Features
Long gone are the days when your video game system was just used for video games. Nowadays, you've gotta have video, Skype and MP3's and a bottle opener. How do the 3DS and Vita compare when it comes to bells and whistles? Here we go.
With the Nintendo 3DS, the "House that Mario Built" went all out. Aside from the obvious gaming features, you get the ability to take 3D pictures, record 3D video, make your own stop motion animation, and record and alter your own audio. The 3DS also has the ability to play various music formats. The speakers aren't very loud but that seems to be a decision made by Nintendo and not a limitation of the hardware. With Netflix, another feature of the system, the audio is much louder than it is with games or music. The 3DS also features a pedometer that tracks your steps and adds a little something extra to certain games. Exclusive 3D videos are offered from Nintendo via the Nintendo Video feature. Demos, trailers, and other features are offered via the Nintendo eShop and even more exclusive online content is offered when players go to various "Nintendo Zones". These are retail hotspots that allow gamers access trailers, cartoons, and exclusive deals. There's an activity log that keeps track of the games you play and when you've played them. If you want to know how often you've play a game, which game you play the most, how much time your average playing session is, etc., the activity has all of that info and more. Sometimes, it's embarrassing (like that one guy--I won't mention his name--who has logged in an astounding 34 and a half hours on Swapnote). The 3DS also has a web browser. It's nothing special but it gets the job done, I guess. You can download pictures from the internet, view various sites (Sorry, no video support....yet), and upload pics to photo sharing sites like Photobucket. With a little creativity, you'll be able to download pics, edit them, convert them to 3D (with 3DS editing tools), and Swapnote them to a friend in no time. Speaking of Swapnote, it's mindless fun. It's kind of like a lite version of Twitter. You can set messages to send to people you pass on the street or you can set messages for your friends and send them via the internet. It's a guilty pleasure that I'll discuss further in the "Connectivity Round".
Lastly, there's the Street Pass/Spot Pass feature. It's an evovled version of the one found in the older DS. As long as you've created data for a game, you can get new content, even if you're not currently playing that particular game. It's not uncommon for me to take my 3DS for a walk and find new times to beat in Mario Kart, new gifts in Nintendogs, new power-ups in Super Mario 3D Land, and much more. A lot of games use the Street Pass feature (system to system communication) or the Spot Pass (system to internet communication) and the uses for the program will surely grow. When you see the blue or green LED light up on your 3DS. you never know what to expect!
Sony Playstation Vita
Yes, the 3DS is packed with features but Sony isn't going to let Nintendo fans have all of the fun. Like the Nintendo 3DS, movie lovers that own a Vita also have access to Netflix. They also have access to the Playstation store and they can purchase or rent full feature length films. These movies can also be shared with their other Playstation devices. It only takes a moment to take that $0.99 episode of Dragonball Z from your PS3's hard drive and port it to the Vita for movie watching on the go. With the Vita's sharp OLED screen, there isn't even a noticeable degrade in quality. The Vita also supports outside video formats, too. I think the 3DS does, but I haven't been able to figure it out, yet. With the Vita, it's much easier to convert video from a cell phone, or even a video downloaded from the net and have it running on the PSV. A feature not to be overlooked is the PSV's Remote Play . This also existed on the PSP but it was pretty unstable (for me, at least). Now, it's a whole lot easier to access content on your PS3's hard drive using your portable gaming system. If you have wireless access to the internet, you can watch any movie, listen to any music, and even play certain games that are on your PS3. You get to use the PS3's much improved browser, too. Not too shabby.
But wait. There's more! The PSV has its own music player. I'll admit that I don't use it (or the one on the 3DS for that matter) because I have a decent smart phone but it's there for those that want it. You can even use your own music in some Vita games. The Vita gives you an extra level of customization, too. Unlike the 3DS, with Vita, you can customize your wallpapers, start up screen, and more with the pictures of your choice. The Vita has front and rear facing cameras just like the 3DS (though not in 3D) but it's nothing to write home about. Like the 3DS, the pictures are pretty low quality. Still, having the option is a plus. More than anything, the camera will likely be used for Augmented Reality games instead of serious picture taking.
There is already a headset for Vita users as well as the option for party chat and in game messaging--we'll save the details for the connectivity round, though. Just having such an option is a blessing for Vita owners that want to stay in touch with their friends. There's also Sony's twist to the Street Pass/Spot Pass called "Near". Near uses the internet to find other gamers around you and tells you what they are playing. Near also encourages you to rate games by using emoticons. The thing is, all of the emoticons are positve! What if you don't like a game? Your only choices are "Engrossing", "Amazing", "Cool", "Rewarding", etc. Anyway, I've gone on about Near for too long. We'll come back to it, later.
Rounding out the features for Vita are a decent Web Browser (not much better than the 3DS one but it is faster), specialized apps like Twitter, Facebook, and Four Square, a GPS, and the PS Store. Like the 3DS, you can get your trailer, demos, and even download games--both bite sized and full retail--from the store.
Final Verdict (Software Features): Both devices give you more than you expect but not enough and aren't of a good enough quality to compete with your average smart phone. The importance of these features will vary depending on who you are. In all honesty, aside from a couple of exceptions, a lot of these features will go unused. This is between the two portable powerhouses and not cell phones/tablets, though. There are a couple of features that the 3DS offers that the PSV doesn't but there are also quite a few features available on the PSV that just aren't an option on Nintendo's handheld. To top it all off, many of the features that they do share are just done better on Sony's device (music player, web browser, video player). Looks like another round goes to the Playstation Vita.
