Both.
Bought the Vita at launch.
Funny story about my purchase of the 3DS, actually no, not funny at all, but I bought a 3DS after reading this, assuming that a 3DS XL wasn't going to be released until atleast a year or two later.
http://www.webpronews.com/new-3ds-unlikely-says-nintendos-miyamoto-2012-06
So I ordered the regular 3DS the day I saw this news. Amazon and Target were both doing a buy two get one free sale, which I bought 3DS games, and one Vita game I wanted but didn't own. A week later I saw this.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/21/nintendo-announces-extra-large-3ds-ll-with-4-88-inch-top-screen/
Literally one week after I bought my 3DS. Nintendo usually makes statements like "we don't comment on rumors or speculation." But a fucking straight out lie. As a consumer who purchased a 3DS because of that lie it really pisses me off. Anyways. I later got a 3DS XL new for $150.
Anyways, not like a number means much, but I'll give the 3DS 6/10 and the 3DS XL and Vita an 8/10.
3DS is a 6/10 because of how uncomfortable it is to hold. The L and R buttons are positioned where the screen goes over part of them, so your fingers are pressed right up against the back of the screen. The start, select, and home keys on the 3DS are awful and it's like you have to press hard to even get them to work.
3DS XL is an 8/10 because comfort wise it's a massive step up. Infact, it's the second most comfortable handheld. The GBA is the first. The 3DS XL has full backwards compatibility with all DS games, though the quality unless reducing the resolution and screen size by 40% is noticeably worse. The sound quality and volume at the highest setting is poor, all the apps are extremely slow performing and unless you're alone in the house with dead silence, you can't hear a damn thing on Netflix and Youtube.
Vita is the third most comfortable handheld in my opinion. Right behind the 3DS XL. I haven't used a DSi XL though, so no idea how that is, but the regular DS Lite I thought worse worse than the fat DS. The picture and sound quality on the Vita are excellent. The sound volume is loud. The special features available with the Vita are good. A lot of Vita games don't have audio through multiplayer, possibly to make it run better, and party chat with friends while playing multiplayer is works well. The microphone during party chat is smart enough to not pick up on the audio coming from the Vita so you hear your friends and not what they're doing. Netflix is the same as the 3DS version but runs a lot better and loads a lot faster. All other apps are tailored specifically for the Vita and work very well. The Vita's internet runs a lot better than the PS3 and 3DS' internet.
One feature that is missing on the 3DS and it's pretty disappointing is a way to message friends on your list. There's really no way to tell a friend I see online that I want to play a game with them unless I know there phone number. I don't know all my 3DS friends personally.
When it comes to games though, for the Vita, if a game is on the PS3 and doesn't have additional content, then I don't often purchase them, so a lot of exclusives the Vita does have in comparison to the 3DS are lost because they're PS3 ports. So between Vita exclusives and multiconsole games not on the 3DS or PS3, in comparison to the same on the 3DS, their actually even.
RPGs on the 3DS are better. Vita has Persona 4 Golden vs 3DS' SMT4. Sure I have Ys Memories of Celceta and Muramasa Rebirth which are comparable to Fire Emblem, Etrian Odyssey, and Pokemon, but yeah. SMT4.
Platformers are better on the 3DS. LBP Vita is better than Super Mario 3D Land, New Super Mario Bros 2, Lords of Shadow Mirror of Fate, and Shinobi in my opinion but not better than all four together. Gravity Rush is merely decent, the worst of the list.
Racing is better on Vita. Wipeout 2048 with Wipeout HD DLC. I'm not a fan of Mario Kart 7, finished all races, played a little online, got bored within a week. If I wanted to play Mario Kart, I could always play Modnation Racers. Offline only, but it's not like online feels much different than online on a kart racer anyways. The creation mode offsets it..
For shooting, the Vita wins, comes back and wins again. I have Killzone Mercenary but extremely overrated garbage. 2/10, but that doesn't make Vita lose. I have Resident Evil Revelations and Mercenaries for 3DS, but that's in comparison to Uncharted Golden Abyss, Unit 13, and Earth Defense Force 2017.
When it comes to the Vita and 3DS with multiconsole titles included, the Vita is better. Not by a large amount but overall it's the better console.
Dragon's Crown is another RPG that pushes the Vita slightly ahead of the 3DS in terms of quality. Disgaea 3 has all the PS3 content Plus its own unique scenario. I'm not really a fan of Disgaea, but eh.
Fighting is good on both systems.
Racing is even better on the Vita with the better looking versions of the same games on the 3DS, and Need for Speed Most Wanted added to the list.
3DS takes platforming still and Vita takes shooting still.
Vita takes the Monster Hunting genre. I'm going to review it later on, so wait for that, but as someone who doesn't like Ragnarok Odyssey on the Vita and only think Monster Hunter is okay, while this is exclusive, I didn't put it above because Monster Hunter isn't. Soul Sacrifice is a very good Monster Hunter clone, and in my opinion a lot better than Monster Hunter. I had zero interest in it but a friend finally got me into playing it and I'm really liking it.
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In the coming months, the 3DS is going to have Bravely Default and Super Smash Bros. Vita will be getting Sorcery Saga, Demon Gaze, and Soul Sacrifice Delta. 3DS will has the best fighter, 3DS will still have an edge in RPGs. Overall quality of exclusives will still be similar maybe, Vita will have a slight lead in multiconsole titles still.
