Need Help!: PS Vita or 3DS XL

So, it's my 16th birthday today and I'm going to the party later. Nobody gives me presents, just money. For a while now i've wanted a handheld console, to take to school, on holidays, journeys etc. While the PS Vita has games i'm quite interested in, and ones that have been highly praised, such as Persona 4: Golden, Gravity Rush etc. The 3DS has franchises like Mario, Zelda, Kingdom Hearts. My question is, what do I buy?

EDIT: Also, Pokémon.

@Dacnomaniac said:

The 3DS has franchises like Mario, Zelda, Kingdom Hearts.

This was the problem with DS. (and Nintendo consoles in general) People will buy into the tantalizing franchises only to later realize that none of the games are good (DS) or find themselves wishing they got the competing console. (Wii) Not to mention that "Zelda" in this case is a port. Of a title that didn't have replay value to begin with.

It's the way you worded your post which leans me toward suggesting a Vita.

edit: more excellent overanalysis:

"ones that have been highly praised" suggests you're not personally excited for certain Vita games whereas "games I'm quited interested in" means you're quite interested in those particular games. "The 3DS has franchises like" doesn't say anything one way or another how you feel about those particular franchises. (maybe you assumed it was obvious that you like them, or maybe you assumed it was obvious that you should like them)

Well.. It depends on how much money you'll want to spend, really. I would personally go for the Vita as the design of the system seems more durable to me. Doesn't have a hinge on it which could get damaged from dropping it or whatever. Then again the 3DS does have better games at this point imo. So it comes down to which system you think you'd enjoy the most.

Those Vita memory cards are also ridiculously expensive and the 3DS comes with a 4gb SD card if you're getting the XL. SD cards are also much cheaper than those proprietary cards the Vita uses.

The thing is. I don't really know that many good games for the vita at this point. But, on the other other hand I can only name franchises on the 3DS. (unless Prof. Layton counts)

If you want a Vita you should wait until it gets a price drop. There'es only two games I'd like to play on it right now and I don't want to buy a ~$300 system for that. If you wait, it'll probably both have more games and a lower price.

Sounds like you'd be happy with either, though for over all value I'd suggest a Vita with with a year of PlayStation Plus. More expensive up front, but you'll get new games every month (right now including Gravity Rush).

@BlackLagoon: Seeing as I don't have any steady income at the minute. Plus, I need a lot of money just to get started with the vita. I'm now leaning towards the 3DS XL, simply because it's more of an out of the box system...unless someone thinks i'm being stupid about this.

@Dacnomaniac: A year subscription costs about the same as a single new game, and then you start out with a bunch of games out of the box (currently Gravity Rush, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Mortal Kombat, Knytt Underground, Big Sky Infinity), and will be getting 2 or more new ones each month. With uncertain income, I'd think that's a far better deal than having to wait until you can afford a new game for the 3DS.

@BlackLagoon: OP, listen to BlackLagoon. He knows what he's talking bout.. I completely forgot about PS Plus. If you're strapped for cash it seems like a good deal.

Edit: God dammit I sent the reply to the wrong person lol.

Unless you really like Persona, I wouldn't get the Vita. Don't get me wrong, P4G is awesome, but.... I'll be honest, it's the only game I've really liked on the Vita. I've played Uncharted Golden Abyss. I've played Lumines Electronic Symphony. I've played that Katamari Downloadable Game. I've played Gravity Rush. I've played Unit 13.

The only games I've liked have been PS1 ports, PS2 remakes and Persona 4, a game that MOSTLY came out on the PS2.

Don't get me wrong, the Vita is a SUPER nice piece of hardware. It's really stylish, responsive, has got great controls...but not that many good games.

This is the hardest decision i've ever had in my life. EVER. Looks like it's the Vita then. I'd get the 3DS, but the only games i'd play are probably; Pokémon, Prof. Layton, Zelda (never played it before), and Kingdom Hearts... that's it. Vita it is then! Thanks guys!

EDIT: I can always pick up a 3DS XL later in the year, it will probably be quite a lot cheaper by then.

@Korolev: With my PS2, and PS1 I mostly only played 1 or 2 games. So I really don't mind about the ports.

@Dacnomaniac said:

This is the hardest decision i've ever had in my life. EVER. Looks like it's the Vita then. I'd get the 3DS, but the only games i'd play are probably; Pokémon, Prof. Layton, Zelda (never played it before), and Kingdom Hearts... that's it. Vita it is then! Thanks guys!

EDIT: I can always pick up a 3DS XL later in the year, it will probably be quite a lot cheaper by then.

Other way around. The Vita is getting a price drop in 2013, not the 3DS.

Pop quiz:

List 2 games you want coming out on the Vita this year. I'll wait...........

Don't forget the massive DS backlog you can play on the 3DS (ex: 999)

@ManMadeGod: Why must you make my life harder!? Damn it. Looks like I'll get the 3DS first then...

@ManMadeGod said:

Other way around. The Vita is getting a price drop in 2013, not the 3DS.

Uh, no price drop has been announced for the Vita, Sony's just said their focus for now is providing better value through bundles. It could still happen, but then, the same could be said for the 3DS.

@Dacnomaniac said:

So, it's my 16th birthday today and I'm going to the party later. Nobody gives me presents, just money. For a while now i've wanted a handheld console, to take to school, on holidays, journeys etc. While the PS Vita has games i'm quite interested in, and ones that have been highly praised, such as Persona 4: Golden, Gravity Rush etc. The 3DS has franchises like Mario, Zelda, Kingdom Hearts. My question is, what do I buy?

EDIT: Also, Pokémon.

Find your local newspaper vendor and look for what is referred to as the "back page ads". Find "escorts". Enjoy your sixteenth birthday.

That said, I guess I'd probably go with a 3DS. I haven't bought that or the Vita yet, but the 3DS has some neat little RPGs on it and I'm looking forward to Etrian Odyssey IV on it. I've found far less that I'd want to play on the Vita. It feels like a barren wasteland. Even more-so than the 3DS (when you consider how much longer it has been out). Really, though, maybe put it in a savings account and put it toward a next generation console for the end of the year?

@Dacnomaniac said:

This is the hardest decision i've ever had in my life. EVER.

God damn, I wish I were sixteen, again.

Make a personal list for the games you really want for both handhelds. Handheld with the most games you want wins.

Why must it be so complicated?

I bought a 3DS XL last week and have been thoroughly enjoying it. I bought the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, a game that I played many, many times as a kid on the Nintendo 64 and it holds up incredibly well even today. I'd say that since you haven't played any Zelda game before, that'll be $40 well spent. When you're done with that, you have Super Mario 3D Land, Pushmo/Crashmo, Professor Layton, Mario Kart 7 and plenty of virtual console releases to tide you over. Sure, the capabilities of the system are limited compared to the PS Vita but who cares if you don't have software to make good use of the system? Just my two cents on the matter.

@BlackLagoon said:

@ManMadeGod said:

Other way around. The Vita is getting a price drop in 2013, not the 3DS.

Uh, no price drop has been announced for the Vita, Sony's just said their focus for now is providing better value through bundles. It could still happen, but then, the same could be said for the 3DS.

Sometimes this industry is very predictable. Vita sales are pathetic: Kaz Hirai just came out this week and said sales were "on the low end of our expectations". They have to cut the price to move units or the system is dead. It has ZERO software support in 2013 and third parties aren't going to support it unless the sales pick up. 3DS this year has pokemon, animal cross, fire emblem, Luigi's mansion, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney (assuming it gets localized), plus GBA games hitting the eShop.

But hey, at least the sequel to corpse party is coming out on PSN this week for all you lucky Vita owners. O wait, I can totally play it on my PSP too. Nevermind

Fire Emblem 3DS bundle?

Really depends on what you want to play like others have said. Though if you already have a PS3, PS+ is such a good deal then you might go Vita. Also, Wake Up Club.

Also if you can hold off a bit longer, you're likely to get better bundle deals.

I fully recommend a Vita. There are some great games (just join the rest of us in the wait for more). And then on top of that you have a huge back catalogue of classic PS1 / PS2 / PSP games which you can pick up for very small prices. The Vita is a great piece of kit - just here's hoping 2013 offers it some more support.

Also as a side note - Happy 16th Birthday duder! :D

@ManMadeGod said:

Sometimes this industry is very predictable. Vita sales are pathetic: Kaz Hirai just came out this week and said sales were "on the low end of our expectations". They have to cut the price to move units or the system is dead. It has ZERO software support in 2013 and third parties aren't going to support it unless the sales pick up.

...and regardless of how certain you are, your opinion is not fact and your statement was false and clearly mislead the OP. Same goes for upcoming games (Killzone, Teraway, Soul Sacrifice, Dead or Alive 5, tons of indie/downloadable titles) for the Vita, you shouldn't pass off your own ignorance as fact.

ps vita off course ;)

@FluxWaveZ: ...Good point. Ok let's see...

3DS

• Zelda
• Pókemon Black 2, and Pokemon Y
• Prof. Layton series
• Kingdom Hearts 3D
• Fire Emblem
• Adventure Time
• Animal Crossing
• Kid Icarus
• Mario 3D, and Mario Bros.

Vita

• Persona 4: Golden
• PS2 Ports
• PS1 Ports

Welp, I think the Vita can wait

@BlackLagoon said:

@ManMadeGod said:

Sometimes this industry is very predictable. Vita sales are pathetic: Kaz Hirai just came out this week and said sales were "on the low end of our expectations". They have to cut the price to move units or the system is dead. It has ZERO software support in 2013 and third parties aren't going to support it unless the sales pick up.

...and regardless of how certain you are, your opinion is not fact and your statement was false and clearly mislead the OP. Same goes for upcoming games (Killzone, Teraway, Soul Sacrifice, Dead or Alive 5, tons of indie/downloadable titles) for the Vita, you shouldn't pass off your own ignorance as fact.

Yikes.

Vast majority of those titles have no release date. There is no way to confirm they are coming out in 2013: your opinion is not fact, stop misleading people.

See, we can both play that game.

You're right, I don't have 100% proof that the Vita is going to see a price drop this year. But my lord, it's going to happen or the system is in trouble. Soul Sacrifice is not going to move units. Killzone is not going to move units. There's no monster hunter in Japan. Sue me, but it's true.

Listen, I love video games just as much as anyone else on this site. But there is no way you can honestly recommend the Vita over the 3DS to someone that wants a portable game device. I would LOVE to buy a Vita myself, but there's just not enough software out right now. Plus the OP doesn't have a DS: think of that backlog.

@ManMadeGod said:

Listen, I love video games just as much as anyone else on this site. But there is no way you can honestly recommend the Vita over the 3DS to someone that wants a portable game device. I would LOVE to buy a Vita myself, but there's just not enough software out right now. Plus the OP doesn't have a DS: think of that backlog.

There's more software for the Vita that I want than the 3DS. It's all relative and even though the OP would obviously prefer the 3DS, the same doesn't go for everyone.

Like a lot of people said, Vita and a PS+ subscription is a really good deal. You can buy a 3-month subscription for $20 and you'll get a bunch of pretty good games if you're not too picky! It's a pretty solid console, just not a lot of worthwhile exclusive games yet.

If you must get one now, the 3DS. It seems to have a brighter future at the moment.

However, I think that Sony can still save the Vita and make it more than just a machine to play Persona 4, PSP, and PS1 games on. To be honest, if the price drops radically and I get one, those three things combined would make it worth it to me. Right now, though, I'll bide my time and see if Sony actually manages to do anything with it or if they just let it fail.

@believer258: I'm pretty much in the same boat. So for now i'll get a 3DS and get the Vita when there's a decent bundle.

I have to admit that PS Plus makes the Vita a much interesting proposition than it would be without it. Getting free games, even if they are mediocre at best (Uncharted GA...) is always good. Then again, the only game I feel I need to play on PS Vita is P4G and I'll probably end up playing Persona 4 on PCSX2.

@ManMadeGod said:

Vast majority of those titles have no release date. There is no way to confirm they are coming out in 2013: your opinion is not fact, stop misleading people.

In that case the Vita has software support announced well into 2014! What other console can make such a claim? :P

3DS it has real software support behind it. Don't the believe lies. Vita is dead right now.

@audioBusting said:

Like a lot of people said, Vita and a PS+ subscription is a really good deal. You can buy a 3-month subscription for $20 and you'll get a bunch of pretty good games if you're not too picky! It's a pretty solid console, just not a lot of worthwhile exclusive games yet.

The Vita, even with PS+, is not a good deal. Sony was stupid not to have a real price drop before the holidays and paid for it. 3DS sold a little less than 10x more than the Vita in December in America and in Japan it's worse. It's a dead console stop recommending people throw their money away on it.

I am kind of impulsive when it comes to handhelds. I bought a 3DS at launch, played everything I wanted to within the launch window, then traded it towards the Vita. Once I had the Vita, I played everything I wanted to within the launch window and... traded it for a 3DSXL. Here is the deal: the Vita is built for me.. dual joysticks, fairly robust online features (including a great digital store), the promise of "hardcore experiences." The problem is, there aren't any games for it. The Vita had a great launch, but everything that has come out since has been garbage for the most part. The games I was looking forward to this holiday season (Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed) wound up sucking, and there is little to nothing on the horizon. Nintendo is going to support the 3DS. There are a bunch of games on the horizon and at least a dozen or so really solid games already out. I would RATHER the Vita be my handheld system of choice, but the fact of the matter is, there just isn't enough support.