Handtops, UMPC - Gaming on the FlipStart E-1001S - FlipStart, Second Life, WoW, game

Chances are you're not buying a FlipStart to play games on it, which is just as well because Vulcan isn't targeting gamers. But let's face it, if you've got the smallest geek bone, you'll want to try out gaming on this tiny Handtop. While the OQO and Vaio UX have left a lot to be desired, as you'll see in this review, with actual in-game screenshots, the FlipStart is more than just capable at playing games, you'll actually be able to have a go at your favorite MMO, RTS, FPS and others. World of Warcraft? Check. Second Life? Check. Medal of Honor... ok, it's an oldie, but it's still good, and it works beautifully. Gone are the days of 64MB virtual RAM, the FS includes a whopping 256MB of shared RAM and a very capable 802.11b/g WiFi antenna (built in of course) making it easy to MMO without any problems. And with EVDO service, you can finally fulfill your lifelong dream of taking on Orcs on the train ride to work.

While the FS has 802.11 b and g, I only have an 802.11b router, but I didn't notice this affecting gameplay at all on the few MMO's I tested. A docking station with ethernet plug is available as well for those who want faster speeds.

One quick note about gaming on the FS. The FlipStart Navigator comes up anytime the screen switches into a specific mode, which becomes quite annoying. While it only happens when you initially load a game, it can cause some games to switch back into XP. Forcing FS Navigator to shutdown via the TaskManager fixes this. It would be good if there was an easier way to shutdown the navigator or at least make it less intrusive. Finally, all screenshots below are actual in-game screens.

World of Warcraft

After the overnight 3.6GB download and numerous patches, WoW was ready to go. I've played the game a little on my 3.0GHz desktop, so while I may not be a pro at the game itself, I am familiar with how it should run in terms of speed and graphics.

I really didn't think WoW would run at all, let alone well, and resigned myself to trying it just for curiousity's sake. But I was quite surprised that it not only ran, but ran very well. The graphics were great. By default the game started up in 1024x768 mode so you had to move the mouse up/down to see the rest of the screen. But you don't have to compromise, there is an in-game setting to use 1024x600 which makes it look and feel incredible.

Zooming in/out and rotating the map with the right-mouse are very clean and smooth, I didn't notice any frame skipping/lags. Walking around is smooth, as is fighting/talking. The game runs very well overall. I don't notice any difference between the FS and my desktop aside from a smaller resolution and obviously a smaller physical screen size. You could easily use the dock to connect an external LCD (or TV) and play off that, you may want to use an external keyboard/mouse as well to make things easier.

One thing you should be aware of is that the fan will pretty much run constantly, and while it's no jet-engine, it is noticable. The belly of the FlipStart does get warm, so if you are holding it to play, your hands will get a bit warm after awhile. If you're an MMO addict, you'll probably be willing to overlook the fan noise and the battery warmth. To think that you could run a game of this calibre on such a small device is breathtaking.

Second Life

The game starts out in 800x600, with no option for 1024x600, which isn't really a problem as it looks just fine stretched horizontally. Immediately you may notice that the draw distance is quite low and gameplay is somewhat choppy. You can tinker around with the graphic settings to get better performance. Similar to WoW, you'll notice that the fan will run constantly in its highest setting. And while the battery isn't blisteringly hot, it may get uncomfortable after awhile. This is to expected -- Vulcan didn't build the FS to be a gaming device.

As Second Life grows in popularity, so may the desire of people to play it in more portable situations, at your local cafe or at the airport. While it's certainly possible and runs decently, it is choppy and you'll have to take a graphical hit to play smoothly. I imagine in more populated environments you'll notice lag and framerates drop even more.

Command & Conquer 3 Demo

C&C 3

The game takes a fair bit of time to load up to the title screen. The C&C 3 demo runs in 800x600 mode, and without 1:1 pixel mapping so the screen is stretched to fit the 1024 pixel width. By default, the game starts out with all graphic settings at low (graphic preset: very low). The in-game mouse cursor flickers quite a bit making it slightly more annoying to play, but the cursor still works fine.

The tutorial mission runs fine, not great but fine. Missions load up quickly and in-game action is fluid. Selecting units and moving them around works well. Building structures and infantry works just as you'd expect. Before long you'll have garrisoned the main building and built a sufficient infantry to take out the red team's wimpy excuse for a base. During gameplay I noticed that animation looks a bit slowed down. While troops move around you can see that they're moving slower than normal. It's hard to tell whether it's just the animation that's delayed due to the low graphic settings or if action is genuinely slowed down. Attacking and moving troops from point to point feels like it goes at a normal speed, but the actual animations look slower.

While the tutorial mission ran fine, both the GDI Prologue and Alexandria missions crashed. Upgrading to the most current version of DirectX didn't solve the issue.

For the mission that I was able to play, it loaded and played decently, but the graphics were slightly grayed and washed out, even though outside of the game, the screen itself is quite vivid and crisp. This has to do with the low graphic settings. The lack of stability in being able to play other missions means you'll have to leave this game off your FlipStart.

Medal of Honnor Allied Assault

Medal of Honnor

Although I think the size and form factor of the FS is better suited for RTS games, preferably with an external mouse, there's no reason why you can't play an FPS either.

The game starts out like a treat. The anticipation and excitement of playing a full-fledged FPS on such a small device is like no other, and when the action kicks in I guarantee you'll be amazed. At 800x600, movement is fluid and the graphics (the environment, enemies, smoke effects, gunfire, etc) look great. The most surprising thing about my experience is that the game actually plays really well when you hold the FS with both hands. You use the right trackstick to aim and the left thumb moves your player and then you quickly goto the left mouse button to make a shot. It works brilliantly. This is like having a supercharged gameboy.

Admittedly, Medal of Honor isn't renowned for its graphics, but it plays a mean single-player and multiplayer FPS. Overall, gameplay is very smooth and enthralling. The music and sound effects sound great over the FS's small speakers. This is a great experience.

Dawn of War: Winter Assault

Dawn of War

Dawn of War (DoW) wouldn't startup in optimal video mode, but did just fine in safe mode with graphic settings at low. Pre-rendered movies are noticeably lower in quality due to the lower number of colours and game-based movies are quite choppy. However, the actual game itself runs fine. Visuals are slightly diminished in quality, but I had such a fun time gaming it up on such a small screen that I didn't notice until I looked closely.

It was easy to get lost in the game from the get go. The music sounded about as decent as you could expect on such tiny speakers, but there was never any distortion. And with an external mouse, I had a good time. No overly large or frequent framerate drops or slowdown.

Diablo 2

Although older, this cult game is still played by some. The FlipStart passes all of the initial video tests to determine compatibility with flying colours.

Gameplay is great. As you'll notice with many games on this or any other handtop, graphics look better because of the tighter dpi. With less space between each pixel the entire 1024x600 resolution gives a more crisp yet rich image. You won't notice pixelization as much as you would on larger screens.

Maple Story

Depending on your level of geekitude, you may or may not be familiar with Maple Story, which captivates more of a 13-24 year old aged crowd, or at least those like myself who're fond of old console RPG's with a platformer bend. Being a 2D side-scrolling MMORPG, the tech specs required are far less than something like WoW and C&C3. Thus, the game runs beautifully. Colours are vivid, action is smooth, everything runs well. The game looks like an absolute treat on the diminutive screen. I imagine all older generation games will just run as smoothly and look just as impressive.

Overall

Overall, I was incredibly impressed with the number of games that ran on the FlipStart. As you can expect, you're not going to be able to play all your favorite desktop games with maxed out graphic settings. There's no 512MB GPU with liquid cooling inside this little handtop, just 256MB of shared RAM. The FlipStart is not targeted for gamers, but nontheless it functions as a very decent gaming device capable of running many games, even currently popular ones such as WoW and Second Life. Natively (that is, holding it with both hands), the device isn't suited for long gaming sessions due to the sound of the fan and heat of the battery. But with the ability to connect an external LCD and mouse, you could easily play for a few hours comfortably. You'll be the envy of all your LAN buddies and you'll have a great time playing all sorts of games in various places that you didn't think possible before.

As I pointed out earlier, one of the better aspects of gaming on a device with this small of a form factor is how good the graphics look on account of a physically smaller screen size. Coupled with the relatively high resolution of 1024x600, you'll be impressed with how good everything looks. Also, the sound is much better than I expected. Not once did I hear any distortion. It's mostly treble you'll be hearing, but that's entirely to be expected. Coincidentally, whatever music/sound effects you're listening cover up the sound of the fan, which you can expect to be going quite often depending on the game and your graphic settings.

I was surprised and impressed in every way with gaming on the FlipStart. I've tried gaming on the OQO and Vaio UX and there's absolutely no comparison, the FlipStart absolutely eats the competition in terms of gaming power. All in all, the FlipStart gets great marks for providing many gaming possibilities in such a small form factor.

Other parts of my detailed look at the FlipStart

FlipStart E-1001S first impressions
FlipStart E-1001S Pics and details
FlipStart E-1001S Benchmarks
Gaming on the FlipStart E-1001S
Interview with FlipStarts Keith Amodt