The 8 Best Android Gaming Consoles
Editor's Notes
December 29, 2020:
There are almost no fixed gaming consoles for Android - the only one worth noting is the Nvidia Shield TV Pro, and it's a really excellent piece of equipment that can allow for a truly enjoyable AAA gaming experience. The GPD XD Plus is similarly dedicated, although its aging software may run into compatibility issues with some new titles. There are, however, tons of great Android devices that do things other than gaming, while also playing games well. The Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC is the best-value smartphone, but if price is no object, consider the Asus ROG Phone. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e isn't the newest Samsung tablet, but it's still generally considered a great deal, and performs very well. The Vankyo MatrixPad P31 is worth a look if you're on a tight budget and/or want something that can be used for far more than just playing games. For young kids, the best ways to go might be the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids or AdsireFun A20.
January 31, 2019:
We've reached a point where gamers are no longer restricted to bulky, stationary machines when they want to have some real fun. The newest and most interesting consoles, in fact, aren't the Playstation 4 or Xbox One, but rather some versatile and widely differing devices with a huge range of functionality. First and foremost, the Nvidia Shield is probably the most popular, most powerful, and most economical non-PC and non-major-console option there is. It's hard to overstate just how awesome this bad boy is; it can access titles that you'd otherwise need a flagship console or tricked-out PC to play, and it costs under 200 big ones. It's tough to argue against its versatility. For portable users, there are even more worthwhile options. These include recent releases of the highest power, such as Razer's gaming phone line, which, quite frankly, is an absurdly fast device masquerading as a simple smartphone. Asus and Sony also have similar mobile offerings, and these are what you need if you want nearly PC-level performance on a 6-inch device. Alternately, Lenovo's Tab 4 can tackle a large gamut of Play Store games, and do a ton of other stuff well, also, helping you to accomplish all sorts of actually useful tasks when you're not goofing off. If you insist on a dedicated gaming device, the GPD is worth a look, though it doesn't offer much functionality outside of play time. If you're on the hunt for affordability, Amazon's Fire HD tablets are both good choices; they're also great for kids, because they stand up well to heavy use; just make sure to limit the little ones' screen time to prevent over-dependence on electronic entertainment. Finally, if you're really on a tight budget, the Fire TV stick will play games, though because it doesn't have much processing power, its overall catalog is pretty limited.