Which iPad model ONLY to play?

[Connector]

Originally Posted by JBRUU

Yes but the A5 is getting a tad dated. If money is no object then the iPad 4 will both last the longest and provide a noticeably smoother and prettier gaming experience.

An iPad 2 will probably last you another year before you notice things getting pretty slow.

An iPad 3 is a tad trickier; retina is beautiful but the device is underpowered. You'll typically be getting worse performance than the iPad 2.

An iPad 1 is out of the question, so really it boils down to price and longevity, the iPads 2 & 4: do you want a cheaper model that lacks some features and won't last you as long or do you want to lay down double that amount and get a faster, prettier iPad that'll being the playing field for quite some time?

The OP said "used", of course the ipad 4 is the best. But really how many used ipad 4's are you going to find out there? Want to sell me yours so I can sell my new ipad to the poster? Then we can all be happy haha

I really think the underpowered label is overrated for A5, there is only ONE game that I wish had better framerates on my new ipad, and that is Nova 3. One out of 6000 games. Games like Wild Blood, Asphalt 7, Blood Roofs, NFS Most Wanted, Virtua Tennis, and many others run fine now on the new ipad after some updates. This pretty much carries over to the ipad 2 too. Most games still are made for the A5, and that won't change for probably over a year later when the ipad 5 or even ipad 6 will be out.

The reason why I would pick a "used" ipad 3 over an ipad 2 is the retina screen. It is the number one reason why I have my current ipad now. Also, the ipad 3 has a label of being underpowered and discontinued, but in reality, it functions much better than people think. Even developers are just now starting to figure out how to optimize for it as evidenced by all the new games like wild blood, blood roofs, nfs most wanted, arc squadron playing great on it now.

Developers won't be pushing the boundaries of processor speed now. The ipad 2 and ipad mini are both not discontinued and are A5 based. If the ipad mini had been a6 based, then yeah, I think it would have been a little different in developers wanting to push games more, but for now and for at least a year, I think everything will run just fine. Developers will not risk one star reviews and make sure the games run fine on A5 for now.

Plus there are TONS of rumours of ipad 5 and ipad mini 2 coming out in March. Don't know if they are credible, but if so, the ipad 4 will be dropping in value very soon. It just may well be worth the wait for the poster to see if it does happen and buy an ipad 4 on severe discount at that time, cause right now, I really think it will be hard to find a cheap used ipad 4 right now.

But you are right, for the future, an A6 is much better than the A5 processor. That is no doubt, but I really haven't seen developers pushing the edge yet. While the ipad 3 might have a reputation for being underpowered, I really think the ipad 4 will get a reputation for being neglected by developers and buyers. Everytime I go to the applestore, I see no one at the ipad 4 tables. It really is a shame. And developers have done squat to update games for huge framerate or effects in high performance games.

I am with you though, I hope there comes a time where ipad 4 processing speed will be the standard for console like games. Would be glad to have my new ipad go extinct, and play those awesome games on my hdmi tv. And by then, I'll probably have the ipad 5 or 6 with an a7 or a8.

I just don't see getting a used ipad 4 for much of a discount if any, unless the ipad 5 comes out in March as rumoured, but who knows what will be happening, cause Apple really seems to be shifting gears lately.

[Connector]

Originally Posted by masvil

I care about price, that's the reason why I'm evaluating an used device. My purpose is to use iPad (+ iCade) only for games. I know I'm going to a overpriced solution (if you consider a good console costs half an iPad), so I'd like to to reduce that "over" :-)

An used iPad 2 would costs $ 300. A new iPad Retina (4) $ 500. It's just to play games!

You might be able to find an ipad 3 for $300 if you look hard enough out there since it is discontinued now. If the prices on an ipad 2 and 3 are similar, I would go with an ipad 3 for the retina screen and better gpu. What jbruu said about the ipad 2 out performing the ipad 3 is somewhat deceptive. The ipad 3 has a stronger gpu, so even though the new ipad pushes more pixels, I think the overall gaming in terms of fps are similar.

But that is without thinking about the retina itself, so it is like comparing apples with oranges. Plus developers really focused on the ipad 3 in terms of updates and optimizations, so developers will optimize games better for the ipad 3 than the ipad 2.

But, I really think you should try to get a ipad 3 for $300 on ebay, craigslist or elsewhere. It's not cause I have one, but because value wise, ipad 3 was kind of released before its time with issues like heatgate, weightgate, and underpoweredgate. Also, it is discontinued which helps, plus, games pretty much run the same as ipad 4 right now. I think it will be awhile before an ipad 3 can't run the current games anymore. Probably have a good two years left I would figure.

Anyway, that's just my two cents worth, get an ipad 3 for $300 if you can find one, I would recommend getting at least a 32 gb version or you will regret it.

Try finding some prices of used ipads on different places, and posting some actually prices and specs up here. Then we can have some more interesting converstations about pricepoints and whether you can even find a ipad 4 on sale.

[masvil]

Originally Posted by Connector

Try finding some prices of used ipads on different places, and posting some actually prices and specs up here. Then we can have some more interesting converstations about pricepoints and whether you can even find a ipad 4 on sale.

OK, I'll do that. Thanks for all great advices.

I think I'll JB that iPad so to use emulators (+ iCade) too. Is that a good idea?

[killercow]

Originally Posted by masvil

OK, I'll do that. Thanks for all great advices.

I think I'll JB that iPad so to use emulators (+ iCade) too. Is that a good idea?

Well jailbreaking will really increase the number of games you can play with the icade but you need to find an ipad that isnt in ios 6.x because there's no jailbreak for it yet. Thus you wouldn't be able to jailbreak an ipad 4 (it comes with ios 6)

[HLW]

A refurbished/used iPad 4 if you can find one, a new iPad 4 if you can't. I am told the difference to an iPad 2 or an iPad 3 is noticeable, if you are going to be playing games. It's not noticeable if you aren't using it for games (eg just for internet, watching TV, email), but you say you'll be mainly playing games so I would have thought the iPad 4 would be worth it.

Saying that, my iPad 2 still works just fine, but I'm sure they'll be more and more games in the near future that don't support the iPad 2. But then again there's a massive back catalogue of iPad games, if you're not worried about playing the latest stuff with the best graphics an iPad 2 would probably do.

You want a 64GB one of whatever version you choose if you're going to be playing a lot of games - my iPad has had more than 32GB of games on it since very soon after I bought it.

[Greyskull]

May I put in a word for my iPaddy bitty? The pixel density is sharper than on the 2, and I find the nearly non-existant bezel to be great for playing games with virtual joysticks, for instance. You can comfortably hold it in one hand, in any position for as long as you like. I dunno, I don't know if This is strange, but when I used my gf's ipad 2, I always held it up. Basically with one hand. Fatigued my wrist to say the least, not to mention having to contort my fingers to reach the controls sometimes. Now I have a cover thingy for my ipad mini that has a wrist strap on the back, which is handy for totin around.

Also, IMO, games with tilt-based controls are much easier to use on a mini then a 2 or 3.

Really, the biggest thing is the bezel...it barely has one on the sides (if you hold it in portrait mode).

I guess that doesn't matter if your using an iCade though, and the fact that it comes with ios 6 installed sucks.

[masvil]

Originally Posted by HLW

A refurbished/used iPad 4 if you can find one, a new iPad 4 if you can't.

Can iPad 4 iOS be downgraded to 5.x? In my plans I'll jailbreak it for using emulators.

[Greyskull]

Originally Posted by masvil

Can iPad 4 iOS be downgraded to 5.x? In my plans I'll jailbreak it for using emulators.

IIRC correctly it comes with ios 6.0 installed, which I believe means your out of luck for now.