Hello duders:

I've recently left the safeguard of school and now have a full-time job, so I don't really have much time to sit in front of a TV/screen to play videogames. I probably could allocate free time ranging from 30 mins to 1 hr per weekday that I could see myself playing games. I have a iPad/iPhone, but games on the App Store generally only keep me interested for a couple weeks.

Would the Vita be a good choice, and any game recommendations (Persona 4, FFX maybe?) for me? I'm really tempted to buy the sweet looking Aqua Blue Vita that is (unfortunately) exclusive to Gamestop.

I bought a vita at Christmas and I love it, but in terms of it being a short term device, I might say no. It's not like a ds where you just open it when you get a second and then close it up when your attention is needed, it's treated for the most part like any other Sony platform (and not really like a handheld) wherein the games require a certain time commitment between significant points (at least for what I've been playing). I mean, most of what is available on the vita can also be played on console if you're thinking indie, and even if not it's seen some bigger releases (Like the FFX you mentioned). For instance, when I go to play my vita, I go in knowing I'll probably drain the battery and then some in a session. I basically just consider it as an option when deciding on a game to play for a long time. As much as I think you could totally just play a week or two in-game of Persona, the reality is you're far more likely to do at least a month and some dungeon stuff.

There aren't really that many actual Vita exclusive games worth playing. That system's worth lies in having a portable way to play most PSP games, some PS1 games, a handful of PS2 games, and lots of cross-buy indie titles that you can also play on a PS3 or 4. The 3DS might be a better choice, but the stuff worth playing on it consists mostly of Nintendo's games and JRPGs.

Do you spend a lot of time traveling around? If not... well, what's the difference between playing Vita games on a couch for an hour and playing PS4 games on a couch for an hour? There are plenty of "short-time" games available on PS4, especially smaller downloadable titles, but I wouldn't really call having an hour to play "short time" - there are plenty of games where an hour is enough to progress a fair bit.

@justin258: I was going to mention the lack of exclusives, but I didn't because it's not true per se (Especially since wonderva mentioned two JRPGs in his list of possible recommendations) There's still vita exclusives being released, it really just depends what you're into. If you like Japanese stuff (specifically Idea Factory), the vita is awesome. If you don't, then I can see where someone might find it lacking.

I, for one, am looking forward to Trillion, which comes out at the end of March. It is, however, probably pretty niche.

http://tinyurl.com/hb5k2tp <-- Trillion on Amazon

From what it sounds like you want, I'd look into Dragon's Crown as well. The game lends itself well to long runs or short bursts. For what it's worth, I agree with the criticisms most people have leveled against the handheld, and I do wish that Sony gave it more attention. That said, I don't regret the choice as (what little there are) the thing has some legitimately good games propping it up.

I like JRPGs quite a bit as well, but I feel like the 3DS is stronger in that genre, especially if you count Fire Emblem as a JRPG. SMT IV, all of the Etrian Odyssey games, coming re-releases of Dragon Quest VII and VIII, DQXI is coming to the 3DS, all those old DS JRPGs like Radiant Historia and Strange Journey, two Bravely Default games, and so on and so forth.

But we're talking about a genre where thirty hours is considered short. If wonerva is worried about not having enough time to play games, certainly he or she can't be excited about getting into a platform where the best games are mostly JRPGs. I still think wonerva would be better off buying a console or PC, where oddly enough, there are more games that take less time to beat. Or, if portability is a concern, a pretty powerful laptop, where he or she could have access to a ridiculous breadth of games, from every genre and spanning hour counts from the single to triple digits.

@justin258: Yeah, all that, absolutely. I think we're arguing the same point.

Bottom line OP, Vita isn't the kind of thing you pick up for a half hour

I have to disagree with the idea that it's not suitable for short bursts. I find the Vita perfect for playing JRPG's entirely because the suspend feature removes the need to reach definite save points before ending a session. The fact I can split a dungeon up over 2 or 3 play sessions actually helps me get through a game when I might otherwise give up when I know I'm facing a long period of grinding through an area.

Some might not consider that a great way of consuming the stories in JRPG's but I find myself coming back and playing a short section each day and getting more of the story than if I was only able to play a 3 or 4 hour block once a week.

Both the Vita and 3DS are great.

Today on the 20min commute I was playing Hotline Miami after getting near the endgame but rage quitting a boss. Was able to get back into it today very easily. Both systems have plenty of great games.

I want to reiterate that I think the Vita is great, and that it gets a bad rap. OP, if you think you'll enjoy one, I recommend it, though I personally don't use mine in a manner that someone strapped for time would. That being said, the suspend feature does work well. I especially like that you can bounce out of the game to quickly use the web browser if you want to look something up.

Also, the 3DS doesn't come with all those sexy, sexy trophies.

It's a great system that Sony sent out to die. It does have a good amount of indie games and the suspend feature works great, especially for a long game like Persona. It's an OK handheld that I wish Nintendo had made because I think their lineup on 3ds is better. if you take into account the DS lineup that you can also play on 3ds then the vita is just blown out of the water. Vita has a way better battery life I think

I've played through all of P4G, P3P, Danganronpa and VLR in 30 minute bursts while taking a bus to and from work.

I also played through all of Rogue Legacy, Luftrausers, HLM1 and 2, Oddworld Strangers Wrath, a couple of the early FF games and a tonne of others.

So like others, I don't agree at all that it's not suitable to pick up and play for 30 minutes at a time, I think its just you personally that doesn't like playing such games in short bursts.

I don't think wonderva was saying they don't have time for JRPGs, but rather that individual play sessions have to be short. In that case the Vita is definitely a solid option. The Persona games are fantastic (of course), you have the FFX remaster, and a fair few other solid JRPGs. They'll keep you going for a long time but it's also easy to stop at just about any moment and come back later. There's also PS1 classics, the likes of the Ratchet & Clank trilogy, and Spelunky, Binding of Isaac, Rogue Legacy - arguably the holy trinity of modern roguelikes (and all of which suit 30 min - 1 hour play sessions).

I do also think the 3DS would be a solid pickup in this case too. Ultimately that's going to come down to which library of games you prefer. I think the PC suggestion also makes a ton of sense - but then it depends where your gaming time appears. Obviously you can't take that on the move or around the house with you - so if that's a concern, the handhelds will serve you much better.

If you have had PS+ for some time and been collecting all those free games for the Vita i would definitely consider picking one up. That's basically what i did, with a few other games here and there on sales. As people have said with the suspend feature you can play as long as you want and basically pause the game. just be aware that the memory cards cost a good bit when considering the price. You could probably be ok with the 16GB, but i went with the 32GB and feel "comfortable" (probably more then i need but its nice to have the options) with the amount of games i can keep on hand at any given time.

some good games are Gravity Rush, Wipeout, Rayman, Hotline Miami, Pixeljunk Shooter, Muramasa Rebirth, Fez, Metrico, Joe Danger, Spelunky and OlliOlli. Its basically become my favorite platform for smaller indie games and old PS1 games if i get the urge.

The Vita is an unbelievable piece of hardware that is starved for software. I find myself not playing the Vita in bursts, but in long stretches on the couch with the TV or Netflix on as background noise. The Vita gets use as the equivalent of a home console, and I can't quite put my finger on why that's the case.

But, as a result of that, I don't often take my Vita with me to play during commutes or travel. I vastly prefer the 3DS for that. And, again, that's a dissonance that I can't totally explain. Perhaps it's just a software thing--since I prefer playing Pokemon on the go to something like Persona or Tearaway or any of the major installments from the Vita's (decidedly smaller) library.

Vita is probably my favorite handheld ever. Even though a lot of the best games aren't designed to be "mobile", the hardware makes them so because of the sleep function - just hit the power button to pause the game at any time, battery can last for days in this state, tap it again & start where you left off.

Look at the list of games available...if there's enough you want to play, I'd say don't hesitate. Really great piece of hardware.

For me, it is a matter of different lifestyle. What I mean is that I am looking for a device that I can *quickly* bootup a game and lay on a couch/bed and play for 10, 15, 20, 30 minutes, then pause/shutdown and get back to work. I don't expect to be playing games for a whole hour session, but maybe instead have 3-20minute breaks or 4-15 minute ones etc.

Ah... well, in the case of the Vita, there is a Sleep button that functions pretty much like a hold button does on a phone, as people have been saying. After a game's initial bootup, all you have to do is tap the Sleep button and the screen goes black. When you want to bring it out of sleep, tap it again, slide the unlock thing, and bam! There you are, exactly where you left off, even if you were mid-cutscene. If that's the kind of thing you're looking for, then yes, the Vita will do excellently. I just didn't know where you were planning on playing, how long your stretches of uninterrupted playing would be, etc.

EDIT: Also, the 3DS has a similar function, you just close it and when you open it back up, the game starts exactly where you left off.

I got a Vita in August and it has become my go to console. For short spurt games I love it. Some days i have no attention span so I play 5 minutes of Nuclear Throne, Then play a few levels of Hotline Miami, the jump into a game of Helldivers, then a mission or two of Unit 13 and finally play a few rounds of Hot Shots Tennis before going to sleep. Other days I play an hour straight of Muramasa, or Soul Sacrifice Delta, or Killzone Mercenary. It is a handheld system, so you can find a lot of great short session games. You can get some great games on the cheap during PSN sales if you splurge for a larger memory card ( I bought a 32 GB on ebay for around 40). Even some of the older games are cheap on PSN at all times like Gravity Rush which is $13 and Unit 13 is $15. If you are into RPGs then you will love the system since that is all the people on the vita sub-reddit talk about. It is a dying system, so keep that in mind. The backlog is huge and varied in my opinion, and you can always find a hidden gem if you adventurous during the PSN sales. I have no idea about the 3DS, but if the 3D effect isn't that big then you can get a 2DS for around $80, so there that as well. Hope this helped.

I'm playing PSP games on my Vita right now. One is Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles (which contains a version of the game VinnyVania's doing right now!) and playing a bit then hitting sleep when I want is absolutely perfect for it. My other game is Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together- I've spent over 100 hours on that game, mostly on the bus. So, short-play games and long-play games, both work great in 30min spurts with the handheld.

I recommend both of those games like crazy, by the way. Dracula X Chronicles is a 2.5d remake of Rondo of Blood, and inside it you can unlock a larger version of Symphony of the Night, as well as an ENGLISH version of Rondo of Blood, OG pixel style, if you want to know what they're saying in Vinny's playthrough.
Tactics Ogre is a turn-based grid map fantasy game by the Final Fantasy Tactics people, with drastically branching paths that you can replay. Stupendous.