Nintendo New 3DS vs Sony PlayStation Vita

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

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New 3DS compared with PlayStation Vita

	NintendoNew 3DS	SonyPlayStation Vita
Overview
Released
Released	October 2014	December 2011
Performance
Type
Type	Handheld	Handheld
CPU
CPU	–	ARM Cortex-A9, 4 cores
GPU
GPU	–	PowerVR SGX543MP4+
Memory
Memory	–	640 MB
Disc drive
Disc drive	No	No
CPU
CPU	–	ARM Cortex-A9 core (4 core)
GPU
GPU	–	SGX543MP4+
Memory detail
Memory detail	–	512 MB main memory and 128 MB VRAM (Sony's PCH-1000 specifications)
Storage detail
Storage detail	A removable microSDHC card is included; the Japanese standard bundle includes 4 GB, while the UK manual says to check the box for its capacity. Nintendo's public specification does not state the internal capacity	No built-in storage on the PCH-1000; games on PlayStation Vita cards or downloaded
Storage expansion
Storage expansion	microSD card slot beneath the rear cover plate	PS Vita memory card slot (Sony's own format)
Display and video
Built-in screen
Built-in screen	3.88″ LCD, 800 × 240	5″ OLED, 960 × 544
Built-in screen
Built-in screen	Upper 3.88-inch glasses-free 3D LCD, 800 × 240 (400 pixels per eye in 3D), with face-tracking Super-Stable 3D; lower 3.33-inch touch LCD, 320 × 240. Both display approximately 16.7 million colours; automatic brightness adjustment	5 inches (16:9), 960 × 544, approx. 16 million colours, OLED; capacitive multi-touch screen and rear multi-touch pad
Audio
Audio	Stereo speakers with pseudo-surround support, built-in microphone and stereo headphone output	Built-in stereo speakers and microphone; headset jack
Design and power
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 10.5 hours	Up to 5 hours
Weight
Weight	253 g (better)	260 g
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Replaceable KTR-003 lithium-ion battery, 5.2 Wh. Nintendo rates approximately 3.5–6 hours with 3DS software and 6.5–10.5 hours with DS software; runtime depends on brightness, wireless activity, software and temperature. Full charge approximately 3.5 hours	2210 mAh built-in battery; about 3–5 hours of games, 5 hours of video and 9 hours of music (Sony)
Power use
Power use	Approximately 4.1 W maximum while charging (Nintendo UK manual)	–
Size
Size	142 × 80.6 × 21.6 mm when folded (width × depth × thickness); approximately 253 g includes battery, stylus and microSD card	–
Colours
Colours	Black and white at the Japanese and European launches; interchangeable cover plates sold separately	–
In the box
In the box	New 3DS, stylus, microSDHC card, six AR cards, front and back cover plates, quick start guide and operations manual (UK); Nintendo 3DS AC adapter sold separately	–
Connections
Ports
Ports	Game card slot, microSD card slot, charging-cradle connectors, AC adapter connector and headphone connector; infrared transceiver with recommended distance within 20 cm	PS Vita card slot, memory card slot, multi-use port (USB, DC IN, audio), headset jack, accessory port; SIM card slot on the 3G/Wi-Fi model
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth	Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz; NFC at 13.56 MHz; recommended wireless communication distance within 30 m (Nintendo UK manual)	Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g/n (1x1), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; 3G and GPS on the 3G/Wi-Fi model
Controller
Controller	Circle Pad, C Stick, D-pad, A/B/X/Y, L/R, ZL/ZR, Start/Select, HOME and touch screen; motion and gyro sensors. One inner and two outer fixed-focus CMOS cameras, 640 × 480 (0.3 megapixels) each; KTR-004 stylus approximately 76.5 mm long	Built-in D-pad, two analogue sticks, four face buttons, two shoulder buttons; six-axis motion sensing and three-axis electronic compass; front and rear cameras (up to 640 × 480)
Backward compatibility
Backward compatibility	Nintendo 3DS, DS and DSi game cards, including New Nintendo 3DS-exclusive games; built-in NFC supports amiibo. eShop purchases and new free downloads ended on 27 March 2023; most internet services ended on 8 April 2024, while redownloads and updates remain available (Nintendo)	Supported downloadable PSP games and PS one Classics (PlayStation)