Reasons Why Vita is a better Handheld than 3DS.

The 3DS is a great device, no joke. Etrian Odyssey, Monster Hunter, Kingdom Hearts, Pokemon, etc. It's great.

BUT The Vita, is the Better Handheld.

Why? Here's 10 reasons.

1. Digital PSP backwards compatibility. 3DS has Backwards Compatibility too, only through Physical. The Digital Store for the 3DS does not offer old DS games, The Vita however does, so you too can enjoy great games like Persona 3 Portable, God of War Ghost of Sparta, and Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker without ever going to buy a PSP. Though the downside is that it's digital only on Vita.
2. USB Charging. This is probably the most useful thing Sony has put on this device. Seriously, the AC Adapter needs to go away, The USB easy and can plug in most places, TVs have USB ports, Cars, USB ports, Your PC has USB Ports, it's great! and makes charging the PSVita all the more better.
3. Seemless Multitasking. You can play Music, Take Video or Photo, Browse the Web, check your friendlist, check your trophies, or shop on the Playstation Store, without ever turning off your game. You can barely open Miiverse on the 3DS without turning off your games.
4. Screenshots. You can take Screenshots of PSVita games as easy as you can take Screenshots on Android or iPhone. 3DS you have to hope there's a Miiverse compatible community to take a screenshot of a game.
5. Watching Videos. Only way to watch Videos on 3DS is if you have the correct applications, like Netflix or Youtube. Vita has those applications too, but you can also Watch Videos you download from the PSstore or what you put on there from your computer. It's pretty sweet.
6. Panoramic Photos. 3DS has 3D Photos? Vita has Panoramic Photos, which are cooler and don't require special hardware to see.
7. Party Chat. You can Party Chat on the PSvita. I haven't done it, but seeing as there's an application for it, it's leagues better than 3DS's option....oh wait.
8. Remote Play! PSVita can act as a controller on the PS3 and PS4. It's crap on the PS3, but I hear it's pretty awesome on the PS4. You can't do that on 3DS.
9. Sound is louder and clearer. With the 3DS it's pretty hard to hear your game unless you wear Headphones or you're in a nice quiet area. Vita? Headphones are nice, but unneeded to hear your game, in fact you may find yourself turning DOWN your sound in public.
10. Customizable Interface. Now this has to be the most obvious. I mean just look at my picture The Icons are customizable, but the Background of my Vita, I downloaded that through the Vita's Web Browser and set it accordingly. You can't do that on the 3DS, no matter how hard you will try.

But what about the games?

I think that's a matter of opinion. I could list out all the great Vita games, but some of you might not like the games. Same with 3DS. So These were 10 reasons why the Vita is better than the 3DS without mentioning Vita games.

Do you need more convincing? Please tell me why the 3DS is a better piece of hardware than the Vita.

Finally a good thread in this forum. Vita rocks.

Vita is a better device, no doubt, but 3DS has the better library, and in the end, that is what matters.

That's actually pretty informative. So far, I've ignored the Vita simply because I have no need for a second handheld, but it does seem to be a very underrated console.

I'd probably buy it in a heartbeat if it had anything like Valkyria Chronicles.

Nothing directly gaming-related.

And we now know why it failed so miserably.

Some things I want to point out:

• The 3DS also has USB charging.
• Limiting backwards compatibility to exclusively digital over a universal backwards compatibility standard like the 3DS is not a good thing man, what the heck.
• Customizable interfaces are (finally!) coming to the 3DS this month (although I do agree that this is an area the Vita shines in)

Listing games might have made a difference.

I will admit 3ds libary is much larger. Though to be honest I find myself playing vita much more then my 3ds.The next game im waiting for my 3ds is Persona Q.

how many of those 10 things has actually do with gaming?

@finalfantasy94: much larger? That's a negative. Unless you are talking about Mario games, yes in usual Nintendo fashion there's a million of those.

dumbest thing I've ever read on this forum.

what is the size of each library?

It comes down to the library, where I find the Vita has regularly outdone the 3DS in numerous genres. It also has better games, period. That's more because the 3DS has one of the worst libraries I've ever seen on any system ever.

3DS is a better handheld device because it has more great and exclusive games. That's the exact same thing PC gamers say about PC over consoles. They're not wrong.

The Vita is definitely a far better device than the 3DS, but the 3DS has better games, which is what matters most, so the 3DS is better.

If only we could combine the Vita's hardware with the 3DS' game library, it would be the perfect handheld.

1. I'd rather it be like 3DS with physical BC. Dont see why they knock it down on 3DS.

2. This is only on the Slim, isn't it? So, not all Vitas.

3. Agreed, that's a great Vita feature.

4. Cool, but not necessary. Still a +1 I guess.

5. Indeed, a good feature.

6. Ehh.. both cameras are absolutely awful.

7. One of the Vita's best features over the 3DS.

8. Eh, cool for those who get it to work.

9. Good point.

10. Not a huge feature or essential, but still a +1.

I mean, yeah it could be argued it's better but some of those reasons are not really important. The most crucial aspect should always be the library. Theres no denying that the Vita has better hardware though.

This might just be one of the dumbest things I have read on this forum, and that is actually an achievement.

Never mind, I take it back, this is even worse. Holy fucking hyperbole.

Personal preference is personal preference, and you are entitled to your opinion, but unfortunately, again, the market has spoken, the 3DS has the better library by a long shot.

The Vita library is in fact bigger than the 3DS library, thanks to the bevy of indie game ports that it gets.

@charizard1605: go ahead and do a list of vita games minus Indies and see who has mostmost. Like indies don't matter Mr velocity 2x

@charizard1605: Lol sorry, besides the GameCube and N64

@LegatoSkyheart: TC don't forget you can also play ps1 classics on vita. Got mega man x4 today and it is sweet

@SolidGame_basic: Did I say indies don't matter? What point are you exactly trying to argue with me? One I never made? Okay?

The 3DS has the best lineup of any current-gen platform besides the PC, and I acknowledge this even though I hate handheld gaming. The Vita has the worst.

@princeofshapeir: Do you have a 3DS?

Any platform that's first to get Smash Bros. is immediately the best platform of the gen

@princeofshapeir: So yes or no?

@SolidGame_basic: unless those classics are crash bandicoot or spyro. And you'll need another system if you want to play mgs1

@Blabadon: No.

@princeofshapeir: Alright, nice to know the credibility behind your statements in this thread. Carry on.

@princeofshapeir: I disagree, I'd take the Vita library over the Xbox One's anyday.

I also don't think the 3DS library is anywhere near as robust as people claim. An interesting fact is that the Vita actually has more AA+ games in its library than the 3DS does on metacritic. Now, the 3DS has more AAA titles and more exclusives, so it's understandable why most people including myself would prefer its library to the Vita's. But the low quality of the Vita's library is greatly exaggerated.

@LegatoSkyheart said:

1. Digital PSP backwards compatibility. 3DS has Backwards Compatibility too, only through Physical. The Digital Store for the 3DS does not offer old DS games, The Vita however does, so you too can enjoy great games like Persona 3 Portable, God of War Ghost of Sparta, and Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker without ever going to buy a PSP. Though the downside is that it's digital only on Vita.
2. USB Charging. This is probably the most useful thing Sony has put on this device. Seriously, the AC Adapter needs to go away, The USB easy and can plug in most places, TVs have USB ports, Cars, USB ports, Your PC has USB Ports, it's great! and makes charging the PSVita all the more better.
3. Seemless Multitasking. You can play Music, Take Video or Photo, Browse the Web, check your friendlist, check your trophies, or shop on the Playstation Store, without ever turning off your game. You can barely open Miiverse on the 3DS without turning off your games.
4. Screenshots. You can take Screenshots of PSVita games as easy as you can take Screenshots on Android or iPhone. 3DS you have to hope there's a Miiverse compatible community to take a screenshot of a game.
5. Watching Videos. Only way to watch Videos on 3DS is if you have the correct applications, like Netflix or Youtube. Vita has those applications too, but you can also Watch Videos you download from the PSstore or what you put on there from your computer. It's pretty sweet.
6. Panoramic Photos. 3DS has 3D Photos? Vita has Panoramic Photos, which are cooler and don't require special hardware to see.
7. Party Chat. You can Party Chat on the PSvita. I haven't done it, but seeing as there's an application for it, it's leagues better than 3DS's option....oh wait.
8. Remote Play! PSVita can act as a controller on the PS3 and PS4. It's crap on the PS3, but I hear it's pretty awesome on the PS4. You can't do that on 3DS.
9. Sound is louder and clearer. With the 3DS it's pretty hard to hear your game unless you wear Headphones or you're in a nice quiet area. Vita? Headphones are nice, but unneeded to hear your game, in fact you may find yourself turning DOWN your sound in public.
10. Customizable Interface. Now this has to be the most obvious. I mean just look at my picture The Icons are customizable, but the Background of my Vita, I downloaded that through the Vita's Web Browser and set it accordingly. You can't do that on the 3DS, no matter how hard you will try.

But what about the games?

1. Great feature, yes, but where does that leave people with large psp umd libraries? Can you register a physical copy and get access to a digital one? Also, while this is a great feature it also accentuates the high memory card prices. How big are psp games? I really have no idea, but I do know that psx games are generally around 300 to 600 megs. So let's say one uses this feature, does that mean that psVita digital download suffers? Or is the user supposed to buy multiple memory cards, or worse consistently swapping in and out digital games thus sort of negating the one benefit digital download offers?

2. USB Charging? I don't get it. AC adaptor has always been faster from my experience. I guess it is a bonus? I thought Vita had proprietary everything, no?

3. Seemless multitasking? You can play music but do people realistically use the vita as a music player? Video player? Im guessing here but id bet that the majority of vita owners also have smart phones that do all of that stuff better. Half assing it doesn't make sense. Sony should have added phone functionality with an option for a blutooth headset--now that would have been a selling point. Also the Vita camera is awful. There's no, "well it is better than 3ds" either. They are both lousy.

-You can watch downloaded videos on vita? That usb for charging, does that also support external hard drive or something?

............

The only thing I'll agree on is the audio. Sony almost always steps it up here. I'm not sure what DAC is in there but I remember psp having a decent one given the price.

.............

All in all most of what you mention are the reasons the Vita is failing. It is an unfocused device. All these things it does half assed when all you really want are good games.

@Blabadon: Why do I need to own the platform?

ah the new system honeymoon period.

once you come back to reality when theres no games to play and see that nintendo is your father you will see the light.

I guess you're right, and maybe I was a bit too harsh. The PS4 and XB1 have very sparse exclusive lineups at the moment, so it's not entirely accurate to say the Vita's is worse. Still, the only Vita exclusive that seems interesting to me (and the only AAA Vita exclusive according to MC) is Persona 4 Golden, and that's an expanded re-release of a PS2 game.

And take into account the Vita's future lineup vs. the 3DS's. Smash Bros. releases in less than a month on 3DS, and that's going to be huge. What else is coming out for the Vita this year?

It's not about the low quality of the Vita's library, the Vita has a fairly good library once you bit into the device, the point is there is no reason to buy a Vita, since it has very few defining games of its own.

Vita may have more AA games, but almost every last one of them can be played on other devices, and can be played better. The Vita, like any platform, lives or dies by the quality of its exclusives, and the Vita is shockingly lacking in those, and the 3DS is not, and that is why the 3DS wins out.

Does it have any actual games though?

1) agreed. PSP has awesome games.

2) agreed, and why I think the slim vita is better than the vita 1000. Granted you can get a USB charger for 3DS but its nice to have it out of the box and besides, it is easier/cheaper to replace a standard micro USB cable than a specialized 3DS-USB cable. I got a 3DS car charger just for the USB cable but it looks like I will dispose of the car charger itself.

8-10) no comment

other reasons Vita is better IMO:

- no clamshell (although maybe this doesn't count since there is 2DS, which seems nice)

- better for downloading games. 3DS games sit at full price indefinitely

- Sony remembered to put dpad in the correct place. (lined up with buttons. no exceptions. Wii and WiiU got it right.)

end of the day if the 3ds has nothing he wants to play it doesint matter. its person by person situation. Just cause 3ds does have a higher game score doesint mean everyone is going to pick it and love it.

I do say, a digital library that included DS games would be a big hit with me. I thought I heard Nintendo wanted all 3DS games to be on eShop, they should try though to bring the library of DS games to the eShop as well. Though, it is nice the 3DS is compatible with the DS games. Still, the 3DS should have the entire library of DS games on the eShop, for like $10 tops for each game, that'd be dope.

Anyhow, Vita only has one thing I want to play, and that's Persona 4: The Golden, and I really want to play it, but I don't wanna get a Vita just for that, not while I can stay content just playing the PS2 version.

One thing I think Sony could do in order to promote the Vita would be to bring Vita TV functionality to the PS4, so gamers can gather a Vita collection on PS4, then once they acquire a library consider the benefits of getting the portable system.

I love my Vita and I think it is the better handheld, but it doesn't have the exclusives like the 3DS has like Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds.

How Long is a china man

Vita library sucks 95% of it's games I can buy on systems I already own and the other 5% aren't even that great, Personally even though I got it cheap the vita has been one of my worst gaming purchases in the last decade.

@charizard1605: Personally, I think anyone who is subscribed to PS Plus for PS4 for online play is losing out on a TON of great, essentially free games if they don't simultaneously own a Vita and PS3. Not owning those systems greatly reduces the value of PS Plus. I'm personally rather frugal when it comes to purchasing games so my Vita library is much bigger than my 3DS's as a result of "free" games (even though I've owned a 3DS since 2011) . Now I know people say PS Plus games are not actually free but are paid rentals, but every subscriber gets 2 free vita games every month, usually good ones, but if they own no hardware to play them it just goes to waste. It's an interesting incentive system that Nintendo does not have. So for me personally the incentive system was there regardless of whether or not the games were exclusives. But to each their own, of course.

Only 1 of the 10 things you mention even mentions games. ( The only reason you buy a gaming device) Physical BC is better than digital BC imo. I can never lose my collection, unless I **** up. Besides, the DS is the 2nd best selling system of all time. Its easy and dirt cheap to buy for.

I can't believe some cows are still trying to defend something that Sony already forgot about. They just didn't forget about it, they screwed their owners by making it into a Wii U bastard step kid.

TC is just trying to appease the cows with this post so when his next post is praising nintendo they go easy on him because he is teh manticore.

Here's one: Region-freedom. If you're an importer, travelling abroad, or live in a place where local game prices are ridiculously high for whatever reason, you'll probably love it.

This is actually a great reason, right here.