BigBen Gametab-One – Hardware Review
There is no more denying that tablets are a part of our everyday life when it comes to basic surfing, updating social media and of course games. The first games may have been quite simple or fairly generic puzzle games, but more and more mainstream games are being released on tablets and in particular, those that run on Android. Titles such as Baldur’s Gate and even the newly released Hearthstone can be played on a tablet. Today we can present you with our opinion of the Gametab-One, a tablet specifically designed for gaming purposes.
Appearance-wise the Gametab-One looks like a fairly standard seven inch tablet. It’s has a matte metallic black finish, which adds a touch of design and a look of solidness. You’ll have to be careful not to scratch the back of the tablet, seeing you will not be able to put it in a protective sleeve, whilst playing games.
To play games, you’ll need power and that’s what the Gametab-One possesses. You’ll be presented with a tablet with a quad-core as well as two GB DDR3 RAM, which will prove a lot more powerful than the typical standard tablet you will buy in your local electronics store. Only the start-up process seems to be dreadfully slow, even though the android seems to run on a very basic theme of the Android OS. (4.2 Jelly Beans, with no extra skins or themes.)
You’ll hardly have to deal with extra buttons on the tablet itself, except for the power button and the volume controls there aren’t actually any other buttons to consider. These have been put on the back side, close to the top of the tablet, to stay easily accessible, when using the tablet for normal purposes or gaming.
Taking pictures and face to face chatting is also a thing that most tablets are starting to offer the user, and the Gametab-One does pretty much the same. You’ll have a front facing camera and one on the back, respectively 0.3MP and 2MP, which are actually on the very low side. Even though this tablet is not really created for taking pictures, a little more power would have been a nice extra feature.
The Gametab-One actually consists out of two parts, namely the tablet (duh!) and an add-on, which makes the tablet look a lot like the main controller for the Wii U. This add-on can easily be plugged in, as well as removed. When adding the controller part, you will also need to turn it on (or off) seeing it will also use the same battery as your tablet. When you leave the controller attached, but aren’t using it, it’s best to turn it off to conserve your battery life.
Being able to play games with the add-on will take a little time getting used to, seeing you’ll have to map out all the keys you’ll be using, for each game you wish to play with the controller. The standard Android theme will have one extra menu feature on the bottom, namely the controller icon. When tapping the icon, you’ll get to see all the buttons on your screen. When you’re in this screen, you’ll be able to drag and drop the buttons you wish to use to the place on the screen where you’d normally have to press with your finger. For example, when playing a shooter where you have to tap the right hand side of the screen to shoot, you can simply drag and drop the trigger button on top of the spot you’d normally have to press, save the profile and voila you’re good to go. This can be done for a lot of games, creating your own, more comfortable gaming experience on your tablet.
Comfort is another thing that the Gametab-One tends to offer, when playing games that is. The add-on will feel like a fairly comfortable controller, and with the overall weight of the tablet it will not become too heavy after long periods of time. The triggers are dented, which provide you with more grip and the triggers are easily accessible. Sadly, the designers made one mistake, which will cause a decent amount of discomfort, namely the fact that the right stick is above the normal buttons, which make them harder to access when playing games. You’ll constantly feel as if the right stick is in the way, or they just feel a tad out of place. Perhaps this is just me, or the fact that we are used to it because all controllers on the market currently have such a positioning, but it’s worth checking out to see if it bothers you or not.
Seeing a lot of games are designed for tablet controls, the add-on will not always serve its purpose. Some games will not support the add on, or will actually be a lot harder to control with it. This will become a simple matter of personal preference, as well as logical decision making. Shooters, where you simple have to press the right place on the screen are not created for a controller, but those where you actually run around are a delight to play with the add-on. Same can be said for racing games or even certain endless runners, seeing you won’t have your thumbs blocking the view of what obstacles are coming next.
Conclusion
The Gametab-One offers a lot of features, for a fairly modest price. The tablet will find itself only slightly more expensive than the typical budget tablet and thus it proves to be worth every bit of cash you invest in it. Not only you will get a decent tablet to work with, you’ll also have your own fairly powerful handheld. Ideas like this again confirm that tablet games are becoming more and more important, as well as that there is a market for more comfortable gaming tablets. Things like this might become great competitors for more expensive handhelds, seeing the capabilities of tablets always keep improving. The Gametab-One is a solid investment for those who want a tablet for a great price with great gaming capabilities.
BigBen Gametab-One - Hardware Review,
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