PS Vita vs. Nintendo 3DS: how the specs compare ? Video Games ...

It?s astounding to think that just a few years ago, the Nintendo DS and the PSP were the lone mobile devices that gamers had to choose from. It must have been nice for Sony and Nintendo, to only have each other to compete with.

Then the iPhone came along. At launch, it was essentially a glorified iPod ? but the 2008 arrival of the App Store changed that. Suddenly iOS was a legitimate gaming platform. The arrival of tablets and Android phones only further crowded the field. What we have today is a torrential downpour of mobile devices ? all of which are gaming systems in their own rights.

So where does that leave the two old-timers? The dedicated gaming systems of Nintendo and Sony are desperately searching for ways to stay relevant. The two companies have gone in two different ? yet unsurprising ? directions, in trying to differentiate their products.

Let?s take a look at the choices that Sony and Nintendo have made with their latest systems; and how they stack up against each other.

Dimensions

In terms of design, not a lot has changed since the days of the DS and the PSP. Nintendo still has a dual-screen clamshell device, while Sony sticks with its more traditional look ? whose inspiration can be traced all the way back to the Sega Game Gear and Atari Lynx.

The Vita is longer and wider, and only slightly thinner. This makes the 3DS the more portable of the two, though you could argue that neither competes with a smartphone in this department.

Weight

The 3DS is also a bit lighter than the Vita.

To give you some perspective on the threat from smartphones, the iPhone 4S weighs 140g and the Galaxy Nexus is about 150g.

Display

The biggest thing to keep in mind here is that the 3DS is using a stereoscopic (glasses-free 3D) display on the top screen, so it essentially comes out to 400?240 resolution in each eye.

From that perspective, the Vita easily has the sharper display. It?s only presented in two dimensions, but 3D hasn?t become quite the sensation that companies like Nintendo hoped that it would be.

This is another category where smartphones have the upper-hand. The iPhone 4S and Galaxy Nexus have pixel densities of around 320-330ppi.

Processor

The Vita has much more processing power than the 3DS does. Its quad-core CPU is probably clocked between 800MHz and 1GHz, easily trumping the 3DS? 268MHz dual-core chip.

Graphics

This is another area where the 3DS is getting shown up. The Vita is, without question, going to give you much better graphics.

RAM

128MB of RAM would be unheard of on a current-generation high-end smartphone. Yet that?s what the 3DS is bringing to the table. It?s trumped by the Vita?s 512MB.

Storage

Here we see one of the biggest potential drawbacks of the Vita. Sony has priced digital downloads of its games cheaper than it priced its physical games, but you?ll have to pay Sony for the privilege of storing them.

The Vita has no internal storage, and its external storage is a proprietary Sony ?PS Vita card,? which will be pricey: 4GB for $20, 8GB for $30, 16GB for $60, and 32GB for $100. Those are much more costly than comparable SD cards. Sony claims that it?s doing it for ?security? (aka preventing piracy), but at what point does it become hostile towards customers?

Wireless

The Vita will be the first prominent dedicated gaming system to offer 3G connectivity. Much like tablets and e-readers, there will be a cheaper Wi-Fi-only option, and a more expensive Wi-Fi + 3G model (which uses AT&T).

Battery

Here we have a rare category where the two are evenly matched. We?ll need to get our hands on a Vita for testing, but both devices should be in the 3-5 hour range.

Cameras

Don?t expect any 8MP cameras here; these are more throw-ins than legit photography tools. They?re just good enough to allow for game integration, augmented reality, and other fun tricks.

Backwards Compatibility

This is a potential deal-breaker for PSP owners. All of those UMDs that you collected through the years will be no good here. It isn?t surprising that Sony wouldn?t give the Vita a physical drive for the old cartridges, but the company also isn?t offering a Passport plan for US customers.

The UMD Passport program would have let customers get digital copies of their old UMDs; but there will be none of that. If you own a physical copy of God of War: Chains of Olympus or GTA: Chinatown Wars, you?ll have to pony up and buy a new digital copy. What was that we were saying about hostility towards customers?

The 3DS, meanwhile, comes in at the other end of the spectrum. It offers full compatibility for (almost) all DS and DSi titles. The only exceptions are games like Guitar Hero that required a peripheral.

Intangibles

Did we mention that the Vita has a touchpad on its backside? Though this may not sound like a mind-blowing feature, it provides yet another tool for developers to involve you in their games. It?s placed so that your fingers will be resting near it anyway, so it can provide extra controls for more complex titles.

How can you mention a Nintendo device without bringing up Mario? Though the Italian plumber has starred in many a watered-down cash-in through the years, his flagship titles are still top-of-the-line. Super Mario 3D Land is the first (original) landmark title for the 3DS, and the more of those quality Mario games Nintendo can spit out, the better off 3DS owners will be.

Summing up

In many ways, these devices are targeted at different audiences. Nintendo has always been favored by young children ? and the 3DS will have a library to match ? but it isn?t limited to kids. Any adult game lover can be swept away by the brilliance of Ocarina of Time 3D and Super Mario 3D Land. Nintendo will need to keep producing games like that in order for its device to avoid becoming a mere novelty.

Part of that is due to processing power. The Vita is much more of a device for hardcore gamers, and it has the specs to back it up. Its biggest long-term competition, then, may lie with smartphones and tablets. Sure, the Vita makes a compelling gaming device today, but what about a couple of years from now? Do you think that the iPhone 6 or Droid Razr Maxx 3 HD+(?) won?t eat the specs of these two for breakfast? Despite the hyped launch of the Vita, the future of dedicated gaming systems has never been murkier.

Source: http://www.geek.com/articles/games/ps-vita-vs-nintendo-3ds-how-the-specs-compare-20120216/

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