Nintendo 3DS versus Playstation Vita? Not Really...

The Nintendo DS firmly and soundly beat the Sony PSP in the "last generation" of portable handhelds. Now we prepare for a new handheld battle, between the Nintendo 3DS and the Sony Playstation Vita.

And... that's it?

No, that's not it... the portable gaming market has been changed by the arrival of the smart-phone, the iPod Touch and the tablet. I said "arrival" because these devices have been "coming" for some time now. Serious phone gaming was first really attempted by Nokia in 2004 with the N-Gage, a cell phone with a little card bay design similar to the current DS card bay that played games stored on cards. Of course this thing was a flop, but hey, it was a first attempt. Nokia, and others, saw a day coming when cell phones would be the hand-held gaming device of choice. While Nokia may have made all the wrong moves with their N-Gage, their general idea was correct. I believe the N-Gage would be considered a "2G" phone, it really is no more complex (other than the game card port) than a modern Tracfone with all the features, and these are 2G phones. A bit premature. These games looked, well, TINY and handled poorly.

But this is no longer the case. There are smart phones now with dual-core architecture and 3D touch screens. There are models that aren't even that expensive, The LG Thrill 4G is a $100 model that has a glasses-free 3D touchscreen. You can count on a lineup of 3D gaming experiences on this device with smashing graphics as good as you would see on a 3DS. Sony, thinking ahead, already has the "Playstation Phone"; the Xperia Play, from Sony Ericsson, sports a tangible button layout in addition to a touch screen. This phone, of course, is Sony's "Plan B" in the handheld war.

Their "Plan A" is the Playstation Vita. This device will sport a 5-inch OLED touch screen, two analog sticks, touch-sensitive back, all the bells and whistles. This little beefcake's specs are amazing, with quad-core architecture and full HD graphics, even the capacity to plug into an HDTV and give a 720p display.

And that is how I will go into the meat of this topic; only the PS Vita stands out from the crowd of handheld options out there. Nintendo's 3DS, while fabulous in my opinion, could easily find itself lost in a crowd of devices that can deliver content that is equally satisfying to the gaming consumer as playing on a 3DS. The 3DS has no phone capabilities, but many smart phones have 3D gaming capabilities, plus a broader spectrum of apps that the 3DS doesn't, won't, and probably can't have.

The Vita's touch-screen, at 5 inches, puts the device somewhere between a handheld device and a tablet. Some smaller tablets have screens as small as 7 inches. This sets it apart slightly from other devices. The control scheme is very thorough, and probably is the best of any device yet.

But the thing that puts it head-and-shoulders above the rest is the raw power. The device will be more powerful than an Xbox 360, rivaling a PS3. The Apple iPad 2 uses dual-core technology, and despite the specs of this device, it isn't near as powerful as the Vita.

Now, so far in the handheld market "power" hasn't been a big issue; it's always been about the content. For years I have been saying that handheld gaming and home console gaming are different worlds. Just because the Uncharted series has fared well with the home market does not mean it will have as much impact on the handheld market. (I do predict that particular game will do well, however.)

Nintendo has won the day in the handheld market again and again because of their strong content. They have a knack for getting the best games and producing sure-fire winners. But if someone already has a phone, and wish to do something as casual as play on a portable device, "on the go", does it make sense to get a 3DS in addition to the phone, or just try to find similar experiences from the phone? What would compel the masses to buy a second device that actually has fewer features than their smart phone?

Nintendo's 3DS seems a little less impressive these days when put up against a smart phone, even a $100 model. But will I underestimate Nintendo?? I would have to be stark mad raving insane to do that. Anytime anyone has ever done that, they have been wrong! Nintendo needs to deliver top-flight content that only they can deliver... but they need to think down the road a bit, and plan some kind of real smart phone strategy for the near future.

The Vita has it all. Or does it? They have shown some of the games, and they look fantastic. I personally am chomping at the bit to get one of these wonder machines. I have no use for the 3G connection, and that connection isn't used for online multi player, as I understand. But the Wi-Fi model will have all of the girth of the 3G model. Put simply, it doesn't NEED to be a phone. It's more comparable to a tablet. Hopefully there will be apps that are more than just games and useless curiosities. I'll add that Nintendo would do well to come up with other apps as well.

It's been the case up until recently that "the games will be the deciding factor", but I really think that's becoming less and less true. Games will be there, but what else can the device do? Again, smart phones and tablets are out there, and they do the gaming plus much more.