I've been gaming on the iPad Mini 7 with a Razer Kishi Ultra controller for the past week and it's easily the best mobile gaming experience I've ever had, so good that it makes me look twice at handheld gaming PCs.
When you think about a gaming device, an iPad probably does not come to mind. Tablets are still no competition for the best gaming laptops, but mobile gaming is a different story. Handheld gaming PCs have become much more popular over the past few years, while more PC and console games have come to iOS. Cloud gaming spices up the competition even more since it allows you to play a wide library of PC and console games from any internet-connected device, even a phone or tablet.
All of that means gaming on an iPad can be a much more impressive experience than you might expect. But is it robust enough to compete with handheld gaming PCs and cloud gaming devices? My experience gaming on the iPad Mini 7 surprised me and highlighted how far mobile gaming has come, and how far it has left to go.
Gaming on iPadOS: The good, the bad, and the... odd
No matter how good an iPad is, it still has a much smaller library of AAA games than a PC, however, it isn't limited to quick mobile games like Candy Crush, either.
Gaming has improved significantly on the iPad since Apple introduced its M-series chips to the iPad Pro and iPad Air. These are the same chips that power Macs, putting them leagues ahead of the processors in most other tablets and opening the door for more resource-intensive AAA games to get iPadOS ports.
For instance, Assassin's Creed Mirage, Sid Meier's Civilization VI, and Resident Evil 4 are all available on iPadOS. Netflix has also been porting over a growing number of desktop games including Hades, Death's Door, and Dead Cells. Many indie games have gotten iPad releases, too, such as Dredge and the Kingdom series. These are great games that were designed for PC and console, so it's exciting seeing more and more available on mobile devices.
On top of all that, Apple Arcade is bringing even more mainstream games to iPadOS, like Disney Dreamlight Valley. While I've found some good games on Apple Arcade, they're often slightly different from the original or renamed to differentiate them from the standalone full price mobile version of the game (i.e. Stardew Valley and Stardew Valley+).
It's not a perfect comparison to PC gaming, though. Touch controls are finicky and awkward, especially on games that were designed for a keyboard and mouse. Many games are still too demanding for devices without a dedicated GPU like the iPad. Plus, the only way to use most cloud gaming services, like Xbox Cloud Gaming, on iPad is through your browser, which is not exactly the most streamlined experience.
While that may not change any time soon, one key accessory can vastly improve the iPad gaming experience.
The Razer Kishi Ultra: A game changer for the iPad Mini 7
A great controller is a must-have for iPad gaming and I think I've found the best of the bunch. The Razer Kishi Ultra is a clip-on USB Type-C mobile controller with the design and performance of a fully-fledged console or PC controller. The buttons are wonderfully clicky, there's haptic feedback, the triggers are smooth and responsive, and it even has RGB light strips.
I've done a bit of gaming on my iPad 10 with a basic Xbox controller, but the Kishi Ultra far exceeded that experience. It's one of the best-feeling controllers I've ever used, period. It also makes the iPad Mini 7 a much more competitive device for gaming.
Hades is one of my favorite games and happens to be available on iOS now through Netflix. I liked it already on desktop, but was surprised to find myself enjoying it even more on the iPad Mini 7 with the Kishi Ultra. This tablet-controller combo features a better display and better buttons than the Nintendo Switch with surprisingly capable integrated graphics performance. Plus, the combo weighs the same or less than most handheld gaming PCs.
Hades isn't a graphically demanding game, but lag and stuttering can ruin it. I experienced none of that on the iPad Mini 7. It kept up superbly well without any stuttering, screen tearing, or long load times. The iPad Mini 7 clipped into the Kishi Ultra is also just plain fun. It's a lightweight, responsive, ergonomic handheld gaming combo that really takes mobile gaming to a new level.
I also played some Star Wars Hunters on the iPad Mini 7 and the Kishi Ultra made a world of difference in my gameplay. This game is designed for touch controls, but they're a far cry from the comfort and precision of a controller. Movement, aiming, and activating abilities were all much easier with physical buttons, especially without my fingers blocking parts of the screen.
The Kishi Ultra also pairs with the Razer Nexus app, which acts as a hub for all of your iPadOS games but also notably makes it much easier to do a little cloud gaming. You can connect your cloud gaming accounts within the Razer Nexus app, allowing you to access them all in one convenient spot.
Can the iPad Mini 7 compete with handheld gaming PCs?
I genuinely enjoyed gaming on the iPad Mini 7, much more than I expected to. The Razer Kishi Ultra played a big role in that, taking the whole experience to a new level that got me wondering — is the iPad Mini 7 a serious contender as a mobile gaming device? Could it even compete with handheld gaming PCs?
After gaming on the iPad Mini 7 for a week, I can safely say that the new-and-improved Mini offers a fantastic gaming experience but isn't quite ready to take on fully fledged handheld gaming PCs. Even so, it may be the better option for some gamers. For instance, if you're new to gaming or used to mobile gaming, the iPad Mini 7 + Razer Kishi Ultra combo could be much more approachable for you than a Windows-powered handheld gaming PC. That's especially true if you have a large library of games you've already purchased on the App Store.
So, while the iPad Mini 7 isn't going to be replacing my desktop gaming PC anytime soon, I will be reaching for it first when I want to play certain games, like Hades or Stardew Valley. As integrated graphics and mobile gaming continue to improve, the iPad Mini could become a must-have for gaming on the go.
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