Is Surface2 good for gaming?

[slysy]

Is Surface2 good for gaming? I understand that it will only play games from the Windows Store and I am OK with that.

What I am concerned with is performance - on my SurfaceRT some games run choppy or at low resolution (e.g. Hydro Thunder). Is this fixed on Surface2, or would I need to get the pro version?

 

[radmanvr]

If gaming is your thing. Try PC gaming. PC beats out the 2 next gen consoles/current consoles.

 

[gsquared]

I've heard people using their remote desktop application to play games. I don't own a Surface so I cannot answer directly on performance. I doubt the device is really designed for this so it would not surprise me if performance is not that great.

You would certainly experience some input / output lag using a remote connection. I see no way around that.

 

[m3kk]

If gaming is your thing. Try PC gaming. PC beats out the 2 next gen consoles/current consoles.

Surface is not a cconsole dude

 

[etphoto]

Is Surface2 good for gaming? I understand that it will only play games from the Windows Store and I am OK with that.

What I am concerned with is performance - on my SurfaceRT some games run choppy or at low resolution (e.g. Hydro Thunder). Is this fixed on Surface2, or would I need to get the pro version?

I am not a big time gamer but I play a few games on my surface and NEVER had any noticeable changes on performance.

 

[gschneiderAW18]

The surface 2 is okay for the game apps in the windows store. I play Asphalt 7, Rayman Jungle run, Halo Spartan assault. They all run fine in fact I use my windows wired Xbox controller with them.

I think the trouble is that you want mobile gaming. Look into PSvita or if you have money then NVidia Shield. If you want true windows gaming on the go look into gaming laptops. We are talking serious money at that point. I have an Alienware 18 and it cost me the best part of ?3300 with another ?500 of mods I added myself (faster hard drives etc) the downside is you need a power socket for laptop gaming.

 

[jason8957]

I have a Surface 2 and play a few games. My favorites are Tap Tiles, Wordament, Kingdom of Keflings, and Farm Frenzy. The Farm Frenzy game seems buggy with respect to audio. The games seem to run smoothly other than that. I have also tried Mahjong, Solitaire, and a crossword puzzle game.

I would try Bejewelled, but I have paid for that on my XBOX and my Windows Phone and don't feel like paying again on my Surface. I haven't tried angry birds because that is a game I usually play on my phone. I will eventually try Halo, but it seems like a game that you really have to devote time to get into.

So, in conclusion I am happy with the casual gaming experience on the Surface 2. Windows RT 8.1 is a fantastic OS. I love using it.

 

[Bjorn_Nordin]

Hello

I am using a surface pro 2 with 128gb storage and 4gb ram. The games that i have installed is Warthunder and World of tanks and they run smooth! The screen is ofc a bit small, but just connect to a bigger one if thats a problem.

 

[Winfonejunkie]

Dont forget you can play SNES and Genesis on the Surface 2 as well.

 

[Cruncher04]

Is Surface2 good for gaming? I understand that it will only play games from the Windows Store and I am OK with that.

What I am concerned with is performance - on my SurfaceRT some games run choppy or at low resolution (e.g. Hydro Thunder). Is this fixed on Surface2, or would I need to get the pro version?

To answer you question more precisely, Surface 2 GPU Performance is about 5 times higher than Surface RT GPU performance. Half of this is eaten up by the full HD Screen resolution. In conclusion you see about double the framerate on Surface 2 compared to Surface RT on average.
Regarding Hydro Thunder, ist running great with gfx quality: high, resolution: max. on the Surface 2.

 

[jmerrey]

Having owned both the Surface RT and Surface 2, I understand completely what you are asking. The answer is yes, the Surface 2 is infinitely better for gaming than the Surface RT. It's interesting that you mention Hydro Thunder, as that is the first game I attempted on the Surface 2, to gauge it's improvement over the RT. It is much improved.
You were very specific in your post saying you are ok with just the games in the Windows store, and for those games it is great.

 

[Ed Boland]

Yes, the Surface 2 runs the games from the store great. I was really surprised to see Modern Combat 5 Blackout run so well.

 

[Ed Boland]

I've heard people using their remote desktop application to play games. I don't own a Surface so I cannot answer directly on performance. I doubt the device is really designed for this so it would not surprise me if performance is not that great.

You would certainly experience some input / output lag using a remote connection. I see no way around that.

That doesn't work with Remote Desktop. Maybe some "2D" games that can run in a window on the desktop, but anything that requires a full screen rendering engine API (DirectX, OpenGL, etc) will not initialize.

 

[Tom87]

That doesn't work with Remote Desktop. Maybe some "2D" games that can run in a window on the desktop, but anything that requires a full screen rendering engine API (DirectX, OpenGL, etc) will not initialize.

Yes. Gaming does NOT working with Remote Desktop. I even tried running C&C Red Alert 1 on my PC and playing in on my S2 via RD and it was just an impossible laggy mess haha