5th gen iPod Touch changes all that. I thought I liked iPad better too, but after some time I realized the iPad is just unwieldy and uncomfortable for many types of games, and really only works well with strategy and adventure games. The 5th gen Touch is really great for gaming. It's truly portable, and needless to say it's very comfortable to hold for action games, and the wider screen is fantastic for getting the virtual buttons off to the side more so the game itself is more visible. And since it's as powerful as an iPad 2, it runs all games very well. So I voted iPhone, since that would include the Touch I guess.
The only game I prefer on my iPad is Pinball Arcade as I love the detail in the tables. Other than that I play pretty much everything on my iPhone.
qft I prefer iPad but I use an iPhone. Conversely, some games I feel are better on iPhone where they just don't feel right on an iPad... but that isn't usually the case. I think you need 2 polls, one for preference, one for actual use lol because often as in my case, it can be one and the other.
I wouldnt want a Mini. Its still huge compared to the Touch. 4x the size. Wait a year and the Mini will be updated to retina and a6 cpu. Then it will be worth it. But for a pocketable game device, i still say iphone or Touch are best.