When comparing PlayStation Vita vs New Nintendo 3DS, the Slant community recommends PlayStation Vita for most people. In the question“What are the best portable game consoles?” PlayStation Vita is ranked 2nd while New Nintendo 3DS is ranked 4th.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Two sticks
Pro Succeeds as a niche indie game device
There are few dedicated handheld gaming systems out there with the 3DS being the main competition to the Vita. What is nice that neither has much overlap on their content making for a good device to own even if you own a 3DS due to the library consisting of many great indie games not to be found on a Nintendo handheld.
Pro Best screen resolution
Pro Like a portable PS3
Pro Customize look with interchangeable faceplates
The New Nntendo 3DS (not the XL) is the only 3DS with support for interchangeable faceplates. This allows one to purchase new plates to customize the look of their device to their liking.
Pro Improved glasses-free 3D
The New 3DS has an improvement over the regular 3DS model when it comes to the 3D, there is now an infrared sensor that allows for eye tracking, which keeps the 3D focused, even when the device moves. The older model had trouble with the 3D focusing when moving the device around, that is now fixed for the most part.
Pro Has microSD support
Users can use their own micro SD cards for expanded storage with support for up to 32GB cards (though there are users using 64GB or 128GB cards).
Pro Has built-in NFC
This means Amiibo and Amiibo card support for scanning in figures and cards with a tap to then use as addons in certain games. Previous models did not have this function.
Cons
Con Console is Dead
Sony is not trying to improve PS Vita.
Con Rear touchpad has too many accidental clicks
While not all the games for the Vita use the rear touchpad, those that do have issue with imprecise input and random touches. This can complicate games that rely on the virtual button presses as a tap may be altogether missed or accidentally done when not wanted, thus messing up ones play session.
Con Lack of AAA games
Sony, since the release of the Vita has published or produced very few AA games for the Vita, with most newer releases coming from third parties and mainly indie developers. For what is supposed to be a premium handheld Sony's announcement of no AA games to come is very concerning as to what the lifespan of this device will be,
Con Screen is smaller than the XL
Con Poor battery life
The battery life is not really improved over the previous models and will last between 3.5-6 hours, which is not really that long for a handheld.
Con No charger included
In order to keep the price down on the unit Nintendo has chosen to not include a charger with the device, meaning that if you do not have one already or purchase one you will not be able to use the device past the half charge that it has out of the box.
Con Low resolution screen
Technically the resolution of the main screen is 800 x 240, but each eye gets half that making it functionally 400 x 240. A 1080p screen has more than 10 times the pixels.
Con Only available a white themed bundles in the US
So far the only model available in the US is the white one and it can only be purchased as an Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer bundle or the Pokémon 20th Anniversary Bundle. This raises the price of the unit as each bundle comes with a game.