Playing VNs on a 13 inch laptop.

[VaroOP]

I am getting a damn good deal on the Dell XPS 13 but I have never used a 13 inch laptop. I went to the dell store today and I felt that 13 inches is too small. I own a pretty good gaming PC so I only want a laptop for it's portability making the Dell XPS 15 an overkill.
So the main point of discussion is that I want to be able to play my VNs on the go but will a 13 inch screen be enough or should I look for a completely different laptop from a different manufacturer with a 15 inch screen? 
I would be glad if someone who actually uses a 13 inch laptop shares his opinion with me.

[milkteebaby]

I have a Mac 13" that I play all sorts of games on, not just VNs. To be honest, I'm not sure why you would require such a large screen size? I've played VNs on my 11.8 inch Travelmate with no problems. 

[Funyarinpa]

The screen size is quite immaterial- I've played VNs on many devices from an original DS to a Vita to an iPad to 15.6" computers- VNs are enjoyable on all sizes. You should ensure that it comes with decent storage, a good CPU and a dedicated GPU, though- I hear some newer VNs can lag otherwise.

[Plk_Lesiak]

I've played some VNs on a 10-inch tablet and it worked fine. I don't see a reason for 13-inch screen to be a problem, unless you want to sit a few meters from it. :] 

[Yuuko]

I used to play on 13 inch screen. It's okay but might feel weird at first but you'll get used to it fast.

[tymmur]

It really depends on your situation. Some people are fine with smartphones while other people requires big screens. Obviously it has to do with your eyes, but there is also the issue of looking at small screens strain the eyes for some people. None of us can answer how you deal with this issue. That's one thing you have to figure out on your own.

The other issue is how you define portable. I have used 15.4" for quite a while and never had issues bringing it around, including taking it with me in public transportation daily. Laptops have become so thin and light that I wouldn't worry about anything other than making sure it fits into the bag.

 

One word of warning though. Laptops tend to get hot if you use them for gaming. If you have a desktop and a laptop with 100% the same hardware, the desktop will perform better under load because laptops have a tendency to thermal throttle. Some desktops has this issue to some degree, but it's more widespread and more severe with laptops. It's certainly something you should be aware of if you plan on using a laptop for gaming.

[solidbatman]

Look, size isn't everything. How you use it is more important. Someone who knows how to use a 13 inch as opposed to say, a 27 inch will be better off. You're gonna be just fine with 13 inches. 

[Riku]

What's important too is the resolution. I went from a 19" to a 15", and the 15" is FHD, so everything looks even smaller, and when you zoom/enlarge it looks even more pixelised.

So, a 13" in HD is actually easier on the eyes than a 15"+ in higher resolution. Might sound stupid, but I was really surprised when I saw how small VN windows were in my new screen, and how pixelised it becomes when you enlarge it.

 

EDIT: Ok, just saw that the XPS 13 has a FHD screen, will look really small.

Edited March 27, 2018 by Riku

[Plk_Lesiak]

12 minutes ago, solidbatman said:

Look, size isn't everything. How you use it is more important. Someone who knows how to use a 13 inch as opposed to say, a 27 inch will be better off. You're gonna be just fine with 13 inches. 

Dude, 27 inches is like a handicap. In any normal situation, it just won't fit in, would only be awkward and painful to use. 

 

I mean, on a normal desk, it's too wide for your field of view to cover most of it.

...we're still talking about screens, right? 

Edited March 27, 2018 by Plk_Lesiak

[tymmur]

2 minutes ago, Plk_Lesiak said:

Dude, 27 inches is like a handicap. In any normal situation, it just won't fit in, would only be awkward and painful to use. 

 

I mean, on a normal desk, it's too wide for your field of view to cover most of it.

That's not my experience. I have been using 27 inches exclusively for VNs for years.

2 minutes ago, Plk_Lesiak said:

...we're still talking about screens, right? 

If not, then 27 inches will still result in a size issue with normal sized desks.

[milkteebaby]

23 minutes ago, Plk_Lesiak said:

...we're still talking about screens, right? 

I dunno, after this...

35 minutes ago, solidbatman said:

Look, size isn't everything. How you use it is more important.

I wasn't so sure. 

[tymmur]

11 minutes ago, Riku said:

So, a 13" in HD is actually easier on the eyes than a 15"+ in higher resolution. Might sound stupid, but I was really surprised when I saw how small VN windows were in my new screen, and how pixelised it becomes when you enlarge it.

Upscaling issues usually comes from poor choice of upscale multiplier. If you pick 200%, then each pixel becomes 2x2. If the monitor is twice the dpi, the result should be the same. If you upscale to 160%, you will get something like two pixels of 2x2, followed by one 1x2 in both directions. If done in a simple approach you could end up with a mix of 2x2, 1x2, 2x1 and 1x1 pixels, which were all supposed to be 1x1. The difference of pixel size is what ruins the image, not the size itself. It's not by chance that DosBox can only upscale 2x and 3x. Add some edge smoothing filter and it will look just fine.

 

The original Musumaker a just 800x600. It has an ingame resolution menu in window mode and it actually looks decent in 1600x1200 (2x scaling). There is no sign of the pixelation that you are talking about. Obviously the graphics are still worse than the HD remake, but that's due to resolution of the sprites rather than runtime scaling.

[tahu157]

I read F/SN and HA on a Kindle Fire sized windows tablet and that seemed fine to me.

[Trickay]

I do most of my reading on a dell venue 11 pro, i find its 1080p screen is perfect (vibrant and sharp) for newer titles but can look a little blurry when stretching 4:3 games. Which is to be expected. Also i find fanlass tablets ideal for VNs.

[VaroOP]

As far as I can tell from the discussion so far, unless I play a VN and read the text for myself on a 13 inch laptop I will not know what I want and since i have previously played VNs on my 15 inch laptop it might be the safest bet..to get a 15 inch one but then again dell xps 13 is so perfect other than its mighty small screen

Edited March 27, 2018 by VaroOP

[Clephas]

Gimme the general specifications and the price, and I'll be able to tell you if your 'good deal' really is a good deal... 13 inches usually isn't good for much except the basics, because of the limited capabilities you can pack into the system.  Avoid integrated graphics/video at all costs (overheats faster and is slower overall).  I generally prefer an ssd or a hybrid for the main drive (starts faster, has less in the way of loading issues).

[Narcosis]

You want to read vn's on a 13" ultrabook? Buy an Acer Aspire R7 (NX.G8SEP.004). Expensive, but worth it and prolly the best experience you can get. That laptop is literally made for it.

[tymmur]

1 hour ago, Trickay said:

can look a little blurry when stretching 4:3 games

Don't stretch 4:3 to 16:9. Instead figure out where the option is to add black bars to the side of the screen. This is not a laptop specific issue, but rather a problem with modern monitors in general.

54 minutes ago, Clephas said:

I generally prefer an ssd or a hybrid for the main drive (starts faster, has less in the way of loading issues).

Spinning disks are sensitive to vibrations, which are unavoidable in a laptop if you move it while it's on. Furthermore a spinning disk acts as a gyro, which adds wear to the bearings if the disk is moved while it's spinning. Those two combined results in HDs in laptops having a much shorter expected lifetime and that's not even counting the risk of a sudden death if the computer falls from a table (tripping on wire etc). SSD doesn't suffer from issues regarding vibrations or impacts and is highly recommended for any handheld device.

 

I have had two laptop HD go bad because a fan went bad and caused vibrations whenever the CPU was hotter than idle. Once I figured out the issue with the fan, I replaced it and the laptop haven't had problems with the HD since.

[VaroOP]

1 hour ago, Clephas said:

Gimme the general specifications and the price, and I'll be able to tell you if your 'good deal' really is a good deal... 13 inches usually isn't good for much except the basics, because of the limited capabilities you can pack into the system.  Avoid integrated graphics/video at all costs (overheats faster and is slower overall).  I generally prefer an ssd or a hybrid for the main drive (starts faster, has less in the way of loading issues).

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-XPS-9360-Laptop-InfinityEdge/dp/B078Z3HJ1X/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1522181771&sr=1-3&keywords=dell+xps+13
This is the laptop that I am talking about. Well its sold for $1325 in my country and I can get it for the price quoted in that link.

Also I am completely open to any laptop suggestions. 
These are my requirements : 

1) My budget is $1000

2) I am fine with both a 13" and 15.6" notebook. (Not so sure anymore)

3) I would like it to have an FHD IPS display and an anti glare coating would be most welcome. 

4) It's supposed to be a portable notebook mostly for media consumption and basic coding.

5) The battery life should be decent. At least 6 hours of battery while watching a movie or something.

6) The games that I should be able to play on medium settings should be like DOTA 2 and some japanese Visual novels.

7) I have my PC for all the main tasks.

8 ) I would be fine even if it didn't have an HDD but it should definitely have an SSD for the OS.

9) I plan to buy from amazon or newegg. 

10) The laptop should last for 3 to 4 years.

11) Don't need an optical drive but a DVD R/W would be cool.

12) I am fine with mostly any brand but just avoid suggesting Acer laptops because the one I had previously died in 6 months and the customer support was horrible. It was a very cheap one which only cost me 15,000 inr but still that's just bad.

13) I am from India but my cousin is gonna get me one from the US.

14) I am a college student and I am pursuing a Bachelor's degree in computer engineering my first year syllabus requires me to code in C. Since I have a computer at home with an i7-7700k and a gtx 1070, I think my laptop should just act as an assistant to my PC.

Edited March 27, 2018 by VaroOP

[Clephas]

"Integrated Intel HD Graphics 620"  That's a no-no.  This one has a rep for overheating during stressful tasks.

Also, touchscreen is always a bad thing.  You never want a touch screen on a computer, for the simple reason that it costs more than the standard LCD of LED screen and touching your screen except to clean it is always a bad idea with computers.

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Gaming-i5-7300HQ-GeForce-AN515-51-55WL/dp/B074Q54GSR/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1522189751&sr=1-3&keywords=gaming+laptop

It isn't better on every account, but it is definitely a better deal.  For the price, it is about the best you can get.  The battery life is probably actually around 4 hours, but meh... you can fiddle with the settings so it uses only minimal power when you aren't doing something important, so it shouldn't be that much of an issue.

Touchscreens add costs (usually about two to three hundred dollars) to any laptop.  I also suggest you buy a 2TB external for extra memory storage.  Uninstall every VN as you finish them and you shouldn't run out of space on the actual main SSD.  Also, it needs to be said, but Dell is a premium brand, not a budget brand... as a result, you'll always end up paying more for less performance (though it has to be said, they use better materials in the casing). 

Anyway, that's my suggestion given your budget.  I definitely wouldn't take the the Dell, since it looks like one of those 'tossed it on Amazon because it was a bad design' deals. 

[tymmur]

9 minutes ago, VaroOP said:

11) Don't need an optical drive but a DVD R/W would be cool.

You can't get both an optical drive and long battery life. Those things drain the battery in a very short time. Sure you can choose to not use it to preserve the battery, but then what's the point?

17 minutes ago, VaroOP said:

14) I am a college student and I am pursuing a Bachelor's degree in computer engineering my first year syllabus requires me to code in C.

While this has much lower hardware requirements than VNs on paper (unless you work on 100k lines of code), my experience is that this adds the requirement of a good monitor and good in this case is big. I'm used to code on a 27" monitor and I had to work on a 15" at some point. My productivity was cut in more than half because being able to view less of the code at once made it harder to get an overview and I spent a lot of time scrolling up and down. It's much easier and faster if you can get the entire function onscreen at once. With the 27" monitor I can easily have multiple files displayed at once, like the file I'm writing in and the header file I'm using functions from. I can't imagine 13" being any good to code on.

[Trickay]

2 hours ago, tymmur said:

Don't stretch 4:3 to 16:9. Instead figure out where the option is to add black bars to the side of the screen. This is not a laptop specific issue, but rather a problem with modern monitors in general.

Funny you say that I've gone that route for Chaos Head, looks much nicer!