Smallest, most portable device capable of gaming?

Something able to play Company of Heroes (or similar RTS) adequately in the 10-12" range most preferably. Anything like this exist yet?

What you want is a netbook with Intel CULV processor and Nvidia ION graphics.

The two exist separately, but not together yet AFAIK.

Until then, the best you can do is something with an Atom + ION, but the performance will be only so-so.

Originally Posted by Goon

Something able to play Company of Heroes (or similar RTS) adequately in the 10-12" range most preferably. Anything like this exist yet?

Yup but it's not cheap and only medium settings at best:
$1550 - ASUS U6Vc-A1 12.1" Laptop

Slightly bigger but better priced and slightly faster GPU:
$1,250 - SONY VGN-SR430J/H 13.3" Laptop

I don't think any true gaming Laptop runs anything under an Nvidia GTX 260M... which really limits you to 15" ones.

Zepto makes 2 Laptops at 14.1" sporting Nvidia 9600M GT.

Asus is coming up with a new netbook,

Asus Eee PC 1201N
Display: 12.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixels
CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N330 dual core
Graphics & chipset: NVIDIA ION (GeForce 9400M)
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
Memory: 3GB DDR2
Storage: 320GB HDD + 500GB web-based storage
Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n WiFI, Bluetooth, Ethernet
I/O: HDMI, VGA, 3 USB 2.0 ports, SD card slot, mic, headphones
Webcam: 0.3MP
Touchpad: Supports multitouch gestures
Battery: 6 cells, 8 hours
Colors: Black, blue, or red
Dimensions: 11.7″ x 8.2″ x 1.3″
Weight: 3.1 pounds

Still have my doubt into what it would be able to handle, but centainly looks as the fastest netbook out there with dual core and 9400.

Asus is also coming with Ul30vt on decemeber, it will have almost the same specs as UL80Vt-A1 comes NVidia G210M Graphics with 512MB DDR3 and 1.3GHz Intel SU7300 Core 2 Duo Processor, faster than the above netbook, just slightly larger at 13''. Check the following reviews to see if it might fit what you are looking for, Anandtech ASUS UL80Vt First Look: Mobility Redefined and Asus UL80VT-A1 Detailed Review (Comparision with Dell Studio 14z and HP dm3z)

But neither will give you the performance you can get from 15'' laptop.

Originally Posted by Danny Bui

Yup but it's not cheap and only medium settings at best:
$1550 - ASUS U6Vc-A1 12.1" Laptop

Slightly bigger but better priced and slightly faster GPU:
$1,250 - SONY VGN-SR430J/H 13.3" Laptop

Those are some outrageous prices for such tiny boxes.

Check this out, discrete graphics, c2d, and a 16" for $799!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834220637

Who would spend over a grand on a 12ish inch box for gaming lol!

Originally Posted by Goon

Something able to play Company of Heroes (or similar RTS) adequately in the 10-12" range most preferably. Anything like this exist yet?

Out of curiosity, why would something slightly larger, say, a 13" notebook be too large?


10-12" is not pocketable, you would still need a case, and going up slightly larger would greatly open up your options for power and graphics in combo.


So what holds it to being so small? You can get very thin 13 inch models, and very light, is it the size?

Thanks all for the input so far!

I suppose 13" would be ok. It being small is just a preference, a strong one.

I really like that Sony even though its a Sony and over priced. I need to come up with something by March 2010, so I have some time.

10 inches can be pocketable. However I wouldn't recommend becoming a fat geek just to be able to do this: Is that a laptop in your pocket?

Surprisingly it doesn't get in the way when sitting either.

Have you considered a base Macbook?

he said gaming...... not making iphoto slideshows

Originally Posted by Adidas4275

he said gaming...... not making iphoto slideshows

He said MacBook, not Mac OS X.

It runs windows too you know?

Originally Posted by 450

Have you considered a base Macbook?

I would prefer not to fund Apple in any capacity. Thanks though.

Originally Posted by Goon

I would prefer not to fund Apple in any capacity. Thanks though.

But you would consider a Sony...

Originally Posted by PointandClick

But you would consider a Sony...

I think alot of people would be surprised by sony prices. Check out a best buy and look at the offerings and the pricepoint. They are much more in line with the hps and dells now. Still a slight premium, but not multiple hundreds of dollars like they used to be, and many also come with blue ray drives, so there is that bonus.


It makes you wonder though if some components might have been brought in line with the dells and hps too.

One of the main things I liked about the sony models in the stores was that they tended to use higher quality panels for their laptops. The colors were more saturated and less washed out. I wonder if they started using cheaper panels to get the lower costs like hp/dell/gateway/toshiba often does in their consumer line, at least in the stores.


if so it will be sad, not ALL of the extra cost for sony models went into the ID. A nicer looking panel that you will stare at for the life of the machine is worth alot more than nothing.


(detour/rant)

Apple can get away with putting nicer panels in by default because people are so willing to shell out premium prices for anything apple. I was in best buy this past weekend and asking one of the guys who worked there which he would prefer, the 15" envy for 2k or the mbp for 2k. Assuming he was given 2k plus tax to spend on a notebook and HAD to spend it on a notebook, and he said the mbp.

Keep in mind, spec wise it was an inferior piece of hardware. core i7 vs core 2 duo, 6 gigs of ram vs 4, 4830 graphics with a GB dedicated video ram vs an ancient 9400 from nvidia with a quarter of the ram, not to mention the resolution is a full 1080p on the envy vs much lower on the mbp.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Apple%26...book&cp=1&lp=3

vs

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+ENV...2015&cp=1&lp=1


Granted the envy 15 has quirks with the pad, be that was never brought up as an issue (unknown to him, not the basis of the mac preference). Going for the 1300 dollar mbp over the envy 13 is a no brainer for what you get for the money, but the 15" mbp over the envy 15... it was just bizarre to me, it was later gen cpu and graphics and insides and resolution vs less on so many technical fronts.

It suggested to me there is something more than raw specs and hardware build that makes people willing to spend more money on the macs. It may have to do with OSX, seeing as that it can only be installed on mac hardware legally that tends to create a sense of being separate from, and perhaps above the plebs who must suffer with only using windows. Windows machines by their very nature do not have that set apart from status that the mac advertises and advances.

People on these forums are a bit more discriminating it seems, but if so many people are like him, and will not spend more money to get better components for anything other than macs, then you are not going to see the same baseline on windows machines in the offerings.

Originally Posted by PointandClick

But you would consider a Sony...

Good point. I do not favor Apple's hyper-restrictive hardware policy, though Sony isn't much better, I believe they restrict some hardware virtualization as I recall.