Jacen Sekai

The New Nintendo 2DS XL has been my daily driver handheld for at least a year at this point, and I still love it. I wrote a full review on it a while back, but the main takeaway is that it has a good enough library of games and homebrew to make it usable 14 years after it was released.

However, I've also heard PlayStation Vita users talking about how good their handheld was. As a portable tech enthusiast, I felt like I needed to get hands-on with the Vita to find out if it was really as good as people say it is.

After experiencing both devices, here's how they stack up years after their end-of-life.

Homebrew

The very first thing you will want to do with both of these handhelds is install custom firmware (CFW) and homebrew, so that's probably a pretty good place to start. Both the 3DS and the Vita have extremely easy-to-follow guides, so it all comes down to the process.

The Vita does win in that regard. The 3DS's CFW install method requires a lot of transferring files to and from a computer, meaning you will need to remove and reinsert the SD card many times, making the process very tedious. The Vita, however, is quick, easy, and doesn't even require a computer.

Actually installing homebrew apps, however, makes things a bit more difficult. The 3DS has Universal Updater, which makes it easy to download and update your homebrew apps directly on-device, although the 3DS's Wi-Fi module seems to be a bit weak, meaning your speeds might be a little slow. I've typically seen speeds of around a couple hundred kilobits per second. The Vita does have an equivalent app, but I was unable to make it work, even after some troubleshooting. You can plug the Vita into your computer via USB to transfer and install apps that way, so this ultimately comes down to personal preference and access to a PC.

One major homebrew app that I'll be bringing attention to is Moonlight, a program that lets you stream games from your PC to a remote device. This means that, on top of the handheld's native library and the library of emulated games, you get access to the full library of PC games. While nice for both the 3DS and the Vita, the Vita in particular benefits from this for reasons that we'll touch on later.

Storage

Storage might seem like an odd topic to emphasize, but it's actually a crucial consideration when choosing between these handhelds.

The 3DS runs off basic SD and micro SD cards. They do need to be formatted in the FAT32 file format, and the device tends to struggle with higher capacities, but it at least has the advantage of using an extremely common standard.

The Vita, however, uses proprietary memory cards. While you can get adapters fairly inexpensively, they tend to have quality issues, meaning you'll need to go through the hassle of buying several of them and returning the ones that don't work or aren't used. The Vita only has 1 GB of on-board storage, which isn't enough to store one copy of many games, and the 1000 series didn't have on-board memory at all, so you will need some kind of storage solution to use the device. This makes the SD card situation a pretty major mark against the Vita.

For comparison, while doing research, I was able to find a 16 GB Vita memory card for around $20. A 256 GB SD card and the Vita adapter cost around $25.

Hardware

The Vita has overall more powerful hardware than the 3DS, but that's not really what I want to talk about.

First, I would like to bring attention to the screen. The 3DS XL's top screen is 4.88 inches, and the PS Vita's screen is 5 inches, making them pretty comparable in size. The difference is in resolution. The 3DS runs at 240p, while the Vita is 544p, which makes a massive difference, particularly when streaming with Moonlight. It makes the Vita a great streaming device if you want to play games on your couch.

Second, I want to talk about battery life, where the Vita comes out on top again. Even after replacing it, I find the 3DS battery struggles when the device is in sleep mode, lasting only around two days before it needs to be charged, even if it's been completely idle the whole time. The Vita seems to idle much better, lasting days, or even weeks, before it needs to be recharged. It's very useful to know that, even after taking an extended break, the Vita will be ready to be picked up and used without the need for constant supervision.

Next, let's talk about form factor, where the 3DS finally gets another win. I really like the clamshell design of the 3DS for a daily driver device. While both the 3DS and Vita are pocket-sized, the clamshell makes the 3DS actually pocketable, while the Vita is a bit more of a struggle to carry around comfortably.

Finally, I do want to bring attention to the controls. Both handhelds are fairly small and cramped, but I mostly want to talk about the Vita's analog sticks. I've found that they're extremely sensitive, making fine adjustments difficult. I'm not sure if it's a deadzone issue or some other problem that can be fixed in settings, but I haven't found a way to resolve it yet.

Software

There isn't really a lot to say about software. The 3DS wins here just because of the standard Nintendo exclusives (Pokémon, Mario, Fire Emblem, etc.), although it does have some surprising picks, like the original Senran Kagura games. Other surprisingly entertaining titles are Project Mirai and Madden. Meanwhile, a lot of the Vita library is already available on PC, meaning you're better off just streaming them unless you're in a place where you don't have an internet connection.

Both handhelds have a decent selection of emulators, and, like I mentioned previously, they both have Moonlight clients, meaning you can stream your PC games if you want to.

Conclusion

I've actually enjoyed my time with the Vita, and I've begun throwing it into my backpack in case I have downtime and want to try out some offline JRPGs I've downloaded. With that said, I think the 3DS will retain its place as my “daily driver”. The clamshell form factor just makes it much easier to carry around. I will still probably continue to bring the Vita around with me, just in case I happen to get into the Neptunia or SAO mood.

As for my recommendation, the ability to use normal SD cards with the 3DS is enough to make me recommend that over the Vita. However, if you're okay with the hassle of trying out multiple adapters to find one that works, or you're just planning to use it to stream with Moonlight, the increased screen resolution and the library of more traditional games do make it a tempting pick.