I have an iPad 2 and I can tell you these are big on it:

* Have a device lighter than a laptop.

iPad/Tablet's biggest feature, hands down. You can throw it on your bed, hold it to watch movies, prop it on a stand, watch it and watch TV. it's super lightweight and practical. You can put it in a schoolbag and use it 0 setup required. Only thing, it doesn't fit in your pocket. I wouldn't care though, since you'll probably be carying a bag with you I assume.

* Be able to surf the net on the fly, like watching videos on YouTube, and also get some dynamic scripting stuff.

Very Practical. Much better than 3DS that's for sure, not sure about vita. Small disadvantage compared to netbooks, Youtube opens in its own app, I hate it. I'm not sure if you can disable this, but youtube.com goes to a youtube app on the iPad with a different interface and different search results, some videos are blocked too... Can't multi-tab youtube, and sound is not multi-tasked, so you can't listen to youtube and surf on your browser at the same time (lame as heck). Only sound that's multi-tasked is if youtube is embedded in the webpage (you can play it directly from there), or if you're playing music on the iPad itself. Browser tabs will not cut off sound from another tab. (Safari, Dolphin HD)

Netflix is in heaven on an iPad, a million times better than on the 3DS.

* Looking for basic games to play, maybe stuff more boardgameish.

iPad all the way. 3DS has these games, but the iPad is made for those kinds of games. I played chess on my iPad, much better than the crappy DSiWare chess game I have on my 3DS I'll tell you that much.

* Want to be able to access PDFs of my game rules so I have them when needed.  Prefer it be like notebook in size.

I don't have much experience with this on the iPad, but I think using computer files on your iPad is a hassles, afaik. Viewing PDFs on the cloud shouldn't be a problem though. Good luck doing that with a 3DS.

* Maybe write some code for tablets, so I can implement my games.

iPad, smartphone or tablet needed for this. Emulators can only go so far imho.

* Run some basic apps to be able to do thing to support my game designs.

Not sure how many tools you need and of what nature, but you have a notes tool built in on the iPad. There are probably millions of apps to do word processing, but I have no experience with that personally.

I have a DSi I can use for gaming, and GBA SP for more retro gaming stuff.

Are there games on the PC or on older systems you have yet to play? Until you get more money, there are probably hundreds of great games that your friends on vgchartz can point out to you that you missed out on, and that even you can get some friends to buy to play with you. I would suggest Warcraft III, Worms 1, the Myst series, the Megaman series, Metroid, the 7th Guest, the Final Fantasy series. Try svennoj and archbrix they can probably suggest a ton of games you should play.

Good luck! And when you have the money, then knock yourself out, gen7, early gen 8 consoles will be a lot cheaper in a year or two (esp PS3, Vita and 360).

This is exactly why I posted "I want to build a table, what should I get, some tools or a computer"

Your initial requirements are so obviously pad related (or notebook), that it's hard to even take you seriously.

EDIT: I read your wants again and I'm like, are you fucking serious? Stop trolling.

* Run some basic apps to be able to do thing to support my game designs.
You will probably run into trouble with this on the iPad, but there may be apps for this, however productivity may be affected unless you get a dock and keyboard (30$ online afaik), and then you have to jailbreak your iPad to get a mouse connected to it via bluetooth. Yet another expense. You may want to look into an Android tablet or a good netbook, however those are expensive. Try to find a good android tablet 2nd hand on kijiji (craigslist).That might be your safest bet.

If you are creating games, know C#, and mono based platform like the one used for Android; you should check out the PS Suite Dev Beta. Maybe it would be a good platform, $99 a year for selling apps on it, not sure what profit cuts are or anything.

http://www.playstation.com/pss/developer/openbeta/index_e.html

If you end up buying some tablet, if doing so in a store, make sure to talk to someone who knows the ins and outs of what does what and what you need.

I bought an Ipad. I held off for a long time because I was sceptical that my uses would not warrant a 600 dollar purchase (32gb version)

Well, I have found it very usefull for work (I am logistics officer at the bridage level so I have to track quite a few things) and I use it to read, and as far as gaming goes.... I would not use it to fill real gaming time. Rather, I the games I play are pretty much time filler (Angry Birds, Word games, board games, etc)


So if gaming is your primary purpose I would say go with 3DS, but if you want something that offers a bit if everything get an Ipad. There are a few "core" games like Final Fantasy 4 on the Ipad, but I have yet to burn money on it.

to add. I have had a few beers so any spelling issues.... well you know.

Pretty much this..

This thread would have been a whole lot more constructive if you had just asked "what tablet should I buy?" Then people could actually focus on giving you useful information on which tablet best suits your needs instead of turning this into a pointless gaming handheld vs. tablet thread.

Le sigh...

@superchunk I think you misunderstood my smartphone point, I was saying that mine isnt all that and it could still run those programs perfectly fine, so i can imagine what a superior one does, as for portability, I dont see how having one of those small netbooks is anymore cumbersome than the tablet IMHO. As Happy was suggesting, I am an English major so I use word processing a lot, so a tablet just wouldnt be for me, I hate using touchscreen keypads period, the only thing i see good in tablets is the e-readers and its only a matter of time before smartphones do that too

By the sounds of it you should be getting a tablet for work purposes. Get the gaming device next time you have money to spend.