Considering buying an NVIDIA Shield Tablet...... how could I play emulators?

[GearSolidMetal]

I'm a trucker, and I've really missed gaming over the last few months.

So I'm with a new team driver and he has this Shield tablet and it's quite impressive for the games he plays. It can even run Half-Life 2 in high specs but with a few framerate issues. The controller is absolutely awesome. I wish I could play console games with this. Its damn near the perfect hybrid of a PS3/XBox360 controller. Overall very impressive.

But I'd REALLY love to play classic console games on this, if I were to pick one up. Any idea how I could pick up a SNES/N64/PS1/PS2/XBOX emulator for this bad boy.

Playing Halo1&2 on this would be killer.

 

[DizzyYeahYeah]

I have a Windows RT and have a SNES emulator on it, IT IS FUCKING BOSS. You can use an xbox controller on it.

I'm gonna see if I can get bootleg Halo on it now.

Being able to play games whenever is really cool. Do it, do it.

 

[Madmick]

I refer you to XDA:
XDA > How to Play PC Games on Android with DosBox Turbo

***************************

This is hands down the best value in the tablet world this holiday season, and particularly for us gamers. Fuck Samsung. The iPad still reins supreme for mobile gaming because all the devs give it priority, but if you're after an Android, and the benefits of its open-source nature (such as the emulation hack software above), then consider nothing but this tablet or the upcoming HTC Nexus 9 due out on October 24th. These babies pack the new NVIDIA Tegra K1 chipset that is fucking LAYING WASTE to all the competitors; it's just embarrassing Qualcomm and Apple. It's about a full year ahead which in the mobile world (since technology is playing catch up) would be equivalent to a full Moore's 2-year generation on the PC. That's how far ahead this processor is. It's just sick.

Both of these tablets (if the newest rumors are true for the Nexus) start at $399. The Shield carries NVIDIA particular preoccupation with gamers and gaming accessories to the table. Meanwhile, early rumors indicate the Nexus 9 will have a 2048x1440 display versus the 1920x1200 in the Shield, and a higher clock on the chipset. There's no leaked benchmarks to confirm. As powerful as this K1 chip is I'm not sure how relevant that will be in mobile gaming. Obviously even desktop GPU's are still struggling with the best games above 1080p. The Nexus 9 should also have a superior 8MP camera vs. the 5MP in the Shield, but I think most use their phones for this. Anyways, there's the trade-off. The Shield is catering to gamers. Check out their website for details on how it is designed to easily integrate with Twitch and your PC:
http://shield.nvidia.com/gaming-tablet/
They've already made Portal available to the Shield on the Play Store. Although game purchases are separate on Android the Shield will also integrate with your Steam library in order to stream these games. It has a $60 wireless bluetooth controller specifically built for it that is intended to be used to play these games:
http://shield.nvidia.com/wireless-game-controller/

Quick primer on mobile benchmarks for fellow gamers. There are four major benchmarks:

1. Geekbench (CPU & Memory Benchmark, Single or Multi-Core)
2. GFXBench (Overall performance, GPU intensive)
3. Antutu (single thread CPU benchmark)
4. Sunspider (Web Browser benchmark)

There's a slew of other benchmarks (particularly browser & HTML5 benchmarks), but those are the big four. Okay, so those are all relevant to performance, but the most salient to us gamers is understandably the #2 GFX Benchmark which measures graphical performance. GFXBench's latest benchmark which tests all the latest drivers and new bells and whistles that software developers are adding to games is their "Manhattan" benchmark. So look at this one. There is "Onscreen" and "Offscreen". The former shows the framerate for the test on the device; that's great for just seeing how it will handle performance in the real world. The latter is the one you want to view when comparing devices. The reason is that not all devices have the same resolution. The same processor will push more frames on a device with a lower resolution. So comparing "offscreen" marks is what really measures the pure muscle of processors against each other.

Qualcomm has had a virtual monopoly on flagship phones for the past 3 generations. Apple surprised everyone when their A7 suddenly vaulted them to the top of the charts not only in performance, but by also introducing the first x64 ARM processor on the market. Pure horsepower has never been Apple's strength; they build a lighter, more aerodynamic car. That's how iPads/iPhones often outperform more powerful devices.

Anyways, take a look at the Tegra K1 versus the other flagships. There are four major chipset manufactures in descending order of prominence (not necessarily performance) coming into this generation:

1. Qualcomm (Snapdragon)
2. Apple (A series)
3. Samsung (Exynos)
4. NVIDIA (Tegra)

Well, here's how this generation stacks up that you'll see in the latest and greatest during Q4 2014. NVIDIA's brand new K1 is just revolutionizing the standard:

Tested Devices (I chose the top performer for each processor):
NVIDIA Tegra K1= NVIDIA Shield Tablet
Qualcomm Snapdragon 805= Samsung Galaxy S5 Advanced (Korea)
Apple A8= iPhone 6 Plus
Samsung Exynos 5412= Samsung Galaxy Note 4

 

[Dinkin_Flicka]

I refer you to XDA:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2410203

Spoiler

***************************

This is hands down the best value in the tablet world this holiday season, and particularly for us gamers. Fuck Samsung. The iPad still reins supreme for mobile gaming because all the devs give it priority, but if you're after an Android, and the benefits of its open-source nature (such as the emulation hack software above), then consider nothing but this tablet or the upcoming HTC Nexus 9 due out on October 24th. These babies pack the new NVIDIA Tegra K1 chipset that is fucking LAYING WASTE to all the competitors; it's just embarrassing Qualcomm and Apple. It's about a full year ahead which in the mobile world (since technology is playing catch up) would be equivalent to a full Moore's 2-year generation on the PC. That's how far ahead this processor is. It's just sick.

Both of these tablets (if the newest rumors are true for the Nexus) start at $399. The Shield carries NVIDIA particular preoccupation with gamers and gaming accessories to the table. Meanwhile, early rumors indicate the Nexus 9 will have a 2048x1440 display versus the 1920x1200 in the Shield, and a higher clock on the chipset. There's no leaked benchmarks to confirm. As powerful as this K1 chip is I'm not sure how relevant that will be in mobile gaming. Obviously even desktop GPU's are still struggling with the best games above 1080p. The Nexus 9 should also have a superior 8MP camera vs. the 5MP in the Shield, but I think most use their phones for this. Anyways, there's the trade-off. The Shield is catering to gamers. Check out their website for details on how it is designed to easily integrate with Twitch and your PC:
http://shield.nvidia.com/gaming-tablet/
They've already made Portal available to the Shield on the Play Store. Although game purchases are separate on Android the Shield will also integrate with your Steam library in order to stream these games. It has a $60 wireless bluetooth controller specifically built for it that is intended to be used to play these games:
http://shield.nvidia.com/wireless-game-controller/

Quick primer on mobile benchmarks for fellow gamers. There are four major benchmarks:

1. Geekbench (CPU & Memory Benchmark, Single or Multi-Core)
2. GFXBench (Overall performance, GPU intensive)
3. Antutu (single thread CPU benchmark)
4. Sunspider (Web Browser benchmark)

There's a slew of other benchmarks (particularly browser & HTML5 benchmarks), but those are the big four. Okay, so those are all relevant to performance, but the most salient to us gamers is understandably the #2 GFX Benchmark which measures graphical performance. GFXBench's latest benchmark which tests all the latest drivers and new bells and whistles that software developers are adding to games is their "Manhattan" benchmark. So look at this one. There is "Onscreen" and "Offscreen". The former shows the framerate for the test on the device; that's great for just seeing how it will handle performance in the real world. The latter is the one you want to view when comparing devices. The reason is that not all devices have the same resolution. The same processor will push more frames on a device with a lower resolution. So comparing "offscreen" marks is what really measures the pure muscle of processors against each other.

Qualcomm has had a virtual monopoly on flagship phones for the past 3 generations. Apple surprised everyone when their A7 suddenly vaulted them to the top of the charts not only in performance, but by also introducing the first x64 ARM processor on the market. Pure horsepower has never been Apple's strength; they build a lighter, more aerodynamic car. That's how iPads/iPhones often outperform more powerful devices.

Anyways, take a look at the Tegra K1 versus the other flagships. There are four major chipset manufactures in descending order of prominence coming into this generation:

1. Qualcomm (Snapdragon)
2. Apple (A series)
3. Samsung (Exynos)
4. NVIDIA (Tegra)

Well, here's how this generation stacks up that you'll see in the latest and greatest during Q4 2014. NVIDIA's brand new K1 is just revolutionizing the standard:

Tested Devices (I chose the top performer for each processor):
NVIDIA Tegra K1= NVIDIA Shield Tablet
Qualcomm Snapdragon 805= Samsung Galaxy S5 Advanced (Korea)
Apple A8= iPhone 6 Plus
Samsung Exynos 5412= Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Seeing is how you know your stuff Mick when it comes to this kind of stuff, where does the new Xperia Z3 Tablet rank up there? I was leaning towards getting the Nvida Shield Tegra K1 at Christmas, but Sony announced the Z3 will have PS4 remote play. My tablet gaming will be 90% at home on the couch. I know remote play doesn't interest a lot of people, but I love the hell out of it and use it on my Vita all the time, but the lack of proper L1/L3/R1/R3 is a real drag. So if I can stream the PS4 games to the Z3 and use the DS4 would be awesome.

 

[Madmick]

[/spoiler]

Seeing is how you know your stuff Mick when it comes to this kind of stuff, where does the new Xperia Z3 Tablet rank up there? I was leaning towards getting the Nvida Shield Tegra K1 at Christmas, but Sony announced the Z3 will have PS4 remote play. My tablet gaming will be 90% at home on the couch. I know remote play doesn't interest a lot of people, but I love the hell out of it and use it on my Vita all the time, but the lack of proper L1/L3/R1/R3 is a real drag. So if I can stream the PS4 games to the Z3 and use the DS4 would be awesome.

They got you covered:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/3/6097257/sonys-xperia-z3-and-z3-compact-ps4-remote-play
The new Z3 devices are built with the intention of using Dualshock as an accessory for those who use Remote Play.

This is a great mention. I spoke too soon. So far Sony's Xperia marketplace has been a real flop, but then, mostly, so too has NVIDIA's TegraZone. Nevertheless, the Xperia line's ability to integrate into the Sony platform with the Vita/PS4/PS3 almost certainly makes it more appealing to Sony console gamers than the NVIDIA Shield (which is catering to PC gamers). That's my bad. I do my best to be even-handed, but sometimes I forget these broader concerns due to my own setup/bias.

In terms of horsepower, the Z3 Tablet Compact trails the Tegra K1 by a significant amount. It only sports the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, the immediate predecessor to the the Snapdragon 805, and it scores an 11.3 FPS on the Manhattan Offscreen benchmark above: meaning it's putting out barely over 1/3 the framerate that the Shield is. It does have a slightly superior camera, and it has the IP68 waterproof/dustproof thing going for it. Nevertheless, for game streaming, I'm betting that Sony has calibrated everything so that the console does the work to transcode the games. So if you're playing your game off the PS4 at home, then its inferior processor strength shouldn't be inhibiting smooth playback.

However, the biggest upside to the Shield may also be its biggest downside. Due to Qualcomm's omnipresence in mobile devices EVERY Android developer prioritizes optimization and support of their software for it. If you've ever had a phone with an old Tegra processor, or worse, a Texas Instruments OMAP, you know what I'm talking about. Sometimes even the most popular apps that come out in following years don't support that chipset (ex. the TI Omap processor in my former phone, the Droid X, didn't support the most popular mobile game on planet earth, Clash of Clans). I'm betting this precedent swings because: (1) NVIDIA scored the Nexus gig, (2) because NVIDIA is clearly more preoccupied with gaining traction in the mobile market than anything else right now. They can see downstream which way the money river is bending, and (3) NVIDIA has managed to bring their TDP down enough that it isn't terrifying phone-makers.

That's just not a concern with this device since it has a Qualcomm. You're going to get prime treatment in terms of software from developers. The Z3 Tablet's greatest inferiority aside from the Tegra K1 is that iFixIt tore down the Shield and discovered a 7,350 mAh battery inside. Meanwhile, this Xperia Z3 Compact only carries a 4,500 mAh battery. Nevertheless, because NVIDIA has historically had a much higher TDP with its processors than the other ARM manufacturers like Qualcomm, I speculate that real-world battery life will probably be a wash. That's probably why it needed such a large battery.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

They got you covered:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/3/6097257/sonys-xperia-z3-and-z3-compact-ps4-remote-play
The new Z3 devices are built with the intention of using Dualshock as an accessory for those who use Remote Play.

.

Interesting........ I'm buying a Note4 to replace my Note2 soon, which I've played emulators on but I wasn't a fan of having to use the touchscreen. Will this device and Note4 work on a PS4 controller?

 

[Dinkin_Flicka]

Interesting........ I'm buying a Note4 to replace my Note2 soon, which I've played emulators on but I wasn't a fan of having to use the touchscreen. Will this device and Note4 work on a PS4 controller?

Not at the moment. From what I've read from the announcement it's an exclusive feature to the new Xperia Z3 line of phones and tablets.

Also,
Thanks Mick for the response. At work so will definitely dive into that post once I get a few minutes.

 

[Madmick]

A quick Google turned up this:




I think I've seen some guys discuss this in the past here on the Dog. There's a SixAxis app that you would download for the DS3, IIRC. I thought that gave it wireless capability with any Android phone, but I can't personally testify to the stability/responsiveness or anything. But Dinkin is right, I believe, about the game streaming Sony has setup to be integrated with ease. That is unique to the Xperia line. So don't count on being able to stream your PS4 library to your Galaxy phone. The video above just shows a way to use a console controller to play Android games on non-Xperia Android phones.

Edit: That's handy for the games that are really too complicated to be enjoyable using the touchscreen format (ex. Heroes of Order and Chaos). But if you want to use your phone like a Vita, then you need to get the Z3. The Z3 is fucking badass, btw. Amazing phone. #1 battery life of all the new flagships. IP68 waterproof/dustproof rating. Top of the line specs with a better camera than most of its flagship peers. My only wariness when it comes to Sony phones is this:

Release Dates
Xperia Z3 --> September, 2014
Xperia Z2 --> April, 2014
Xperia Z1 --> September, 2013
Xperia Z ---> February, 2013

That just reeks of, "We won't be updating your Android version after 18 months."

 

[Dinkin_Flicka]

My big thing with the Xpiera line of phones is they are exclusive to T-Mboile, and they get sh!t for reception where I live. Coverage on their network is poor enough that it's not even an option for purchase.

Another think I like about the Xperia line of phones is the new Cyber Shot style camera that can be attched to the phones. They're compatible with other lines of phones, but you need to have a bulky attachment in order to mount it, where the Xperia line has a special case the Cyber Shot can snap right on. This is another thing that most wont care about, but for my line of work I can't have a camera in my phone, so even though I went with the Note 3 for my last phone upgrade I had to go in a pull the cameras out and past over the lenses with an epoxy. So to have the ability to snap on a camera is a really nice feature for me.

I did read recently that Sony may be rethinking having T-Mobile be their exclusive carrier which is a nice thought for me on my next upgrade.

 

[Madmick]

My big thing with the Xpiera line of phones is they are exclusive to T-Mboile, and they get sh!t for reception where I live. Coverage on their network is poor enough that it's not even an option for purchase.

Another think I like about the Xperia line of phones is the new Cyber Shot style camera that can be attched to the phones. They're compatible with other lines of phones, but you need to have a bulky attachment in order to mount it, where the Xperia line has a special case the Cyber Shot can snap right on. This is another thing that most wont care about, but for my line of work I can't have a camera in my phone, so even though I went with the Note 3 for my last phone upgrade I had to go in a pull the cameras out and past over the lenses with an epoxy. So to have the ability to snap on a camera is a really nice feature for me.

I did read recently that Sony may be rethinking having T-Mobile be their exclusive carrier which is a nice thought for me on my next upgrade.

Yeah, that is a huge issue if you buy your phone on-contract which the majority of people do (and wisely do) because their carrier subsidizes the purchase. You can get unlocked Xperia Z phones off-contract, but you pay the full price. If they want to have any chance of gaining market traction in the USA, then they're going to have to drop that exclusive deal.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

BTW, Madmick, feel free to change the thread title. Your input has changed this topic into something more interesting than how to run emulators on a tablet.

So, I'm still very intrigued as to how I could put an Android phone (Note2/3/4) on a mount (website or ebay listing link please!) that connects to a PS3/4 controller which connects to the phone via blutooth. Also, what roms or apps would I need to secure the connection?

 

[Dinkin_Flicka]

I have a note 3 and bought a controller that can mount my phone too. I was kind of limited due to the size of the note 3 so I couldn't find many that would work. The controller doesn't feel as good as the DS3/DS4, but it's good enough to play emulators and not feel cramped. I'll edit with the link of the controller when I get home.

 

[SheetsMMAfan]

Kind of on topic...

Jailbroken iPad + Blutrol + emulators/roms = badass

I used my PS3 controller to play NES, Sega, SNES, N64 and PS1 roms and absolutely loved it. That was, of course, before I purchased a pretty nice laptop.

Held me over in tough times though

 

[Madmick]

So, I'm still very intrigued as to how I could put an Android phone (Note2/3/4) on a mount (website or ebay listing link please!)

Well, that one Sony made might work for other phones, but it was made for the Z3. Samsung planned one of their own, and I mentioned that in a thread from about a year ago, I think, but I don't think they ever actually released the product (vaporware from the hardware world...unusual). Lemme see...ah yeah, here we go:
Samsung Gamepad for the Galaxy Series of Smartphones

Yeah, the one in the OP was abandoned, apparently, but my last post shows what eventually reached the market. It's $70 at Amazon:

It looks like this became the final product:
http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/mobile-devices/smartphones/smartphone-accessories/EI-GP20HNBEGWW

~$70 on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-EI-GP20HNBEGWW-Wireless-SmartPhone-GamePad/dp/B00FP825JQ

I believe that includes the mount. It's not shown on the Amazon image, but I think it slides out from the interior of the controller. The design appears to make it easier to transport when you travel. Nifty. It supports phones up to 6.3", so your Note 4 would be gold.

Otherwise, third party options appear inferior...

that connects to a PS3/4 controller which connects to the phone via blutooth. Also, what roms or apps would I need to secure the connection?

Sixaxis Controller ($2.53) Connects DS3 Controller:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dancingpixelstudios.sixaxiscontroller&hl=en
Unfortunately, it requires root access and appears to still have issues. It also doesn't say anything about the DS4 in the app description.

The app compatible with the DS4 in the YT video I posted above appears to have been removed from the Android market, but I'm sure you could find an apk for it on the web, and sideload it by checking the box in the Android general settings that says "Allow installation of off-market apps". It's called USB/BT Joystick Center Gold. I wouldn't be surprised if it also required root access.

If you want to go the gaming route with the specific DS4 controller, then it looks like the Xperia will be the best route. Not only will it probably have the best stability and responsiveness, but it doesn't require hacker knowledge to run. You also don't have to worry about specific device support. That's obviously covered.

It really sounds like if you're not with Sony then you want to go with a wired USB connection. There's plenty of YouTube instructional videos. I leave that to you. Here's another:

 

[Dinkin_Flicka]

I was tempted to buy the Samsung gamepad with my Note 3, but the $70 price tag was a little much and I didn't know how I felt about the fact it didn't have a real D-Pad. Most of my gaming on my Note 3 is emulators for old school NES/SNES era and wanted a real D-pad, probably would have picked one up had it had one.

Ended up getting this.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GJJ6UYQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It feels a little light, but over all had a comfortable feel. The triggers arn't up top like I'm used to since that's where the phone sits so it took a little getting used to. The D-Pad is a little stiff but didn't bother me playing games like Kid Icarus and Faxanadu. Synced up super easy. Just turned it on and the phone found the blutooth signal and paired it. For the $20 I spent on it I'm quite happy.

 

[Blayt7hh]

It looks cool and I kind of want it, but I don't think I would get a lot of use out of it

 

[Madmick]

Spoiler

I was tempted to buy the Samsung gamepad with my Note 3, but the $70 price tag was a little much and I didn't know how I felt about the fact it didn't have a real D-Pad. Most of my gaming on my Note 3 is emulators for old school NES/SNES era and wanted a real D-pad, probably would have picked one up had it had one.

Ended up getting this.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GJJ6UYQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It feels a little light, but over all had a comfortable feel. The triggers arn't up top like I'm used to since that's where the phone sits so it took a little getting used to. The D-Pad is a little stiff but didn't bother me playing games like Kid Icarus and Faxanadu. Synced up super easy. Just turned it on and the phone found the blutooth signal and paired it. For the $20 I spent on it I'm quite happy.

When I went back and tried to find what came of that first Samsung Gamepad prototype the company I saw cited around the board over and over with rave reviews was MOGA. It looks like they've risen to the top with this product which only costs $13 (and is available to Prime users, so free 2-day shipping for them). 4 star average with 1,264 reviews. Not too shabby:

Spoiler

http://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Gaming...qid=1412253701&sr=8-1&keywords=moga+bluetooth

That's there base unit, and is the #1 selling Bluetooth controller, and is more compact & slim for easy transport, but it was their premium product that I saw praised on the tech forums: the MOGA Pro Power. It's built with a more traditional console controller design, and costs about the same as the Samsung Gamepad: $70. In addition to the fact that is carries this design, though, the real sweetener is that it packs its own battery, so it will actually re-charge the phone while you're not playing, or at least draw from its own battery rather than the phone's battery while you are:

Spoiler

http://www.amazon.com/POWER-MOGA-Pr...qid=1412254068&sr=8-1&keywords=moga+pro+power

Here is MOGA's website:
http://www.mogaanywhere.com/
You can see that they make four different products directed at Android users including the two mentioned above. It appears that the Pro and Pro Power are the same design with the latter carrying the battery. The Hero Power, on the other hand, looks to be a different design than the Pocket controller, but is similarly a slimmer alternative to the Pro Power with the same added battery. All but the Pocket carry the traditional L1/R1 buttons (note: the Samsung Gamepad does not):

1. MOGA Pocket Controller ($13)
2. MOGA Pro Controller ($65)
3. MOGA Hero Power ($39)
4. MOGA Pro Power ($70)

Note to iPhone/iPad users: they make products for your platform, too.

It looks cool and I kind of want it, but I don't think I would get a lot of use out of it

It's really targeting guys who are either emulating, like Gear, or who are playing some of the games on mobile that aren't really optimized for the touchscreen. I mentioned the top mobile WoW-wannabe above: Heroes of Order & Chaos. Moga's jpegs show off Asphalt 8. I know a ton of the FPS & cover-based shooters like the Mass Effect & COD mobile versions and the N.O.V.A. series would be a lot easier to manage and more enjoyable with a traditional controller. Action RPG's like the Zenonia games, too. I wouldn't mind it in FIFA, either.

It would really open up your options on an Android device, I would think.

 

[Dinkin_Flicka]

Yeah, the MOGA Pro looks really nice and was the one I was hoping to get. But after reading the reviews a few people had stated that the Note didn't fit in the cradle. They had them on sale at a local store and did a fit test and the retractable arm was just a hair to small to get the Note 3 in there which was a bummer.

 

[Muggz562]

Alot of people seem to be buying these for emulators:

http://jxd.hk/products.asp?id=639&selectclassid=009006

It looks kind of cheaply made but there are some good reviews around on it. Heres a vid of someone playing some emulators on it:


[YT]watch?v=dH9u7toDWIM[/YT]

 

[Madmick]

Yeah, the MOGA Pro looks really nice and was the one I was hoping to get. But after reading the reviews a few people had stated that the Note didn't fit in the cradle. They had them on sale at a local store and did a fit test and the retractable arm was just a hair to small to get the Note 3 in there which was a bummer.

Ahhhh, that sucks. Yeah, I didn't check the sizing ceiling on that one like I did with the Samsung Gamepad. On the bright side, for those with smaller phones, this website confirms that the MOGA Hero Power has R1/L1 buttons:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/1...actly-how-to-make-a-better-mobile-controller/

The specification they mention for the Pro Power (& Pocket) is that it will fit phones with a horizontal width of 3.2 inches (82mm). You can verify the size of your phones at either of these websites:
http://www.gsmarena.com/
http://www.phonearena.com/
However, according to what Dinkin is saying, this may not accurately indicate whether or not your phone will fit. This is an extreme inconvenience and disappointing. For example, if you search above, you'll see that the dimension of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 are as follows:
151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm (5.95 x 3.12 x 0.33 in)

So theoretically that phone should fit, but apparently online gamers have reported back that it doesn't. It looks like if you want to use the dock, then you're best sticking to phones that are in the 5.2" display size class and below. You may be able to fit some of the 5.5" phablets. It depends. The Note 3 has a 5.7" screen, but the Note 2 only had a 5.5" display, yet it was wider than the Note 3, so it wouldn't fit, either. On the other hand, the brand new LG G3 has a 5.5" screen, but its width is a mere 2.94" (74.6mm).

Google is your ally to find others who have tried.