Sales Sony could not avoid being considered a competitor with smart phones. Even if it lacked a single non-gaming app it would still be viewed as a competitor. I remember when N-Gage was new and gaming on phones began. Already back then when games looked like Game&watch titles on most phones. I remember hearing phones being referred to as competitors.

If anything Sony should have added more functionality to the 3G model. Adding full fledged phone capabilities would have given the 3G model a huge boost. After reading the article if they were not grossly exaggerating those critiques seem to be valid.

Though a digital game like Angry Birds or Cut the Rope simply are not the same quality and value as anything I have seen on Vita's thus far or in fact a good half of 3DS games. The hardcore games on phones Infinity Blade or one of Gamelofts titles give me a break they should he worth 10-15$ but they certainly are not the same value as a Sony Vita's game or something from say Nintendo. Their games are bigger budget more content and as such worth more.

If your satisfied playing Angry Birds on your phone and don't see the use of Vita's/3DS you really can't call yourself a gamer.

Fuck yo phone!

Is it my fault you live on ice! 

Man, even the 3DS will let you use its shitty browser in the middle of a game!

Anyway, when the 3DS launched, we got plenty of complaints about how it was impossible to reach the stylus with your right hand while playing a game, how the 3D graphics could kill you, how the bottom screen would destroy the top screen, and how the power button would reset the system. None of these things really wound up being a problem.

Also, like the PSP, PS3, and Xbox 360 before it, the 3DS has evolved from the system it was on day one. It has new features coming out of its ass. Maybe the Vita will evolve, too. We just have to wait and see.

As a person in the market for a Vita, I have to admit, more than any article I've read before, this one makes me want to hold off on my purchase, though.

Aren't you? I thought everyone from the land of ice is Norwegian who claim to be islanders now. 

Price isn't all that relevant however. Phones are now completely viable gaming devices, and are as such direct competition to the Vita. The fact that smartphones are as popular as they are also means that many possible Vita owners will already have smartphones, so comparing features between the two is quite relevant. Especially because the Vita can beat every smartphone on the market in terms of power, so the limitations lie in Sony's software.

I meant the price of the smartphones. He brings them up because it's a device many people will already own and use for gaming, and since the Vita clearly isn't constrained by power, it lacking something like multitasking for games and the browser makes it a bit of a blow. Even the 3DS can do it after all, and that's way cheaper than the Vita.

You will take that back right now, sir. He is a serious journalist who bashed his head into a brick wall because he had to spend a month playing with a device that wasn't a smartphone. That is called professionalism, not hypocrisy!

If I didn't know better, I would swear this person is writing about a Nintendo product, because those types of "feelings" are usually reserved for the "Big N."

The UI opinion is a personal preference, but it does not seem to have much variability.
The proprietary memory cards and cables are an issue.
The lack of backward compatibility for UMDs means there is a limited "built in" audience for upgrading.
And the price point is rather high compared to alternatives.

The PSV will find an audience. It has good games and can do some interesting things. But it won't be as ubiquitous as well phones -- but neither was the PSP.

Mike from Morgantown

Whoa, hold up. This article is incredibly stupid and all, but let's not go overboard here.