works on Chrome and FireFox, it would be kind of daft if it doesn't.
Could you also please check device orientation and device motion works ( I tried to add links, but it wouldn't let me sorry!!) their are websites for testing these easily found on Google
If these work then I'll get one,
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's only 200 Dollars. If it is going to hurt you that bad to spend that amount of money then you don't really need one do you? If it turns out you don't like it you can turn around and sell it on ebay for near the original 200 you paid. The average selling price on ebay for new, near new is still 175 to 200 dollars. Used you can still get 150 to 175 dollars. So you really have nothing to loose by buying one.
Hey guys, what's up?
Shield lovers will most likely dislike this, as i want to use the shield also as a tablet without leaving gaming.
I am interested in both TF701 and Shield.
The TF701 mainly by the fact of the dock with QWERTY Keyboard, SD Card reader and USB port.
The Shield by the keymapper, optimized for gaming device, PC Streaming and performance.
I can only buy one of them, and obviously, the SHIELD is faster than the TF701 due to the screen resolution (trying to not worry with the screen resolution) while also being cheaper...
Then, i have some questions:
Q = Question
R = Reason
Turning the Shield into a Ghetto TF701:
Q: Am i able to turn the Shield into a laptop by using a keyboard and mouse (both bluetooth) at the same time? (no trackpad, real mouse separated from the keyboard)
R: Want to use it to play keyboard and mouse-required/optimized games, such as Flash games and ID Software games, like Quake series, Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Doom, while also depending less of the touchscreen.
Q: Does Google Play on this device is exclusively for games or they also accept other apps, like office suite apps and Instant messaging apps?
R: I want to replace my old tablet for work, chat and others.
Q: Is the screen resolution, density and size good enough to read and edit office documents, e-mails, using Facebook and Steam, web browsing and others?
R: I want to depend a bit less of my desktop to pay less on the power usage and for when i somehow travel in specific places.
Q: How long is the battery duration in gaming, streaming and normal app usage? Turning some games graphics on medium saves more battery?
R: I want to use the tablet for at least 5 hours in gaming and app usage, in case the lights goes off or i travel in a long distance.
Turning the Shield into a Ghetto Android AIO:
Q: As i am planning to turn the Shield on a HDMI Television, do i need to put the bluetooth keyboard and mouse exactally in front of them or i can let them a bit far of the device (at least 25 centimeters)
R: Turning the Shield on a 24 inch TV would be nice to do certain stuff.
Q: Is there some problem to use the Shield on the HDMI while charging? What are my limitations?
R: I want the shield to be my second desktop, but i am afraid of having shorter battery duration later.
Turning the Shield into a Ghetto Steam Machine and having retro gaming:
Q: Am i able to play on the Shield while charging and with the HDMI cable on?
R: I want the shield to be a desk console but i am afraid of having shorter battery duration later.
Q: Am i able to use bluetooth joypads on it? Can i use the keymapper on them?
R: I really would like to use the shield like if it were a real desk console.
Q: Is the shield compatible with the latest console emulators, such as Dolphin and PPSSPP?
R: I am curious to know about them on Android.
Turning the Shield into a Media Center:
Q: How long the battery lasts while watching movies in 1080P? And in 720P?
R: I want to buy movies on stores (Google Play, Amazon) and watch on the highest resolution possible.
Q: Am i able to use a USB SD Card Reader on it with a OTG cable?
R: I want to separate my Shield`s SD Card on games and music and use a separate card on a USB reader to watch movies.
Others:
Q: What is the maximum size allowed on the Shield`s SD Card port?
R: I plan to buy a 128GB Micro SD Card (Sandisk, yes it is real) and i want to use it at least partitioned.
Q: Am i able to dual boot Android and other linux based OS, such as Arch?
R: I know it is possible to use Linux on Shield, though i want to discover other Linux distros on ARM while also having Android on it.
Q: Am i able to use External 4G (or at least 3G) USB Modem and USB Ethernet adapter?
R: Want to navigate on the web when there is no Wi-Fi avaliable or use the Ethernet cable on some cases for faster web usage.
Phew. I guess that`s all for now.
Hope i can buy the shield in place of the TF701.
Sent from my TB7070 using xda app-developers app
Bumping...
Sent from my GT-S7562L using xda app-developers app
PPSSPP I understand works well, but I have never got it to work.
Dolphin is still alpha? and has a lot of bugs.
IMO after every update the Shield gets worse. Currently there are very few game that are worth playing for android that support the Shield.
To be honest I am seriously thinking about selling mine as it just sits here being a paper weight. I have not even turned the thing on for months.
I see more use out of SteamOS being more use full then an Nvidia Shield.
There are also many "book sized" PCs that will do more then a Shield for the same price or a little bit more.