3DS or PSVita? which one would a guy get?

I have both, and as of lately I have enjoyed the VIta more because of the value of Playstation Plus in that it gives you free games from the get go, but it's hard to recommend the Vita because of the ridiculous memory card prices. However, I'd have to recommend the 3DS because it has backward compatibility with DS games, Nintendo will give it big franchises, and it is more affordable

Personally prefer the 3DS but I'm pretty big on JRPGs and Nintendo's usual offerings.

Vita is a fantastic piece of tech that's killer in every regard but the one that matters most. Vita has a decent enough library to keep you busy for a bit, it's just the future that looks really bleak. Granted I've gotten a large amount of use from playing PS1 and PSP games on the go. Granted the majority of those are also JRPGs.

Bottom line is you gotta love JRPGs or you might feel like either are lacking.

*afterthought, if you're really looking at handhelds for only on the go gaming then I'd just stick to a smartphone. The best handheld games are typically enjoyed best in a distractionless environment.

All great points but by on the go I mean just not at my desk, like even going to another room or lying in bed etc. (guess I should have added those parts)

It's just annoying sometimes to think about sitting at my desk to play my PS3 or PC but I still wanna game so a handheld would be nice. Plus for future trips abroad too

3DS, easily. Get an XL though. I have a regular one and it cramps my hands when I play for a long time without a circle pad pro

Ah gotcha, I'm the same way. My handhelds rarely leave my room (I have both) as their best games tend to be enjoyed in isolation. I can't imagine playing something that requires concentration like VLR. It'd be like trying to read a book in public, some people can do it but it's just not ideal.

3DS is kind of the universal safe bet but there's a chance that the Vita might just rub you the right way.

That is so disrespectful to pretentious people. Blab is easy as **** to entertain. Just make something with the narrative depth of blues clues, and the gameplay interaction of a DVD menu and he's set.

@jg4xchamp:

Rofl. I love 999 and VLR, but that was absolutely hilarious. Bravo.

3ds if you want many games.

Vita if you want strong hardware with only a couple of good games.

Absolutely 3ds...

Mario rpgs/kart/platformers, Zelda, Pokemon, Professor Layton, Fire Emblem, Ace Attorney, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Star Fox, Professor Layton, Kid Icarus, Luigi's Mansion, etc.

Yea but what else are you gonna do when your alternative is watching the Lions play?

3DS XL, plenty of great games to play for it now, plus there's the entire library of compatible DS games

so far I've enjoyed Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Star Fox 64 3D, Super Mario 3D Land, Fire Emblem Awakening, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked, SMT: Soul Hackers, Shin Megami Tensei 4, Project X Zone, and I'm in the middle of Etrian Odyssey IV, and I still got many games I've yet to play like Etrian Odyssey Untold, A Link Between Worlds, Rune Factory 4, Mario Kart, RE Revelations, maybe I might even try Snake Eater 3D, plus I'm sure there's plenty else I haven't discovered that's worth trying

I'd rather have a 3DS.

Nintendo's offerings are the best fit at filling in the tiny gaps in the PC gaming library. Good 3D platformer, good adventure game, good Japanese RPGs, and some fun/simplistic strategy games (wish Advance Wars would make its way to 3DS)

I'd love to have one, but I just can't really afford to game on it. PC has spoiled me in that regard.

Watch the train wreck that is the Houston Texans

If i didnt have a Vita and 3DS already, had $200 and saw both systems infront of me i would get the Vita right away and some reasons as to why i personally would chose a Vita over the 3DS:

• The Vita is a far more advanced system than the 3DS, everything about it works smoothly and perfectly from cross game chat, party chat, ingame music, multitasking, actual online usernames ( not some sh*tty numbers like on the 3DS ), amazing messaging system and group messaging system, graphics comparable to consoles, trophies, etc.
• It has a lot of amazing apps like Netflix, Crunchyrol ( soon ), YouTube, FaceBook ( ingame screen shots and sharing them to facebook right away from the vita is amazing ), email app ( no phone next to you? the vita is there! ), alarm clock, Radio, GPS, etc
• Remote Play.. Simply amazing feature is the ability to play any PS4 game on that little baby not to mention PS3 too.
• Actually interesting games.. you got amazing games from RPGs ( YS, Persona ) to shooters ( killzone ) to platformers ( ratchet and clank, dragons crown, tearaway ) and many more!.. personally other than pokemons there is nothing i'd want to play on the 3DS ( maybe baverly too )
• PlayStation store>> 3DS store.
• Vita screen>>> 3DS screen.
• lol at the 3D sh*t

Those are some of the reasons why( if i didnt own both systems already ) i'd go for a Vita instead of a 3DS.

He is a PC gamer, he loves this sort of stuff.

HAH!

Now remove the fanboy bias from that and write it again

I'd be a dick if I told you to buy a dead platform, which one I think is better isn't very relevant. Keep in mind 3DS plays every DS game, the Vita has a very scattered BC method with PSP/PS1. And them fucking memory card prices. PS+ is so damn good though it virtually cancels out the negatives. But anyway that first sentence again.

PS+ does sweeten the deal a little but it's hard to deny all the DS AND 3DS library. Especially some of the games that have come out for both.

Some good food for thought in this thread though

Because I can :D

Never played a zelda?

Get the zelda 3ds xl bundle asap

I will fucking hunt you all down, I swear

If you want a 3ds, get a 2ds. It's much more comfortable and ergonomic, and cheaper. Without the useless gimmick!

"not a single original Vita game has anything to offer that rivals what that 3ds gives you" LMAO fanboyism at its finest. there are plenty of great vita games, and Vita actually has a broad range of games you can play. Pokemon X & Y is extremely casual and kiddy. Resident Evil Revelations is available on consoles now, but even then the controls were clunky. Ace Attorney is wall of text. Kid Icarus has pain in the ass controls and can make you dizzy. Super Mario 3d Land is a nice platformer, but nothing exceptional for the series. Ocarina of Time is a remaster of a game that many people have played a hundred times over. A Link Between Worlds was uber easy. Recon Shadow Wars I'm surprised people even remembered this game. Fire Emblem is indeed pretty good but the category is very niche.

With Vita games you get a nice exclusive library along with strong indie support and you also get the benefit of being able to play psp, ps1 and now even some ps2 games that are being remastered. Just look at the metacritic for both systems and you will see for yourself.

** You also get cross play and ps4 functionality.

*** Btw, I own both systems and have played the games he mentioned so I'm not talking out of my ass. Also, I don't need metacritic to tell me if a game is good or not. I just mentioned metacritic to show you the list of games.

3DS has an amazing line up of games to play.

Vita has Persona 4 Golden.

I have both, and never play my 3DS while the Vita gets regular use. Just last night I was using the remote play feature to continue my PS4 game of AC4 while dropping a deuce. The future is now! Also, Mercenaries has significantly better gameplay than Shadow Fall.

I'v heard nothing but praise for Tearaway

Plus the MGS HD collection, what's it like on Vita?

MGS HD is pretty damn amazing on Vita. MGS2 fits wonderfully on the Vita as a handheld game.

The 3DS is one of the best gaming purchases I've made in a long time. The 3DS itself has a lot of good games, and the DS is even better. Onto Zelda, I have only played Ocarina of Time 3D, A Link Between Worlds, and some of Oracle of Seasons. Both of the 3DS titles are quality experiences and hold up very well without the name alone. Here are some of the quality games:

DS:

-Phoenix Wright Trilogy

-Castlevania Trilogy

-Infinite Space

-Radiant Historia

-The World Ends With You

-999

3DS:

-Ocarina of Time 3D

-A Link Between Worlds

-Tales of the Abyss

- Virtue's Last Reward

-Fire Emblem: Awakening

-Devil Survivor: Overclocked

-Luigi's Mansion 2

3ds and its not even close the vita makes the wii u line up look good

It was one of the things swaying me towards the Vita a bit more. MGS3 being like my 3rd favourite game ever made too

Still unsure but a lot of the stuff in this thread has helped my understanding of both platforms

It depends on how you look at it really, with the 3DS you have a host of high acclaimed games, with the Vita, you have the integrated console experience with the ps+. I cannot say for sure which you should buy as i have not used the 3DS for more than 24hrs but the Vita was a good deal for me

They work straight through it.

I'd personally say 3DS due to the large cataloged of games it has

But the Vita is slowly building an incredible library and you virtually get every big release for free

Vita is also becoming an awesome portable indie machine.

a guy would get a Vita. a boy would get a 3ds,

What I might do is go for 3DS now and then get a Vita later on when it has a stronger library and by then I might have a PS4 to couple with it for remote play to get further use out of it.

I like the look of the Vita immensely, it's a very snazzy shiny little gadget and I'm a sucker for those :P

A gamer would get the one with the best games and wouldn't be so dumb

Just throwing my opinion in on this, I don't like the DS BC on 3DS because of the annoying pixelation and the ever present black bars. You don't mind those on a device, do you?

To be fair, 3DS has MGS3 too :P

Eh not really. I mean when doing BC it's never a perfect experience usually anyway. There's always some sort of degredation

More importantly, the backwards compatibility is not as much of an issue on the 3DS XL (which is the model you are planning on getting, I think)

Yeah the XL one. Don't see a reason to get the smaller one, screens small enough as is

Is it important to you that the games are new? Or are you happy playing older ones in addition to new ones?

If it is the former I think the 3DS is a good idea, if it is the latter though...things get interesting.

Both Nintendo and Sony have strong line-ups, but I'd say at this point in time the Playstation eco-system (which includes PS1/P games) is stronger overall than the games Nintendo has on their service. Sony's service also has a centralised account system and if you are PS+ subscriber you get further value from being invested in the Playstation eco-system (this value of PS+ also increases further if you also own a PS3/4).

The other question you have to ask yourself is which of the current games in the BC catalogue are more to your tastes. It doesn't sound like you are familiar with some big Nintendo franchises so without knowing if those kinds of games are a fit for you it is hard to recommend them to you based on their quality alone.

It might not hurt to play around with a DS/GBA and get into some of the older entries in the franchises you are on the fence about. It would give you a pretty good idea of whether the games are for you or not.

But like I said, if the wider eco-system is not a central concern to you, and you don't mind primarily playing Japanese developed games, then you might as well consider the 3DS.

As am I. The only issue is if you want OLED screen. I'm not sure how long original vitas would be around in stock or available. Otherwise the re-design is looking great.

But at the end of the day either choice is really a good one. The 3DS has a really expansive great library. The Vita has some awesome features as you mentioned. It's a win win for you at the end of the day.

As a Vita owner I'll advise you to take the 3ds. It's got waaaay more games, the Vita barely has any.

Avoid Kid Iccarus, There are much better games.

What Jon said. Kid Icarus will make you hate handhelds.

Black 3DS XL, it's for men everywhere.