Best Laptops For A Casual Gamer

Gaming has come a long way- but it hasn't exactly advanced very far. Aside from Nintendo and their innovations in motion control, the industry is almost identical to what it was a decade ago. The graphics may have gotten better and online play may be much more important, but for the most part gaming has been stagnant. Fortunately not everyone minds this.

This is where the casual gamer comes in- the passive, part-time gamer that doesn't invest a lot of hours into the medium and generally doesn't analyze it too much. The casual gamer is someone with less discerning eyes and puts much greater stock in just having fun than much else in terms of gaming. This, of course, makes the PC a great choice for any casual gamer. If you have a casual interest in gaming and aren't sure what will suit you, here are some of the laptop models best for casual gaming. .

1. Acer Laptop 2006-2010

If you're looking for something user-friendly and within your budget, you can't go wrong with an Acer. While they aren't the kings of RAM nor can the handle the most advanced graphical engines, they're great for the less demanding genres. An Acer laptop from 2006-2010 will fulfill your gaming needs if you're into fighting games, TBS (Turn-based strategy), tower defense, mid-end MMOS, or general multiplayer games. They usually have very responsive, compatible USB controllers and their network capabilities make them decent for online gaming. Just avoid high-end shooters or MMOs- as an Acer is likely to stutter when too many resources are being taken up.

2. Samsung Laptop 2005-2008

While not as inexpensive as the Acer, the Samsung is a little more impressive when it comes to practicality. Puzzles games and racing titles are the best friends to a Samsung owner. The latest Samsungs, while more powerful, are considerably less user-friendly than their predecessors and therefore less appealing. Casual gamers looking for something for some simple gaming on will be happy with a mid-2K laptop.

3. Gateway Laptop 2007-2010

While a little underwhelming in appearance depending upon the model, a Gateway can be a great gaming companion if you're into puzzle, tower defense, adventure, parlor, or trivia games. Not really recommended as a multiplayer gaming laptop due to some stumbling when it comes to processing power, but very reliable as a single player medium.

4. HP Laptop 2004-2009

The style and selection of the HP market is topped only by Dell. You can feel like an individual as you game with an HP laptop. The absolute latest ones have been a bit disappointing due to their higher than expected price range, but casual gamers looking for something to play MMOs, RTSs, high-end shooters, and racing games all play great on a good HP laptop.

5. eMachine Laptop 2008-2010

Often times, price is everything. The eMachine brand is renowned for its low prices and adequate specs. They're never the best one the market, not by any means, but they get the job done at a good price. They can easily play mid-end MMOS, fighting games, mid-end shooters, and strategy games. You may want to avoid games with a lot of graphical flair in the racing or shooting genre. Thanks to an abundance of smartly arranged USB ports, local multiplayer games are a breeze. Online multiplayer isn't perfect, but it's acceptable for the most part. You'll want a more recent eMachine laptops as they are usually behind the curve in specs- go back too many years and you're losing generations of games due to processing power and RAM.

Source(s)
PC World
Gamefaqs