Agreed, and what do you think, Tina?

Damn right!

I was just trying to be helpful.  :(

@ d21lewis

It's okay, that was a good thread though.

@pezus

I'm just going to put this out there. VGChartz is all that matters.

3DS doesn't run this site well, iPod touch doesn't let you quote people, but Vita does.

Answer: Vita

I don't think Exclusives should be all that matters, but when you compare the Vita and 3DS till the end of this year, they're both pretty good.

The Vita Retail Games:

1 - Uncharted: Golden Abyss
2 - Lumines: Electronic Symphony
3 - Gravity Rush
4 - Uncharted: Golden Abyss
5 - Wipeout 2048
6 - Hot Shots Golf World Invitational
7 - Unit 13
8 - Resistance: Burning Skies (Reviews are poor but I liked it and recommend it if you like the series)
9 - ModNation Racers: Road Trip (Again, reviews are poor but I enjoyed it)
10 - LittlebigPlanet Vita
11 - Ragnarok Odyssey
12 - Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
13 - Call of Duty Black Ops Declassified

That;s by the end of this year confirmed. There are also awesome Downloads:

1 - Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack
2 - Sound Shapes (Let's be honest, it's a Vita game)
3 - Super Stardust Delta
4 - MotorStorm RC
5 - Escape Plan

Then there's also the enhanced ports, or otherwise awesome games that you should and can get if you don't have them on consoles:

1 - Rayman Origins
2 - Mortal Kombat
3 - Metal Gear solid HD Collection
4 - Blazblue Continuum Shift Extend
5 - Ultimate MArvel vs Capcom 3
6 - Fifa Soccer
7 - Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention
8 - MLB 12: The Show
9 - Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus
10 - Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale

Even if you take out the console ports, it's still got plenty you can't get anywhere else. it's got a great list and downloads. Let's comapre it to the 3DS, which I will remind you has an additional year's worth of time on the market:

3DS Retail Exclusives:

1 - Super Mario 3D Land
2 - Mario Kart 7
3 - Kid Icarus Uprising
4 - Resident Evil Revelations
5 - Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
6 - Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
7 - New Super Mario Bros 2
8 - Tetris Axis
9 - Nano Assault
10 - Pilotwings Resort
11 - Paper Mario 3D

Not all that impressive, really. Here are the downloads for the system:

1 - Pushmo
2 - Colors 3D
3 - Mutant Mudds
4 - VVVVVVVV

There are some others, but they're all completely unknown stuff. hell, colors, Mudds, and VVVV are all unknowns too, but they all got 80+ reviews, apparently. Now for the ports and upgrades:

1 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
2 - Super Street Fighter IV: 3D
3 - Cave Story 3D
4 - Dead or Alive Dimensions
5 - Star Fox 64 3D
6 - Tom Clancy
7 - Metal Gear Solid 3D
8 - Tales of the Abyss
9 - Ridge Racer 3D
10 - Lego Pirates of the Caribbean 3D
11 - Sonic Generations

So it's up to you to decide what you want and whatkinds of games you like more. both have some awesome things to offer, but with the Vita's less than a year on the market, it's done more. Of course, I'm not AS familiar with the 3DS's lineup for the rest of the year, but from what I can tell Paper Mario is really all that's left to come out this holiday season.

I love the games that the 3DS offers (Kingdom Hearts, Theatrhythm, Mario, Zelda, all favorites of mine), but Vita has more variety. In my opinion, anyway. Nintendo once again has about a dozen different games and franchises to float it's console, but that's enough for me!

Perhaps THIS will help you see things my way......

But in all seriousness, go with the Vita. It sounds like a better fit for what you want in a portable gaming console. Get the 3DS later on. You can't go wrong either way. The 3DS is a better fit for me (but I REALLY enjoy 'em both). The Vita is a better fit for you.

Vita apps> iPhone apps. The same apps are better quality on the vita.

If you are not American don't buy an american 3DS. It is region locked

You're forgetting some stuff like Mighty Switch Force and Zen Pinball from the eShop as well as some other good stuff and some upcoming stuff like Ace Combat, Code of Princess, Mario Tennis, Heroes of Ruin, and Monster Hunter.

Also, I'm pretty hyped for Street Fighter x Tekken for the Vita and I already own Virtua Tennis and it plays pretty good for the few minutes I've spent with it.

There's some weaker 3DS versions of some of those Vita games, too (ie: Rayman and BlazBlue) if it matters.

I know you didn't include things from 2013 but whichever portable he buys (and, as I stated before, the Vita seems more like his kind of experience) is going to be a long term purchase.  Next year's games are still relavant, right?  I think it would paint a clearer picture if people just looked at official release lists or a Metacritic top 10 or even Wikipedia instead of a partial list of select titles with comments like " Not all that impressive" to set a particular tone.

I'm just sayin'.

I'm trying to keep to the 'relevant' stuff.  I had a hard time putting some of the 3DS downloads simply based on the fact that I'd never heard of them.  Plus yes, I was keeping it to 2012.  Not that it's not a long term purchase, but I was looking for immediate or upcoming options.  

I also didn't mention Silent Hill, Need for Speed, Street fighter X Tekken, or any of the other ports that weren't special or outstanding.