It actually is shaping up so that the real contest may not be between 3DS and Vita, but between Wii U and Vita.

The Vita is all about console-level experiences on a handheld device that is honestly too large to carry around with you everywhere; I expect that the vast majority of play time on the Vita will be within the home. If you're looking for high-end experiences within the home, on a larger handheld device with a good sized screen, you'd do better to look at the Wii U than at the 3DS.

I think that's an interesting contest (Wii U vs Vita), insofar as the pricing breaks down very differently. We don't know the cost of the Wii U, but when you start to realize it also includes a high-end portable gaming device (for use within the home) right out of the box, it makes it a 2-in-1 purchase that might just be the most appealing option for many consumers. Then again, it all depends on the kind of gaming you're interested in... I have no doubts that the PSV will be embraced by a segment of the gaming populace that would never be interested in a Wii U.

1) We'll have to pay the equivalent of $150 more dollars in the UK (minus release date bargains, plus VAT) than in North America
2) I won't be able to use my UMDs on it.

If it weren't for that, I'd jump ship without hesitation.

And that's not to mention possible region locking and (possible) battery life.

All I'm waiting for is a game I'd actually like to buy on the 3DS...

How could the Wii U compete with the Vita when the controller can not be used out of range of the actual Wii U console?

Not sure where you got the info about PS3 Downloads, but they as far as I am concerned, they are not backwards compatible. Vita does not run PS3 code. I wish it did. It'd make this LBP game a lot easier to write.

It may be the case that some PS3 downloads get remade for Vita with cross compatibility on the saved games, but I'm 100% certain that it won't be all of them.

Hm, perhaps I'll just quote myself rather than making the same case twice.

In other words: neither the 3DS nor the Wii U directly maps onto the PSVita — as they're really three very different kinds of devices — but given the size of the Vita and its likelihood to mostly be played in the home (or so I'm predicting), it makes much more sense, in a lot of ways, to compare the Wii U and the PSVita than to compare with the 3DS. Again, the PSVita is also mostly geared towards traditional console games in high quality on a portable-ish but large screen, which makes it more akin to the kinds of gaming you'd get on your Wii U when using it without the TV.

@warioswoods Yeah my main concern with the Vita is that people will just play Uncharted: Golden Abyss for example on their PS3 for the bigger screen and DualShock support since you can save data for at least some Vita games to a cross-platform cloud.

The Vita is stunning hardware-wise, but since it seems to be more of a living-room handheld, it almost defeats the point of having such great capabilities if its games are available to play on the PS3 too.

EDIT: Are you working on the new LBP game, Digger Dan? If so, kudos for being involved in the best-looking Vita game yet!

@Pandalicious

So, when you're done playing on the TV and want to take your game to the bedroom (or when someone else takes over the TV), you'll have to quit out of it on the PS3, launch the game on your PSVita, and resume the save state from the cloud. On the Wii U, you'll just have to press a button on the touchscreen, and now you're still in mid-game, but without the TV needed.

Hmm, actually I can see Sony replicating the Wii U functionality here and just streaming from the consolse to the Vita — which I believe they've played with before --so then there's little difference, except that one is a console + a portable purchase, and the other is native to the console out-of-the-box.

Again, I'm just making the point that the in-home uses of the PSVita are very much like the Wii U. I understand that it has other uses and other abilities, but the comparison is much more useful, it seems to me, than comparing the Vita to the 3DS. It has more in common with the Wii U, overall.

@warioswoods Sorry, I wasn't arguing with you or anything. I just replied to you for some reason when stating my thoughts about the Vita, not in relation to the Wii U at all. I see your point with the similarities.

@Pandalicious

Oh, I know, I wasn't arguing either, just continuing the comparison : )

I feel kind stupid, as my shiny green PSP is less than a year old as they announce this. But still, $250 is pretty damn good, as its almost like a portable PS3... Ninty better drop their 3DS's price to about $200 if they wanna boot Sony again.

Still, I have to say it: Viva La VITA!!!

Regarding the price, it is not a matter of Sony being somehow able to cram more tech in for the dollar. As usual, it's just a matter of how deep in the red they're willing to go in order to compete.

Sony confirmed that it will be selling at a loss on each unit, but said it hopes to start being profitable within three years. I know I've complained about it before, but I hate it when companies sell tech products at a loss; it distorts the market.

Anyhow, it's neither a surprise nor a huge deal, but it is important to understand when you compare companies. I'd love to see exactly what Sony could actually fit into a product at cost, if they were forced to profit off each unit sold, as Nintendo does. I think it would surprise most consumers who just think that they magically cram in more parts for cheaper; they don't do any such thing, they simply go boldly into the red.

No problem. I'm saying "wait and see" because I want to see if Sony is serious about their handheld when it rolls on out. They should not treat it like a home console- because hey, that was the problem with the PSP. I don't mind them keeping that idea, but don't let that overshadow the fact that this is a handheld that happens to provide console-like experiences. Comparing 3DS and Vita- I have more reasons to carry my 3DS around than Vita. It's way too early for me to make a final decision, but if Sony takes note of Nintendo's approach in connectivity and taking your system around and find a way to make it their own, then I can see that yes, they are going to treat it more like a handheld than a home console. I commend them with the ATT partnership. But what about something similar to Nintendo Zone?

Sony is more than capable of pulling something like that off.

I am, and thanks for the compliment! It's taken a lot of hard work to get it to the point you've seen it in the demos. Mostly by other people, though!

Playstation Vita looks beyond awesome, and I will certainly be buying it on day one. Oh, and PS Vita is confirmed to be region-free.

That's not quite a confirmation, but it means it's very likely.

Vita has already been confirmed to be able to play ALL the PS3 PlayStation Network Games. The PSP can already do this with some of the PSN games already too, and it also can play Lair - a PS3 Blu-ray Game - through the internet by connecting directly to the PS3 over the internet.

Vita has also been confirmed to not be region protected.

The Vita would have to be region free because it taps into the PSN, which is a region-free digital service.

Sony's not a stupid company. It would not want a host of gamers going "WTF WHY CANT I PLAY MY JAPANESE GAMES ANY MORE?"

Vita has already been confirmed to be able to play ALL the PS3 PlayStation Network Games.

I thought I wasn't crazy. I was sure I'd seen that announced and confirmed.

I'm definitly feeling the same way.
I don't care how powerful the system is, the 3DS could have Super Nintendo graphics for all I care with that magical incredible 3D technology and I'd still take it over the PSPV insantly. When all said and done, it's about the games and what appeal to you, Nintendo franchises have been here from the beginning, and as we all know they're brilliant. That, and the new 3D technology, the retro downloads on the eShop ect ect have got me foaming at the mouth.

The PSPV doesn't excite me, but a big chunk of that has to do with the titles that simply put don't appeal to me....Uncharted, no thanks. Mod Nation Racing? yuck. It's going to have a slew of realistic games and RPG's and to that i say no thanks.

Maybe if a new Resident Evil or Mega Man title rears there I may turn to the Vita side muhaha. But it will take more than 2 titles to swoon me over. It was the exact same probelm i had with the PSP.

The PSPV doesn't excite me, but a big chunk of that has to do with the titles that simply put don't appeal to me....Uncharted, no thanks. Mod Nation Racing? yuck. It's going to have a slew of realistic games and RPG's and to that i say no thanks.

So, did you actually look into the PSV at all, or are you just guessing? Because it had retro downloads (PSOne classics), and the rest of what you said would be as silly as me claiming the 3DS is just going to be Mario platformers.

It was the exact same probelm i had with the PSP.

Then you never played a PSP or looked at its game library.

Believe it or not, Waveboy has looked at the PSP library. He's just very, very picky.