Our 3DS vs PS Vita comparison will give you a greater idea of what the differences are between the specs of the upcoming PlayStation Vita and the 3DS so you can make an informed decision as to whether or not you should purchase one or the other.
PRICE
PS Vita: $250/€259/£300 for Wi-Fi Only Model, $300/€300/£280 for 3G Model. A subscription from AT&T required for 3G in the United States (or other cellphone carriers in other territories).
3DS: The 3DS retails for $170/€170/$250 (Australia)
MEDIUM
PS Vita: The PS Vita uses PS Vita GameCards, a new proprietary flash memory card. You can also play games downloaded from the PlayStation Network. All PS Vita games will be offered at retail on physical PS Vita Cards or digitally via the PlayStation Network.
3DS: The Nintendo 3DS uses 3DS Game Cards. You can also download games off the eShop.
BACKWARDS COMPATABILITY
PS Vita: The PS Vita cannot play PSP UMD games, however it can play any titles purchased from the PlayStation Network for PSP. Sony will allow you to transfer UMD games to the PS Vita, but you will have to pay a cost; which differs for each title, and is set by that game’s publisher. Even so, this will be cheaper than downloading it. All PSP Media downloaded from PSN is also playable on your PS Vita and can be freely transferred (including digital comics)
3DS: The 3DS is fully backwards compatible with all DS and DSi Games. Most DSiWare games can be transferred for free from DSi or DSi XL to the 3DS via a freely available “Transfer Tool” downloadable from the DSiWare Section and in the eShop on 3DS.
BATTERY LIFE
The PS Vita outperforms the 3DS for battery life as you can see in this video.
MEMORY CARDS
PS Vita: You are required to purchase a Memory Card in order to save most game data from PS Vita titles. This is a propriety card so memory cards (like the Duo series) used for PSP will not work on PS Vita. PSVita Memory Cards will be available in size from 2GB-32GB, with 2GB and 4GB versions available at launch.
3DS: The 3DS comes with a 2GB SD Memory Card included when you purchase the system. You can use it to save photos, videos, music, and anything downloaded from the eShop.
PS Vita Detailed Spec
CPU: ARM Cortex-A9 core (4 core)
GPU: SGX543MP4+
Dimensions: 83.55 mm (3.289 in) (h)
182 mm (7.2 in) (w)
18.6 mm (0.73 in) (d)
Wireless communications:
– Mobile network connectivity (3G/Wireless model only)
– IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1×1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure Mode/Ad Hoc Mode)
– Bluetooth 2.1+EDR ?A2DP/AVRCP/HSP?
Slots/Ports:
– PlayStationVita card slot
– Memory card slot
– SIM card slot (3G/Wireless model only)
– Multi-use port (for USB data communication, DC IN, Audio [Stereo Out / Mono In], Serial data communication)
– Headset jack (Stereo mini jack) (for Audio [Stereo Out / Mono In])
– Accessory port
Power:
– Built-In Lithium-ion Battery,
– AC adaptor
Supported AV content format:
– Music: MP3 MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer 3?MP4 (MPEG-4 AAC)?WAVE (Linear PCM)
– Video: MPEG-4 Simple Profile (AAC)?H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Hi/Main/Baseline Profile (AAC)
– Photo: JPEG (Exif 2.2.1), TIFF, BMP, GIF, PNG
3DS Detailed Spec
Processor: Nintendo ARM
Graphics: PICA200 by Digital Media Professionals
Storage: 2 GB NAND flash memory
RAM: 128 MB FCRAM
Dimensions: 134 mm (5.3 in) wide × 74 mm (2.9 in) deep × 21 mm (0.83 in) high
Display: Autosteroscopic 3.53 in (90 mm), 800 × 240 px (effectively 400 × 240 WQVGA per eye), 3.02 in (77 mm), 320 × 240 QVGA, 24-bit color
Colors: Approximately 16.7 million
Weight 230 grams (8.1 oz)
Cameras: 0.3 Megapixels – (2 on the outer case and 1 inside)
Wireless Function: 2.4GHz (100 feet recommended range)
Sound: Stereo speakers to the right and left of the top screen
Stylus: Telescoping stylus (3.95 inches extended)
Power: AC adapter and lithium ion battery
Charge Time: Approximately 3.5 hours
Battery Life: Approximately 3-5 hours for 3DS games (depending on screen brightness, Wi-Fi, sound volume, and 3D effect) and 5-8 hours for DS games.