Which handheld console to buy?

[Usama Jawad96]

Hi,I may be buying a handheld console in 5 months time but I am really confused about what to buy??care to help me out??I have these 3 options in my price range:-
1-Nintendo Ds lite(approx $130)
2-Nintendo 3DS(approx$210)
3-PS Vita(approx $220)
*These approximate price are all conversions from my country's real currency.
First I was thinking about buying an nds lite which also plays gba games and which I love but then I thought that maybe it would be better if I buy a newer console instead of an obsolete one.
Second,I am considering n3ds which is newer but I am confused that whether the $70 price jump is really worth it because I don't care about camera,WiFi,eshop etc.i care about better games and an SD card if possible.
Last I am considering PS vita,possibly because it is more 'in' and has better graphics and games with little price difference from the 3DS.
So what us your advice,which one should I go for???
(I have owned a ps1and ps2 before and was reasonably satisfied but they go obsolete too quickly. )
SO WHICH SHOULD I GO FOR???

 

[radmanvr]

My brother bought the Nintendo 3DS and pokemon for his girlfriend and after one week she didnt like it.

 

[Idiosyncrasy]

Hey there,

Let me start of by telling you that the Nintendo DS Lite is probably not the best option at this point. While there is a huge catalog of games for the DS, the 3DS will also play those same games and the ease of which you can find a GBA for cheap or get the GBA games on the 3DS E-Shop all tells me that it wouldn't be a worthwhile investment (especially since you mentioned that you were worried about the PlayStation systems being obsolete!)

I also own both a 3DS and a PS Vita and I absolutely love both, however they cater to different crowds of people. I have put a lot of time into both systems, and will flip flop between them depending on the new releases. Right now, I would say the the Vita is in a great position with some killer indie games and some ports of big budget titles; these titles also range in all genres of games and aren't JUST RPGs or FPS's - Big titles include Killzone: Mercenary (an FPS), Persona 4: Golden (an RPG), Hot Shot Golf (Golf game obviously), Fez (a 2D indie puzzle-adventure game), Teraway, and Guacamelee! with many more indie games and AAA games supposed to be on the way. The only issue with the Vita currently is the supposed lack of AAA/Big Budget games, however since the release of the PS4... Vita sales are on the rise and many new games are being announced.

The 3DS on the other hand had a rough start, but is having a great year with the release of Pokemon (an RPG), Zelda: Link Between Worlds (Adventure-RPG), Luigi's Mansion (Adventure/Puzzle), Mario Party (4 Player Mini-Games), and Bravely Default(another RPG) among others. The 3DS is getting tons of developer support right now and the biggest benefit is obviously the Nintendo only properties that will have games released soon.

Both systems have a great selection of games and a robust online store, but they do target different categories of people. The best thing to do is go and view the store for each platform and see how many titles peak your interest. I love both of my handhelds, but have been using my PS Vita more recently because of the amount of freebies from PS+ and the sales they have been throwing. Whatever you choose, you won't be disappointed and good luck in your decision

 

[BIGPADDY]

PS Vita however I'm bias!

I would advice to get a mega bundle and pay for PlayStation Plus you will get tons of free games with PlayStation plus, if you do get PlayStation plus I would also suggest a PS3 since that also getting a ton of free games from PlayStation Plus.

I also would suggest getting the original it got a better screen with OLED than the newer version with LCD.

 

[Usama Jawad96]

Hey there,

Let me start of by telling you that the Nintendo DS Lite is probably not the best option at this point. While there is a huge catalog of games for the DS, the 3DS will also play those same games and the ease of which you can find a GBA for cheap or get the GBA games on the 3DS E-Shop all tells me that it wouldn't be a worthwhile investment (especially since you mentioned that you were worried about the PlayStation systems being obsolete!)

I also own both a 3DS and a PS Vita and I absolutely love both, however they cater to different crowds of people. I have put a lot of time into both systems, and will flip flop between them depending on the new releases. Right now, I would say the the Vita is in a great position with some killer indie games and some ports of big budget titles; these titles also range in all genres of games and aren't JUST RPGs or FPS's - Big titles include Killzone: Mercenary (an FPS), Persona 4: Golden (an RPG), Hot Shot Golf (Golf game obviously), Fez (a 2D indie puzzle-adventure game), Teraway, and Guacamelee! with many more indie games and AAA games supposed to be on the way. The only issue with the Vita currently is the supposed lack of AAA/Big Budget games, however since the release of the PS4... Vita sales are on the rise and many new games are being announced.

The 3DS on the other hand had a rough start, but is having a great year with the release of Pokemon (an RPG), Zelda: Link Between Worlds (Adventure-RPG), Luigi's Mansion (Adventure/Puzzle), Mario Party (4 Player Mini-Games), and Bravely Default(another RPG) among others. The 3DS is getting tons of developer support right now and the biggest benefit is obviously the Nintendo only properties that will have games released soon.

Both systems have a great selection of games and a robust online store, but they do target different categories of people. The best thing to do is go and view the store for each platform and see how many titles peak your interest. I love both of my handhelds, but have been using my PS Vita more recently because of the amount of freebies from PS+ and the sales they have been throwing. Whatever you choose, you won't be disappointed and good luck in your decision

thanks!that was very useful!Guess I'll have to look at game titles btw the best graphics are on ps vita right??
And also does the 3Ds also have FPS because I would prefer a console
which would give me a fair share of both RPGS and FPS

 

[Usama Jawad96]

PS Vita however I'm bias!

I would advice to get a mega bundle and pay for PlayStation Plus you will get tons of free games with PlayStation plus, if you do get PlayStation plus I would also suggest a PS3 since that also getting a ton of free games from PlayStation Plus.

I also would suggest getting the original it got a better screen with OLED than the newer version with LCD.

Yeah ,i heard that they are giving away
payday2 for free but how much does this subscription cost??

 

[BIGPADDY]

Yeah ,i heard that they are giving away
payday2 for free but how much does this subscription cost??

It ?40 a year.

If your in the US $40 a year.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

I'm biased toward Nintendo

I'd suggest the 3DS XL at this point. You wouldn't want a 3DS. For its smaller screen and battery life, I mean.

I'd rather you get both, if possible. The two consoles cater to fundamentally different audiences.

Want an impressive catalog of niche and casual games? 3DS.
Want JRPGs and "hardcore" games? PS Vita.

I'd argue that Fire Emblem: Awakening and Animal Crossing: New Leaf (otherwise known as "Firm W**g in 3D", and "The game that will suck your social life to the netherworld") are reasons enough to get a 3DS. I'd suggest you stay away from Animal Crossing, though. If you value your social life, I mean.*

(*)Seriously, those two games are ridiculous in the facts that they're the best in their respective genres.

 

[BIGPADDY]

thanks!that was very useful!Guess I'll have to look at game titles btw the best graphics are on ps vita right??
And also does the 3Ds also have FPS because I would prefer a console
which would give me a fair share of both RPGS and FPS

PS Vita has alot of FPS and RPGS.

Such as killzone mercery, cod etc.

And if you have a PS3 or PS4 remote play.

 

[Usama Jawad96]

PS Vita has alot of FPS and RPGS.

Such as killzone mercery, cod etc.

And if you have a PS3 or PS4 remote play.

Ok,I got a look at the gaming titles on both consoles and I have to say Vita interests me more.However I donot understand Vita's specs.Does it or does it not have Touch support??Sometimes I want to have a go at the 3DS because some titles like mario,Pokemon interest me but then I think of Killzone,COD,Fifa 14 etc.
PS Vita certainly has a large collection of games for all ages(Im 17) and types but 3DS basically targets the younger audience with RPGs,casual games but the problem with me is that I also like casual/retro/platformer games a lot like Mario,Pokemon,Zelda.
The question is that should I stick to Casual games on 3DS or should I go for all kinds of games on PS Vita?(I play FPSs like COD,CS on my laptop)
Will controls for such games be comfortable on a Vita or is 3DS my last option?
Your views and suggestions?

 

[Mira Fox]

Ok,I got a look at the gaming titles on both consoles and I have to say Vita interests me more.However I donot understand Vita's specs.Does it or does it not have Touch support??Sometimes I want to have a go at the 3DS because some titles like mario,Pokemon interest me but then I think of Killzone,COD,Fifa 14 etc.
PS Vita certainly has a large collection of games for all ages(Im 17) and types but 3DS basically targets the younger audience with RPGs,casual games but the problem with me is that I also like casual/retro/platformer games a lot like Mario,Pokemon,Zelda.
The question is that should I stick to Casual games on 3DS or should I go for all kinds of games on PS Vita?(I play FPSs like COD,CS on my laptop)
Will controls for such games be comfortable on a Vita or is 3DS my last option?
Your views and suggestions?

Really belated response, I guess ...

The Vita has a touchscreen, and a separate "touch panel" on the back. The panel is used by some games.

If you like Mario, Pok?mon, and Zelda, you probably want to get a 3DS, as those games are Nintendo exclusives.

 

[DavidinCT]

I have to ask, What games do you like ? Do you really enjoy Nintendo games more or Sony games ?

I have them both (or all 3), The NDS, I would skip, due to being on it's way out and in a year or so, newer release games are going to be hard to find. The 3DS is a nice option, it's a nice system ***IF** you like the Nintendo IPs (Mario, Zelda, etc), If like local Mutiplayer and your friends/family has a 3DS or NDS, it's a lot of fun. The Graphics are a lot better on the 3DS over the NDS so in modern play, its's worth going to. Mario 3D land is awesome on this system also the new Zelda is pretty good from what I heard, again, it depends on the games you like/want to play. I do find the 3DS to have a lot of FUN games that are a lot better when you have friends around with one to play with.

Now, the Vita, This a awesome handheld, with it's feature set, it's quite a device and almost equal to PS3 graphics. There are a bunch of games and give the feeling of a console over a handheld. You also get the big AAA names that look almost as good as the PS3. Even with Remote play, if you have a PS4 and a good internet conneciton where your at, you can play PS4 games on your handheld streamed. For this system, Tearaway is just a wild game, using all of the Vita's features (front and back touch pannels, front camera, back camera, etc).

So, in order of advanced more powerfull systems, Vita is the top.

If you are going to use the portable a lot, I suggest to check out the lineups of games, see what you prefer to play and see upcoming games to see if it will hold up for a while.

I have a NDS, a 3DS and a Vita...When I travel, I take my 3DS and Vita with me...I never know what I am going to play..I find them both reasonably conforbly to play, controls are good on both.

If money is the issue, buy one new and find a used one (ebay is great for this), I have seen the older style vita (better display), go for $100 or less and even 3DS for $75-100...who cares if it's used as long as it works perfect and has been taken care of ????

 

[Usama Jawad96]

I have to ask, What games do you like ? Do you really enjoy Nintendo games more or Sony games ?

I have them both (or all 3), The NDS, I would skip, due to being on it's way out and in a year or so, newer release games are going to be hard to find. The 3DS is a nice option, it's a nice system ***IF** you like the Nintendo IPs (Mario, Zelda, etc), If like local Mutiplayer and your friends/family has a 3DS or NDS, it's a lot of fun. The Graphics are a lot better on the 3DS over the NDS so in modern play, its's worth going to. Mario 3D land is awesome on this system also the new Zelda is pretty good from what I heard, again, it depends on the games you like/want to play. I do find the 3DS to have a lot of FUN games that are a lot better when you have friends around with one to play with.

Now, the Vita, This a awesome handheld, with it's feature set, it's quite a device and almost equal to PS3 graphics. There are a bunch of games and give the feeling of a console over a handheld. You also get the big AAA names that look almost as good as the PS3. Even with Remote play, if you have a PS4 and a good internet conneciton where your at, you can play PS4 games on your handheld streamed. For this system, Tearaway is just a wild game, using all of the Vita's features (front and back touch pannels, front camera, back camera, etc).

So, in order of advanced more powerfull systems, Vita is the top.

If you are going to use the portable a lot, I suggest to check out the lineups of games, see what you prefer to play and see upcoming games to see if it will hold up for a while.

I have a NDS, a 3DS and a Vita...When I travel, I take my 3DS and Vita with me...I never know what I am going to play..I find them both reasonably conforbly to play, controls are good on both.

If money is the issue, buy one new and find a used one (ebay is great for this), I have seen the older style vita (better display), go for $100 or less and even 3DS for $75-100...who cares if it's used as long as it works perfect and has been taken care of ????

Thankyou for that reply,no ,money is not a problem.I have enough to buy one of the consoles.I'm just not sure about the games.I like Zelda,Mario,Pokemon etc but at the same time I also want AAA titles like Killzone,Walking Dead etc.
And since more games are being released for Vita nowadays,I think I might have a go at Vita this August.
Talking about games,are there any RPGs/JRPGs like Pokemon on Vita?because I want all kinds of games on a vita(Which the 3DS which targets younger audience is not offering).

 

[DavidinCT]

Thankyou for that reply,no ,money is not a problem.I have enough to buy one of the consoles.I'm just not sure about the games.I like Zelda,Mario,Pokemon etc but at the same time I also want AAA titles like Killzone,Walking Dead etc.
And since more games are being released for Vita nowadays,I think I might have a go at Vita this August.
Talking about games,are there any RPGs/JRPGs like Pokemon on Vita?because I want all kinds of games on a vita(Which the 3DS which targets younger audience is not offering).

By saying the Money issue, If you like both systems why not buy both ? As I was saying buy the primary one you want new and buy the other used. That is what I did....

The real thing is to ask yourself is what games you like most. The Vita should have most of the titles/types of games and there are some RPGs but, I would have to look them up. The feature set alone on the Vita blows away the 3DS but, the 3DS tends to be more towards kids but, that makes a lot of them much more fun to play and as I said, it can be a BLAST when you have friends/famliy with a 3DS to play with local multiplayer (a lot of games come with Mini games to do multiplayer on).

I had the same problem, I like the Mario and Zelda games but, I do tend to play more AAA titles (I picked up a WiiU just for Super Mario 3D land, the only game I own for the system), it was really hard to chose, as If I got one, I would miss a title I wanted to play on the other one...

Do your research on the games, find out what games you will play most of, then you can decide on the system.

I hate deciding so I had to have both

 

[Mira Fox]

Thankyou for that reply,no ,money is not a problem.I have enough to buy one of the consoles.I'm just not sure about the games.I like Zelda,Mario,Pokemon etc but at the same time I also want AAA titles like Killzone,Walking Dead etc.
And since more games are being released for Vita nowadays,I think I might have a go at Vita this August.
Talking about games,are there any RPGs/JRPGs like Pokemon on Vita?because I want all kinds of games on a vita(Which the 3DS which targets younger audience is not offering).

There are a ton of JRPGs on the Vita, including the entire main (numbered) Persona series and most of the main (numbered) Final Fantasy series. Also other JRPGs that were on the PSP, in the SEN store.

On the other hand, the 3DS has a good handful of exclusive 3DS and DS JRPGs, like Bravely Default (and its prequel, Final Fantasy: Four Heroes of Light). And, of course, Pok?mon.

 

[squadz]

Love my 3DS.

 

[coip]

I prefer playing Xbox games on my Windows Phone, but if you want a dedicated handheld for gaming, 3DS is the way to go. It easily has the best mobile games and the most innovative interface. I would not get a Vita. It is more expensive, has fewer exclusive games, and has been selling dismally.