And just to follow up a bit from my last post, after reading the OP and this thread I can see how someone may think that the Vita would fall behind the smartphones.
But as I recall we have similar arguments that were made over the years about consoles and how they quickly become outdated. It is too easy and tempting to focus on the specs of the devices but to get a fair understanding we must take into consideration all factors.
1.Both PCs and tablets are designed for multitasking and therefore there is a need to upgrade them on a regular basis in order for their specs to be current. On the other hand we have the Vita and 3ds which are dedicated gaming devices that are designed to last for an entire generational cycle, and although their hardware becomes dated just as fast they age more gracefully because the system resources are geared for gaming as that is their primary task.
2. Second point is the controls. While we can get both traditional and casual controls for consoles these days, with the tablets we are still stuck relying on the touchscreen. While I have nothing against touchscreens and have enjoyed it for certain games I have a strong preference for traditional controls.
3. AAA titles, along with controls this is the main reason why for the foreseeable future smartphones and tablets will not be able to replace dedicated gaming portables. Until I can enjoy a high budget high quality title on the go on a smartphone I will still require a dedicated gaming portable to fulfill my needs. Keep in mind that a big factor against smart phones for long gaming sessions is the need for them to be on all the time for calls as that is still their primary task.
For these reasons I believe that as things stand, dedicated gaming portables are here to stay for the forseeable future.
