Can't decide: New 3DS or PS Vita

I'd love to get some duder opinions. I think I'm going to pick up a new handheld after work and can't decide whether I want to dig deeper into the PS ecosystem with a vita, or pick up a New 3DS.

So far the pros/cons I have are that the Vita has more games that sort of interest me while the 3DS has fewer interesting games (to me) but some standouts that I know will be amazing (3d land, zelda titles, n64 remakes that I never played and yes that includes mario 64). Vita has remote play which would be cool with my PS4. Vita also has persona 4 golden but I can actually already play that because I have a PSTV, albeit not portable.

Honestly I have a feeling already that the support will be in the 3DS camp, especially since I can already play most (sadly not all *cough MGS collections\ cough* ) vita games between my PSTV and PS4, but the biggest thing that concerns me is that there wont be enough games to keep me going as someone who doesn't like MonHun or MonHun clones so I thought I'd ask for some opinions. Which portable do you think is the better idea and why? What would you say are the 3 must have games for your handheld of choice?

As an owner of both who has a heavy preference towards his Vita..

If the 1st party stuff interests you on the 3DS, you should go with that. As there are simply more titles on that platform, and will be more in the future. If your taste in games is of the JRPG/Visual Novel/Fan service? Then obviously you might want to get a Vita instead. But, if your got a PSTV, there really are very few games you can't already play.

Just my 2 cents.

I feel like the appeal of the Vita is primarily JRPGs, visual novels, and Monster Hunter clones (but not actual Monster Hunter). I dunno, the lineup of software for it has never really impressed me at any point in its lifespan, unless you want to make it your indie-game-platform-of-choice or your "play pretty good PS2 games" platform of choice, between Persona 4 Golden and Final Fantasy X HD.

The 3DS certainly has quite a varied lineup, so I'd recommend that. I mean, mostly that means it has good Nintendo-developed games, but you also have stuff like Bravely Default or a couple Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright games if those are more your speed.

What's the deal with Layton? I liked the first Phoenix Wright game forever ago and I feel like Layton and Wright are compared a lot. I guess I could just look up a QL :P

The PSTV there is a big factor. I mean, the Vita works very well with your PS4. If your TV is ever in dispute or if you feel that playing your indie PS4 games on the go with crossplay is a big deal for you, I have all three of those and I have use for all.

That said, I also have a 3DS, or I wouldn't have doubled down on Vita+PSTV. If you're already playing all those Sony games and indies consistently on your big screens the 3DS gives you access to a big, BIG library, including a bunch of DS games that are just great, if you're into that kind of thing and never had a DS.

So yeah, as much as I vocally defend how much value I continue to get out of my Vita, that's a tough sell in your situation. It'd help to know what you're looking for, but there's a ton of stuff and a ton of genres that you're unlocking on 3DS by having at least an in to that Nintendo ecosystem that are deep into diminishing returns for you having two Sony platforms already. Like, if you're into Persona there's Persona Q, Devil Survivor Overclocked 1 and 2 and SMT IV you can play on 3DS, while all the Sony Personas are already available to you (right? Not sure if 3 works on PSTV).

There are more sorta "exclusives" to the 3DS and I've played a lot of stuff on my 3DS, but I probably end up playing my Vita more just based on crossplay. You're gonna get a LOT of overlap on the Vita. In fact, I've probably only ever played one or two Vita "exclusive" games. Many of them can be found through other means. I guess you could argue over P4V though.

It's tough to say though, there are many games which I bought on the 3DS with the intention of playing them through and then I realize that I don't really enjoy Nintendo games as much as I used to. Monster Hunter had me going for a while but its still quite a bit of a commitment. But then playing Titan Souls this weekend and then wanting to go lay in bed and play it, I just switch over to the Vita and go from there.

It'd help to know what kind of games you like. But generally speaking, 3DS is the easy choice between its larger library and the fact that you already have a PSTV and PS4.

While I want to say that I want to play all of the JRPGS and get the system that's best for that, the reality is that I don't have the time or focus that it takes to dedicate to those types of games anymore, I've been working on P4G for a long time now and still am barely half way through it regardless of the fact that I absolutely love it. With the little time I have to dedicate to those types of games, I'll think I'll give what I have to the tentpoles like FF15 and Persona 5 on the big consoles.

So since JRPGs are nice but not a defining factor by any means, I think what I really want is fun, unique games that I can pick up and play for 10 minutes or 5 hours, and it sounds like Nintendo is the way to go for that. Plus it lets me play some of the n64 stuff that I never got to really play in their moment. I'm also a big fan of puzzle and turn based stuff which it also seems like the 3DS has quite a bit of.

But on the other hand being able to play bloodborne in bed does sound pretty awesome...

For someone who owns a PS3 or PS4 with PS Plus and wants a portable system a Vita is a no-brainer.

I have one and enjoy it a lot. I don't own a single physical game but am constantly buying great games on the cheap on PSN or getting them for free every month.

They both have great games but I think the 3ds has more unique experiences, most of the stuff on the vita feels very similar to something you'd play on a home console, the only thing I played on the VIta that really blew me away was Gravity Rush.

If you have PS+, getting a Vita is a no brainer though.

If you have a PS TV, get a 3DS. You can already play most of the stuff that's worth playing on a Vita. 3DS gets you access to a way bigger catalogue.

Monster Hunter is kind of the only thing worth playing on the 3DS so if you're not a fan, don't get a 3DS.

The Vita is a fantastic way to play games and I probably play it more than anything else but if you have a Vita TV doesn't that already play Vita games? Are you just looking for something portable?

@punched: I actually don't know that I don't like MonHun, I've never given them a shot outside of random trade shows, I've just never been grabbed by any of the QLs, etc. I do like Souls games though and there are some similarities there. As for PS TV, the only thing that I kinda wish it would play is the MGS HD collection since I own that digitally but no longer have a PS3 and for some reason Vita TV can't play that.

While I like my Vita, I would never recommend it to anyone. Sony has given up on it, and there'll likely never be another major release or exclusive for it.
If you aren't sure, you should probably get the 3DS.

@flakmunkey: I'm pretty sure you can't play the PS3 MGS HD collection on a vita.

I haven't turned my Vita on in months, while my 3DS is used every few days. There's way more good games (for me) that you can only play on the 3DS. Almost every Vita thing I've gotten, I can play on 4 different machines already. If you can only get one or the other, definitely the 3DS.

For games I would lean towards the 3DS. Remote Play, the killer feature for the Vita, doesn't work as well as you'd hope.

@punched: for some reason i ended up with both in my download queue, I think there was a sale or something where they were bundled

I made the choice initially of a Vita over a 3DS and suffice to say after picking up a 3DS later down the line how wrong I was in selecting the Vita over the 3DS. Don't take this the wrong way as theres plenty of great games on both systems but with the combined library of 3DS and DS titles the 3DS is hands down the better of the two in my opinion.

allot of games vs a minimum of games

The Vita is a great little system, but many of its best games are things that are also available (if not better) on other platforms -- usually PC and/or PS4, at least. The 3DS' best games, on the other hand, are mostly things you aren't going to find anywhere else, and if you ask me there are a lot of those. I don't know why you're worried about most of the good 3DS games being Monster Hunter clones... There are actually a lot more of those on Vita. I feel like the 3DS has a pretty solid variety in the exclusives it offers.

Ok I'm pretty set now on a 3DS with Link between worlds and something else, maybe 3D Land? Pokemon X? IDK.

Also the new one is definitely the way to go at this point right? From how it sounds it appears to be worth the extra couple bucks it costs over an older model.

The 3DS is the better choice.The Vita is a crossplay machine since Sony has completely abandoned development for it, and while it's nice to have crossplay and remote play it's not a necessity. I have a PS3, PS4, N3DS, and a Vita. The Vita is definitely the console that I could most easily live without. Also worth noting I picked it up off Craigslist for $80, which I highly recommend if you can manage it. I use my 3DS daily, though. It's the best Nintendo system since the GBA as far as quality of games goes.

Games you should play for 3DS: 3D Land, a Pokemon if you're into that, Link Between Worlds, Fire Emblem. Those would be the best starting games I'd say, they're the must plays. Box Boy is also very good, as is Pushmo and Crashmo. The Layton games are really fun if you like brain teaser puzzles, but I'm still on the DS games so I don't know how the 3DS ones are. By the way, consider that you can also play all the DS games on your 3DS as well. That's... that's a lot of great games.

Is it true that a lot of 3DS games can be hard to find now? I know there was an email on the bombcast recently complaining about it.

Also thanks for all the help everyone! I appreciate it.

@flakmunkey: Some of them are. Kid Icarus: Uprising is out of print I think. Zelda OOT 3D is very expensive because it can be used to root the console. But you can just get any game that's hard to find in physical print on the eshop so it's not as big of a problem as some make it out to be, unless you hate digital purchases.

@quid_pro_bono: I like being able to resell/trade, but if its a great game (like OOT) then that doesn't matter to me. Thanks!

@flakmunkey: Yeah, I understand that. The OOT thing is kind of out of their control, haha.

The 3DS straight up murders the Vita as far as first party support and exclusives go. I'd definitely go with that if I didn't already have one.

Both have Virtue's Last Reward if you care 'bout that, but the Vita doesn't have crippling save bugs in said game. Also, the Vita has The Golden. I'd say Golden just because it has a lot of titles that I REALLY like, but that's a super-specific-to-me thing, and I'll agree the 3DS has greater quality titles overall. But none of those are ones I love besides a few outliers.

I'd probably think of it like this, if you want to play cool indie games you can find on a pc for example probably get a ps vita.

If you want to play games you can find only on one system go get a new Nintendo 3ds.

I'd personally get a New Nintendo 3DS since it's shelf life in my opinion seems longer. Right now it just seems like Sony is looking at the PC market and seeing what cool indie games are out there on that platform and just offering cash to them to port it over to the Vita.

If you don't have a PC I can see maybe how the vita could interest you.

No-brainer. 3DS obviously.Vita is pretty much dead. Then again not really anything coming to 3DS for the rest of this year so that looks mediocre. Fire Emblem is 2016.

The 3DS definitely comes out on top overall. Some pretty wonderful exclusives. The Vita probably wins on sheer quantity of mid-range games though. There are hundreds of PC indies ported to the Vita, plenty of which are excellent.

I have a PSTV, Vita, a New 3ds, and am a crazy person so I feel qualified to answer this.

Get a New 3ds. There's some real dope games on it and you're not missing anything on the Vita that you couldn't play on your PSTV. The only touch-based games you might miss out on are things like Tearaway.

Plus, I've had limited success with remote play on my Vita. I need to be in the same room as my PS4 for it to work. Granted, I have bad internet throughout my house.

Thanks again everyone. While having a portable indie machine sounds nice, I can play just about all those games between my PC, PS4, and XONE. I'm gonna go with the DS, it's been a long time since I've had a Nintendo system so there are plenty of great games I haven't played yet to keep me busy for a while. Now just 20 minutes until I can break free from my customer service chains and play some Zelda!

Get a vita, because clamshell is ergonomically terrible (makes system wobbly and feel heavy to hold), the XL model looks like a lunch tray, and new 3ds uses a joke control layout where the right hand stick is a tiny dot shoved up next to the hinge.

If you do get a vita however be sure to get the 1000 model, not the slim on account of its bad screen.

Top 3 must have vita games:

1) Gravity Rush

2 and 3) I'll have to get back to you on this..

Vita 3000 in the works. Probably will get announced at e3 so I would say get a new 3ds. I love my vita now that it has 60fps remote play and a lot of great games. But like most people in here said, they can be played elsewhere or on your pstv. Unless you want those games on the go then go with the new 3ds because there is already a ton of must own games there that warrant the cost

I have both and easily recommend New 3DS over Vita.

Picked up my New 3DS along with Zelda: Link Between Worlds and SMB: 3D Land. Damn are those games good, I'm so happy I got this! Now I want to find something a little more "puzzley", maybe boxboy?

Pullblox/Pushmo is essential from the eshop.

After the 2 games you already got, the other really incredible exclusive is Fire Emblem. Don't miss it! There's a demo on the eshop if you search for it.

Most of the "good" games on the Vita are just indie games that are also available on other platforms. You made the right choice getting a 3DS.

I'd recommend Pushmo if you like difficult puzzles, and Box Boy if you like your puzzles a bit less difficult. They're both good games, but I eventually gave up with Pushmo because I couldn't figure out the puzzles, whereas all the puzzles I've done in Box Boy are a cake walk.

The Layton games are also great for puzzles.

@egg said:

I can't tell if this is a serious post. You seem to be against the 3DS (though the "lunch tray" you're referring to is probably the 2DS and not the XL, and the right hand stick is basically unnecessary for the majority of games on the platform because outside of MonHun there aren't many 3D action adventure games that require camera control to be on the right stick). But then you don't have any games to recommend for the Vita.

You could've just said "Don't bother with handheld gaming"?

Bisonhero it's a matter of principle. The system should have a symmetrical two stick layout regardless of whether it's a Nintendo or a Sony. And there was no use in adding a righthand stick but doing a half job like Nintendo. There is literally a groove on the hinge to give you a wee bit more room to reach the analog, that should tell you how terribly placed it is. But the system was not exactly winning any awards in ergonomics to begin with. The slider was always too close to the hinge, and the L/R buttons were at the very edges of the system so you had to curl your finger to press them.

As for the 2DS, I haven't used one but by the looks of it, it's a way better design and reportedly more comfortable. However, here's one of my main problems with it, after using a PSP and a Vita why would I wish to downgrade from a 4.3 inch PSP screen (higher res than the 3ds even) or a 5 inch vita screen to a dinky 3.5 inch 2ds/3ds (non xl) screen, literally for no reason whatsoever except that it happens to be the only size the 2ds is offered in? Here's the two models which Ninty should have offered: a 3ds or new 3ds for portability (which they actually offer) and a New 2DS XL with two circle pads, and this would serve as the premium model for home use. The current XL and 2DS are stuck in the middle as if they can't decide whether they're portable or not. And yes, the 3DS XL and New 3DS XL are the most unsexy models ever. To be fair, the 1000 model Vita looks a little fat, but still not as ugly as an XL.

Don't know much about the PSV, but I love my 3DS.

All the first party stuff plus Shin Megami Tensei, Fire Emblem, Virtues Last Reward, Xenoblade... there's some good stuff out there.

You just said you used three different models of 3ds, but 2ds isn't one of them so how can you judge it? But I can't reconcile the smaller screen, assymetrical layout, and lack of USB charging support. New 3DS doesn't even come with a charger, but despite that it still doesn't support USB cables, ninty makes you buy their crappy charger. Soo dumb.

@soulcake: i dunno, my 32gb vita card's already full.

@flakmunkey: Also since you said you hadn't had a Nintendo Console in a while try some classics from the DS library:

999: Nine Persons Nine Doors Nine Hours - I strongly recommend you get this before Virtue's Last Reward (it's 3DS sequel) as it'd ruin a lot of the surprises of the game and while VLR is great I think 999 has some better tricks up it's sleeve.

Any of the Advance Wars Games

The World Ends with You - A crazy innovative little Action-RPG from Squenix that spawned a mocking iOS port. You control characters simultaneously on both screens in battle and it's pretty damn cool once you get to grips with it.

Any and all Ace Attorney Games

Mario and Luigi: Bowsers Inside Story.

I could go on but those are off the top of my head.

@flakmunkey: If you just want pure thought puzzles with a story, you should get 999 as other's have mentioned. It's all puzzle and story. Very cool.

Both are great systems, but the N3DS just has more games.

The cross save feature on Vita with PS4 is fucking rad though.