Tablet Gaming Android Vs iOS What Is Your Best Bet?

The following is an article submitted by Rachel from www.casino.org an online gambling portal.

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Tablets may not yet have capabilities of gaming computers or dedicated platforms like the Sony PSP or Nintendo DS, they nonetheless offer impressive gaming potential and are quickly carving out there nook in the gaming arena. Currently the two platforms making the biggest splash (in terms of numbers) are Google's Android and Apple's iOS, with a few competitors like the new BlackBerry Tablet OS, Palm webOS and a handful of Windows based systems. We wanted to narrow the field a bit and compare just the two main competitors so today we are just going to highlight Google's Android and Apple's iOS

Our goal was to answer one simple question: which tablet operating system is better for mobile gaming? For each system, we looked at two types of games – dedicated and online. Dedicated games are anything written specifically for that platform; these usually need to be purchased, downloaded and installed in order to be enjoyed. Online games are just that – they're out there on the internet, and users just have to point their phone's web browser at them in order to play. These web games use either flash or java technology, and can range from simple Tetris clones to real-money casino games like slots, poker, or blackjack.

Android

Released in October of 2008, Google's Android mobile operating system is based on a Linux kernel. As of early 2011 it had claimed the rank of the most popular smartphone platform, at least in the US. In the tablet arena however it was still seated well behind Apple as the second major player in the market. For the most part the current tablets running the Android OS are running a none tablet specific version or a scaled up version of the smartphone OS. Android 3.0 Honeycomb is the most current release which is more tablet centric providing greater support for both accelerometer and multi-touch interaction.

The Android platform and the tablets that utilize it offer a great gaming experience with excellent graphics capabilities, especially when it comes to there 3D rendering potential. Hardware in these tablets seem to be consistently high quality, with several options, screen sizes and a multitude of companies producing them. This give Android an much wider option base and allows for greater customization.

Visually, Android games can rival those of any tablet or handheld device like the Nintendo DS, Sony PSP and other dedicating gaming devices that offer a touch-screen interface. The one area that has notable been lacking is a great online gaming experience where the Android can often suffer. Java support is mediocre at best, and while it does support flash it can often be buggy and plagued with problems. (when hasn't it though) Where this may seem like a drawback flash support is often the biggest selling point especially for looking for a full web and gaming experience.

Pros

• Excellent graphics capabilities
• Multi-touch and accelerometer support
• Most devices support user upgrades like additional memory via SD cards
• Wide range of devices and sizes

Cons

• Very poor web game support
• Very fragmented OS
• Wildly inconsistent experiences
• Typically cost more

Apple iOS

Apple has been at the top of the tablet market for years now. They made a major splash with the introduction of the iPhone and iPods and built around them with the iPad. Its a solid device that is easy to use, offers great battery life and superb graphics. Right now it simply is the benchmark that other companies are compared to and are striving to reach.

Much like Android based tablets when Apple first released the iOS operating system found on the iPad it was the same OS they used on the iPhone and iPod. It is just a scaled version of the operating system and originally most of the games were to. Since then they've spent a bit of time doing select in house R&D working and refining their platform and developers have had a chance to tweak there games to provide a much better experience.

Despite that fact, for gamers however, not much is new. The latest iOS release brought us Apple's Game Center which has now been out for several months. Even with the fact that iPad, iPhone and iPod users love their games there seems to be little excitement.

Beyond the new Game Center, iOS via the Apple App Store supports an enormous variety of downloadable games. They currently lay claim to, one of if not, the largest selection of games of any market place. Many of these being free options. The variety is outstanding, and the quality of the games available is often much better than those in the Android Market.

As for online gaming, iOS tends to fare quite well. Despite its lack of flash support and due to its high market share, developers have made sure there are many dedicated iPhone games that can be played instantly online. There are some exceptions namely in the gambling and casino arena and some of your other highly flash based genres. This by no means that iOS is any worse for the wear.

Pros

• Large developer arena
• Tons of App Store games
• Multi-touch and accelerometer support

Cons

• No flash support a major downside for many gamers
• Less free options
• Some games can be more expensive
• Fewer hardware options
• Apple controlled App Store

With this break down it would seem that Apple and iOS would be a clear winner. And in most cases I'd have to say Apple would beat out Android. But it wouldn't be that cut and dry. Apple offers a much more consistent user experience, you can pick up the device and pretty much know what you are getting. But being that they are just Apple they offer far less options. For many users the control Apple exhibits over their devices and their App Store seems to be a turn off. As does the total lack of flash support, even if it is buggy.

Android has come along way and has made a lot of strides. There are a lot of options currently on the market today with a lot more coming down the road. I won't say they have caught Apple yet but I will say we shouldn't count them out.

So for my conclusion I'll have to say go with Apple for a better more consistent gaming experience. They offer a great deal for your money and you can't go wrong. Go with Android if you want more options, flash support and a bit more openness.