World War III: Nintendo 3DS vs Playstation Vita

     After dropping $250 on launch day for a 3DS, only to have the price drop $80, I figured I'd wait a while to get a Vita. That didn't last long. Here I am, one month post-launch, with a shiny new Vita, as well as my thoroughly used 3DS and able to make a comparison of the two. While they are two entirely different beasts, nobody likes that "everybody's a winner" crap, so there will be a winner here. First, I'll discuss the 3DS, then the PS Vita, and compare the two.
     As many people have stated, Nintendo fucked up the launch, but not as badly as people make it out to be. At launch, they had the most powerful handheld, as well as glasses-free 3D technology in a mainstream device. What they did not have, however, were games. For the first couple of months post-launch, all I had to play was Super Street Fighter IV. It wasn't until the recent releases of games such as Mario Land 3D and Mario Kart 7 that my launch purchase of a 3DS paid off. Also, the e-Shop has been slow to develop, consisting mainly of a few casual 3D games and old Game Boy and Game Gear titles.
     After researching the Vita heavily for a month post-launch, I decided to take the plunge. As o right now, it is far more worth its asking price than the 3DS was at $250. The lineup of games within the first thirty days is far more varied, with key first party franchises such as Uncharted making an early appearance, and third party franchises like Marvel Vs. Capcom also starting off strongly. So strongly, that I purchased eight titles in the first week of owning a Vita. The hardware is also top quality, with the OLED screen and PS3-like graphics truly impressing. Addition of a second analog stick to the core product was also a wise move, with the actual stick (not slider) design being a plus. Sony's implementation of PSN and Trophy support out of the gate is also leaps and bounds above expectations following Nintendo's offerings on the 3DS.
     Each device serves a different purpose. The 3DS is a natural extension of the DS line of products, with Wii-quality graphics, viewable in 3D. The Vita, on the other hand, is less of a PSP successor and more of an effort to put a current console in the palm of your hand. It succeeds in so many ways. While the 3DS is only now finding its identity, the Vita seems to have learned from the mistakes of the PSP, the PS3, iOS devices, and the 3DS and put out a product that addresses criticisms of all of them. As the owner of both a 3DS and a Vita, I don't want to see either fail. I  hope each company puts out the best games possible and inspires healthy competition.