Apple quietly launched the iPad mini this week, and you can pre-order it now, but if you’re thinking of using it for gaming, you’d better think twice.
Weird marketing strategies aside; Apple’s claim The iPad mini is said to be capable of “playing demanding, graphics-intensive AAA games.” However, it was also confirmed that the iPad mini will be equipped with the A17 Pro.
We know that the A17 Pro can technically play AAA games, but that doesn’t mean you should.
We saw that with the iPhone 15 Pro, but it could be even worse with the iPad mini. why? Let me explain.
How did the A17 Pro perform on AAA games?
It was not possible to play full-fledged games during this period. iPhone 15 Pro review Because there are hyped titles like: Resident Evil VillageAssassin’s Creed Mirage, and death strandinghad not yet been released. But since then, we’ve gotten to know the A17 Pro better.
Digital Foundry presented the following performances. Resident Evil Village on iPhone 15 Proit was playable, but I didn’t think it was the best gaming experience. I’m not expecting great graphics. At maximum settings, the game crashes within 30 seconds. However, even with lower graphics, there is no lack of performance per se.
According to Digital Foundry, the A17 Pro suffered from inconsistent frame times and stuttering when the frame rate was set to variable. Limiting to 30 fps will improve performance, but you will still experience lower fps and frame times in some areas. For context, frame time determines how long it takes the GPU to render one frame (a calculated value). (in milliseconds).
Digital Foundry also worked on Assassin’s Creed Mirage on iPhone 15 Pro. Similar to Resident Evil, the high preset dropped below 30 fps due to inconsistent frame times, but this is due to the 30 fps frame cap. On the “Low” preset, games often hit 30 fps, but performance still drops to 20-25 fps in dense areas.
An incredibly strange performance issue is that Assassin’s Creed Mirage pauses when autosave. Considering this is an open-world game, autosaves occur frequently and can be frustrating.
In Death Stranding, Digital foundry found The A17 Pro was able to run the game at a smooth 30fps, but fps and frame times could drop when moving around structures or crossing vehicles.
The problems with the aforementioned AAA games are rough. It’s one thing to break a game’s visuals to make it playable on a lower-powered device, but what’s the point if that device can’t even handle 30 fps?
Is there something different about the iPad mini?
Unfortunately, the situation could be even worse. The iPhone 15 Pro had a 6.1-inch, 2556 x 1179 (460 pixels per inch) display, while the iPad mini has an 8.3-inch, 2266 x 1488 (326 ppi) display. So not only does the iPad mini have a larger screen, but it also has a lower ppi. Let’s see why that matters.
AAA games like Resident Evil Village, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and Death Stranding have taken a serious hit in terms of fidelity. That’s not necessarily a disadvantage. That’s the only way you can run these games. However, the iPad mini has a larger display, so you’ll see a further drop in visuals.
Again, these visual downgrades would be more acceptable if they had better performance. I can’t speak to how the new iPad mini will run these games, but my experience of the world with the A17 Pro doesn’t tell the best story.
To be fair, Apple made wild claims about AAA games, such as Zenless Zone Zero, an ARPG developed by miHoYo. While this game may work incredibly well, the problem with this comparison is that miHoYo develops the game with mobile in mind.
The same applies to the rest of miHoYo titles on iPhone. On the other hand, the aforementioned title was literally an afterthought. So broad statements like the iPad mini’s ability to play demanding, graphics-intensive AAA games don’t seem to be justified.
We’ll have to wait until the iPad mini is put to the test before we can give a proper critique, but right now it’s not suitable for Apple’s latest iPad.
