What are the best Android gaming devices that have proprietary game controllers?

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GamingAndroidElectronics

What are the best Android gaming devices that have proprietary game controllers?

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Oct 17, 2020

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8 Options Considered

Best Android gaming devices that have proprietary game controllers	Price	Weight	Dimensions
-- NVIDIA SHIELD Console	-	-	-
-- NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet	$299	0.86 lb	8.7 x 4.96 x 0.36 in
-- Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact	-	-	-
-- Amazon Fire TV	-	-	-
-- Nvidia Shield Portable	-	-	-

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score 6 · Answer 1

NVIDIA SHIELD Console

Top Pro

Kodi is installable from the Play Store

Kodi media center is now available on the Play Store for Android TV devices which is very convenient since the old method of installing the app was to sideload, which can be difficult for new users. See More

Top Con

Can only have 2 USB hard drives

There are only two USB ports built into the device, which limits how many hard drives one can hook up, but the kicker is, even when using a USB hub the device will still only read two USB devices hard drives at a time, no matter how many are plugged into the USB hub. See More

Top Pro

50 curated games at launch

There will be 50 curated games at launch of the device including the likes of Borderlands and Crysis. See More

Top Con

Only capapable of low end gaming

Even the demos of the games shown at the unveiling shows that any type of console quality game is going to be too taxing for the system, all running at only 30fps. Adding to that, the majority of console ports for the system are years old which shows that it is pretty obvious how limiting the system will be. See More

Top Pro

NVIDIA Tegra X1

The NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet has an NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor, which is reported as having twice the performance of an XBox 360. See More

See All

score 1 · Answer 2

NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet

Top Pro

Stereo speakers

The SHIELD Tablet features stereo speakers one on the bottom and one on the top edge of the device. See More

Top Con

Wireless controller does not come with device

The proprietary SHIELD controller does not come with the device, it is $60 extra to purchase one. See More

Specs

Weight:0.86 lb

Dimensions:8.7 x 4.96 x 0.36 in

RAM: 2.2 GHz"

Screen size:8.0 in

See All Specs

Top Pro

Built in Twitch support

The device is able to instantly stream to Twitch by utilizing a option that is built into the notification pull down. See More

Top Pro

Stream games from GTX powered PCs

Users of the SHIELD have the ability to stream games form a GTX powered PC. See More

Top Pro

Tegra K1

The NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet features a Tegra K1 GPU for optimal performance while gaming. See More

Top Pro

Stylus

There is a storage space for a stylus (that comes with the device) in the device. See More

See All

score 1 · Answer 3

Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact

Top Pro

2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor

Top Con

Expensive

At $499.99 the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is overpriced when compared to tablets with similar specs. The term "Sony Tax" comes to mind. See More

Top Pro

Micro SD slot

There is a built in micro SD slot that is expandable up to 128GB. See More

Top Con

No camera flash

There is no flash for the rear camera which will make low light photos difficult to take. See More

Top Pro

4,500mAh battery

For being so thin it is remarkable that a 4,500mAh battery is being used. See More

Top Con

Only 1200p

For the premium price Sony is charging for this tablet to see that the screen is only 1200p when cheaper competing devices offer higher resolutions is a bit disappointing. See More

Top Pro

3GB RAM

The device has built in 3GB of RAM. See More

Top Pro

Native PS3 controller support

The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact offers native PS3 Dual Shock controller support. See More

Top Pro

PS4 remote play

As of November 2014 the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact offers remote play with the Sony PS4. See More

Top Pro

Thin

At 6.4mm this device is extremely thin. See More

Top Pro

Waterproof

The Zperia Z3 is completely waterproof See More

See All

Answer 4

Amazon Fire TV

Top Con

Lots of Amazon advertisement

The Fire TV prefers Amazon services, and is tailored to purchasing shows and movies through Amazon. The voice search does not clearly expose if it's already available on a non-Amazon service. See More

Answer 5

Nvidia Shield Portable

Top Pro

Huge selection of games to choose from

Since this is an Android device the selection of games is quite large. See More

Top Con

Navigating is cumbersome

Users can use the dual analog sticks to maneuver around the OS but sadly t is time consuming and not as accurate as touch controls. Users can of course use touch controls but now holding the device is difficult due to how it was designed to be held, with two hands. See More

Top Pro

Can wirelessly stream to a Chromecast

Since the OS 5.1 update the device can stream to any Chromecast compliant device making for an easy way to stream ones games or other content to a bigger screen. See More

Top Con

A relatively small subset of Android games available are optimized for controller use

Out of the majority of games available for Android most only have touch controls. There are a few that utilize HID controls and even fewer that utilize the nVidia controller. This makes for a very limited selection of native games to play on the device. See More

Top Pro

Very good speakers for a portable device

Louder than a 3DS or Vita handheld the speakers in the Nvidia Shield makes for a pleasant listening experience that does not require any strain the hear what is going on. See More

Top Pro

Can be turned into a stationary console with 1080p

Console mode allows the user to use a USB cable in order to output 1080p video to a TV or monitor, making for an easy way to play ones games on a larger screen just as they would with a console. See More

Top Pro

Has a 5-hour battery life

With the size of the device a large capacity battery is able to be used internally which will give up to 5 hours of playtime with even the most demanding of games. See More

See All

Answer 6

Nexus Player

Top Con

No ethernet port

The Nexus player is WiFi only, making for an odd choice for a streaming box as much content could use the extra bandwidth an Ethernet port would offer in order to buffer faster when playing videos.. See More

Answer 7

Mad Catz M.O.J.O. Micro-Console for Android

Answer 8

8 Options Considered

My Recommendation for NVIDIA SHIELD Console

My Recommendation for NVIDIA SHIELD Console

Kodi is installable from the Play Store

Can only have 2 USB hard drives

50 curated games at launch

Only capapable of low end gaming

NVIDIA Tegra X1

My Recommendation for NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet

My Recommendation for NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet

Stereo speakers

Wireless controller does not come with device

Built in Twitch support

Stream games from GTX powered PCs

Tegra K1

Stylus

My Recommendation for Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact

My Recommendation for Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact

2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor

Expensive

Micro SD slot

No camera flash

4,500mAh battery

Only 1200p

3GB RAM

Native PS3 controller support

PS4 remote play

Thin

Waterproof

My Recommendation for Amazon Fire TV

My Recommendation for Amazon Fire TV

Lots of Amazon advertisement

My Recommendation for Nvidia Shield Portable

My Recommendation for Nvidia Shield Portable

Huge selection of games to choose from

Navigating is cumbersome

Can wirelessly stream to a Chromecast

A relatively small subset of Android games available are optimized for controller use

Very good speakers for a portable device

Can be turned into a stationary console with 1080p

Has a 5-hour battery life

My Recommendation for Nexus Player

My Recommendation for Nexus Player

No ethernet port

My Recommendation for Mad Catz M.O.J.O. Micro-Console for Android

My Recommendation for Mad Catz M.O.J.O. Micro-Console for Android

My Recommendation for Ouya Android Video Console System

My Recommendation for Ouya Android Video Console System

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