I've been thinking about buying an iPad mini these last couple of days. Am I crazy to want one specifically for playing Hearthstone, FTL and reading manga; three things I can already do on my laptop? Is the mini still alright for playing games on vs the regular sized model? I can get a used Mini 2 for $200-$300NZ on a local auction site, so it kinda seems like almost a good idea?

If you're like me, you'll move to using a tablet for almost everything non work related. It's so much more convenient than a laptop. So whatever you get, I think you'll probably get some good use out of it.

I wouldn't necessarily call you crazy for wanting an iPad to compliment your laptop, especially depending on what type of laptop you have. If you have a 15" or bigger laptop, it can be inconvenient to lug that thing around if you want to play some simple games on the couch or in bed.

Mini is perfectly fine for games and manga. The resolution is the same, so you get a bit higher ppi compared to the larger one should it will be a bit sharper, though it might not be that big a difference for everyone. It's more convenient if you need to carry it around, but I always just use my iPad at home which is why I went with the larger Air 2.

In the end, it's a money vs convenience thing. If the $200-300NZ isn't going to break the bank or cause you to have to skip meals, I would say that it's okay especially since the Mini 2 can probably work really well for another 2-3 years. But if you need to considerably change your day to day expenditures on necessities to make the purchase, I would hold off.

Absolutely. iOS has so many great games, it's perfect for reading books/manga, and internet browsing is awesome. You'll probably find yourself leaving your laptop behind more often. I'm not sure whether you have an iPhone or not, but that would only sweeten the deal. The mini is a good size but I would price an Air 2 if I were you and see what the difference would be. That thing is as powerful as the Macbook air was a couple years ago, it's light as fuck, and has a great camera.

Tablets are vastly more portable and accessible. To me laptops are basically just desktops that are simply easier to switch desks. You still need a flat surface and a mouse. So if you ask me it does seem worth it, and not crazy at all. You will probably be glad to own a tablet regardless of what you actually end up using it for. (however this is coming from someone who doesn't use a laptop.. if I did then maybe I wouldn't use my tablet as much? hmm)

An android tablet can do the things you want for under $200, maybe even $100. Hearthstone is on android.

@egg: Agreed. Ever since I got an iPad I only use my laptop when I absolutely have to.

I just got an 8 inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S to use for gaming and I find it way more convenient than using my laptop. To be fair though, my laptop is 4-5 years old and doesn't run games very well anymore. I only keep my laptop now for watching shows cause of its HDMI port. I dunno if I'd find reading manga better on a tablet though cause the screen is so much smaller than my laptop. (For reference the screen is 24 inches) I'd imagine it being hard to read the smaller text without having to zoom in and in that case wouldn't be a seamless read, I think. But to each their own!

Hm, alright, thanks! I'll have a look at some floor models of the Air 2/Mini to compare. Right now reading manga/comics/etc on on a computer screen isn't ideal because of the horizontal aspect ratio; so I feel like even the mini might be an upgrade for that. I have a kindle for ebooks but that thing blows at displaying images, it letterboxes them and makes the text impossible to read.

For reference, I have a Macbook Pro and I do own an iPhone, though it's a 4S so it's a bit sluggish. Also thanks to mods for changing the thread title, I guess mine was a little vague, sorry about that!

Get one. If your laptop was an Air instead of Pro, I would recommend against it, but it's definitely nice having a tablet to read things.

Reading manga on my ipad mini is such a pleasure.

What about comics books or is the quality of that the same as manga?

@freezyfrog: It's about the same. Newer comics can look absolutely beautiful and sharp too.

I bought an iPad air to play hearthstone and read mange so I don't think you're crazy.

I haven't used my tablet in a good 2 years, but that's more 'cause I just use my phone instead, and anything more than checking twitter/browsing in bed I just use my desktop. I wouldn't call you crazy though, if you want one buy one, it's only $200NZ, which I think is about £80 so go for it, that ain't much money either way.

I have a desktop for games, and i've moved almost completely to the tablet for non-game stuff. Honestly, laptops that can do PC gaming are prohibitively expensive, and the tablet does everything else I want, and is far easier to travel with, since security doesnt make me take it out when flying.

Well I went ahead and bought one and it's fantastic so far. Loving the games I'm playing on it, and the manga reader app (sidebooks) I got has been perfect for my needs. I was worried the size of the mini would make it more difficult to read on but that is not the case for me and I love the portability of it. I even went and bought a Japanese iTunes card online to get a digital famitsu subscription because I'm insane.

Now I wanna know what essential games I'm missing. Keep in mind that I have an iPhone so I'm more looking for experiences that are better on the larger iPad screen specifically. So far I have Swords and Sworcery, Hearthstone, Plants vs Zombies (which seems to have a game breaking bug right now), FTL and Terra Battle.

Also shout outs to the dude who runs the giant bomb video buddy app, that thing is all kinds of fantastic.

@dadjumper: Congrats on the purchase.

I really enjoyed playing The Banner Saga on it, as well as all the Kingdom Rush games. Monument Valley was quite good on the larger screen, The Room is all sorts of cool as well. Finally, you might want to check out Cook, Serve, Delicious! on iOS. In some ways, I think it's even better than the PC version.