I'm on a tight budget and I'm looking into a PS Vita or 3DS and am a little uncertain which I want to get, I'm tempted to get both, but budget constraints are forcing that off.

Which is the better system, the Vita or the 3ds?

I'm leaning to Vita because of the mp3 playback functionality, as I don't have a dedicated portable music player of any significant size. But I don't know the game library for either system or what the 3DS offers in terms of options.

Which would you recommend and are there any specific titles that would be worth getting on either system? I'm looking at Disgaea 3 and 4 on the vita, and Smash bros on the 3ds but it'll be a while before I can afford either or the handhelds themselves.

My ps3 broke down recently and I'm not likely to replace it as it's out of warranty and we don't get console repairs in my region for the ps3. I'm too light in funds to pick up either a PS4, Xbox one or Wii U up and am looking at all 3 consoles somewhat skeptically

Your thoughts?

3DS has MP3 playback functionality. SD cards are way cheaper than PS Vita's proprietary cards, too.

I have both, but if I had to choose one it would undoubtedly be the 3DS. The game library for the PS Vita is dreadful, especially if you don't live in Japan. There are some good games, but they only cover a few genres, and there aren't any must-haves IMO. 3DS on the other hand has a lot of great games covering many genres. Kid Icarus Uprising and Super Smash Bros. 3DS are my favorite handheld games to date.

I have both, and they're both really good handhelds. The issue is the games, or rather the lack of them. Neither system has been that well supported. The Vita is mostly at the mercy of what developers decides to release in the West (its much more popular in Japan). The 3DS had a bad start, picked up a bit, but now seems to be in a rut again. Frankly, neither system has had the support they need, but if you look hard enough, they both have games worth owning.

But here's what I recommend:
3DS
Fire Emblem Awakening - I don't really get why people love it quite as much as they do, but there's no denying that it is a really great game.
Castlevania: Mirror of Fate - Its very short, but otherwise its a fine 2D Metroidvania game. Surprisingly decent story too.
Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies - the most recent AA game, and one of the better ones. Great writing, lots of cases, and easy to get into even if you haven't played the others.
Resident Evil Revelations - a RE game which stays truer to the survival horror roots of the franchise, than the main games have done for decades.

Vita
Persona 3 Portable - quite simply IMO one of the greatest RPGs ever made.
Persona 4 Golden - the people's choice of Persona games. I'm not as wild about it, but its a good game.
Valkyria Chronicles 2 - Very different feel to the first game, but still a great game. Well worth a look.
Danganronpa 1+2 - visual novel/ace attorney style games. Excellently written, and just the right side of bizarre.

The 3DS had a bad start, picked up a bit, but now seems to be in a rut again.
Huh? The 3DS is not in a rut. It has the most games of all consoles post-2011, many of which are very good. And more are on the way. Super Smash Bros. 3DS, Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate are all highly anticipated games that are releasing soon. Other recent games include Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, Fantasy Life, Cooking Mama 5, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright, etc.

I own 12 games for the 3DS and 3 PS Vita games. The games you've recommended for the Vita are all RPGs, ports/remakes, or PSP games. If you're going to suggest backwards compatible games, then the DS library would make the 3DS even more enticing.

Anyway, it all comes down to what games you want to play.

My recommendations:

Vita:
Gravity Rush

looks good but I haven't played:
Ys: Memories of Celceta
Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (also on 3DS)

3DS:
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Pokemon X/Y
Mario Kart 7
Kid Icarus Uprising
Super Smash Bros. 3DS
Kirby Triple Deluxe
Star Fox 64 3D
Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy
Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

looks good but I haven't played:
Mario & Luigi Dream Team (enjoyed the DS games)
Professor Layton: and the Miracle Mask; and the Azran Legacy (enjoyed the DS games)
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Bravely Default
Tomodachi Life
Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Fire Emblem: Awakening

Also you should know that there's a New 3DS coming out next year (for NA/EU; Oct. 2014 in Japan) with additional shoulder buttons, a right analog nub, improved 3D viewing angles, UI themes, better processors, and exclusive games in the future. Right now Xenoblade Chronicles is the only announced exclusive. I would suggest waiting for that as the price is equivalent to the current 3DS.

Newニンテンドー3DS Preview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdy9Z_bDIC8)

---------- Post added at 07:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:01 PM ----------

Oh, and since you already have the controller from your PS3, you may want to consider a PlayStation TV (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/09/22/nearly-700-games-available-to-play-on-playstation-tv-on-day-one-this-october-2/#sf4761847) over a PS Vita. It should be $99 new for the standalone console. Plays most Vita games, cartridge or downloaded, and you can play on your TV.

Oh I'm sorry - I didn't know this was *that* kind of competition. I recommended the games I thought were worth owning on those systems, and I stand by that (as I do with my assertion that they are under-supported and in dire need of better format specific games). I didn't include thoughts on downloading old games on the Vita to score any kind of 'points' over the 3DS - I was merely stating that this is what I do. I have no bones about saying that the Vita's situation is dire, but as it stands, it still has about as many games that I really care about as the 3DS (which is to say - not nearly as many as I'd like). I am quite clearly for the 'Get both of them' camp, but with caveats because I'm not in the habit of encouraging people to spend money on products without letting them know important details.

And the state of the games and level of support from the industry is a pretty serious detail IMO. If you're happy with the line-up for the 3DS and its coming games, then good for you. I think it sucks, and just because the 3DS has more games than the Vita, that simply makes it a 'less worse' situation IMO, given what those games are. Like I said, I really like both systems, but I really *don't* like their game libraries at all. They both lack for anything like a healthy number of games that scream 'You *must* own this system!' New updates of old franchises, spin-offs of old franchises etc etc are all well and good. But original, fresh ideas is where its at for me - and where it isn't for these 2 systems (in the west anyway, because Western developers would rather eat a crushed glass and razor blade sandwich than make a portable game).

Don't let my jaded, weary demeanor cloud the fact that I don't regret having either system. Far from it - because even if say I am just playing old PS1 games or PSP games on the Vita, the larger screen and feel of the console still makes it a better and more comfortable experience (as does the longer cable!) Same with the 3DS - the larger screen makes playing old DS games a more enjoyable and pleasing experience. I'm concerned that without new IPs of their own, the systems can't make a case for themselves as being truly relevant to modern gamers. But using the handhelds to play classic old games again in a comfortable, relaxing way or to seek out games I missed in the past, has been worth the price of buying these portables alone IMO.

But the best advice I can give is to remind you of that sound wisdom that applies to any prospective console purchase - buy the one that has the games you want to play. In the final analysis, its the only thing that matters.

Honestly, I've spent more time on my 3DS playing older DS games than 3DS titles. Not much of the 3DS' lineup really stands out to me saying "buy me, play me, and have happy ending". Rune Factory 4, a third-party exculsive BTW, is my favorite 3DS game so far, beating out Kid Icarus Uprising, Zelda ALBW, and even Pokemon X. But the original DS has a fantastic lineup of games (the PSP seems to also, but I've never owned one, considering rectifying that on Friday...), and if you're on a budget, you could get one of those for cheap to hold you over until you (and only YOU) can decide which current gen system is worth your money.

I know very little about the Vita, honestly. I see mention above that it can play PSP games, but is that true for ALL PSP games? I would like to know before I run off and pick up a PSP because of all the games I've missed out on... Only to find out I could have bought a Vita for all the same games, plus new ones.

I actually tried asking a Gamestop employee this question once. They either didn't know and were talking out their ass or simply not giving me a straight answer. It was quite annoying. I'm commited to avoiding that crony corporation like the plague nowadays.

I know very little about the Vita, honestly. I see mention above that it can play PSP games, but is that true for ALL PSP games? I would like to know before I run off and pick up a PSP because of all the games I've missed out on... Only to find out I could have bought a Vita for all the same games, plus new ones.

Last I heard is that not all PSP games are available on PSN. However, you can install eCFW (hacking) to play all PSP game ISOs. Although you would need a PSP to rip ISOs.

So basically, I'd need a PSP anyway. Lol. That's good to know. Thanks.

Useful thoughts, thanks for the responses. I'm looking at the gamelists and thinking it might be good to wait, especially with the new version releases on the way of the different handhelds.

I've heard that the new Vita slim has a weaker screen than the classic vita

I'm not overly thrilled with either system's game selection right now, though there are definetely some games that look tempting.

I did look up a couple of the recommended games and found Kid Icarus is running 90 dollars atm, That's really steep for any handheld game, I've never paid more than 40 for any handheld game. Is it really that good?

Playstation tv sounds like a standalone super gameboy for playstation. I hadn't looked into that one at all, as I saw it and thought it was just for television

According to what I've read the 3DS maxes out at 32 gigs for music (which isn't bad at all) but I do know the vita can hit 62 gigs if not more than that. But as noted above it seems the vita memory cards are substantially more expensive, as the 62 gig runs over $100 where I've been looking

Regarding PSP and PSVita, PSP downloadable games are supposed to be backward compatible, but the Vita doesn't have the same kind of drive as a PSP so disk based games will not work on Vita.

After checking wikipedia, I found out Playstation TV uses HDMI for tv, which my tv can't support ;\

Useful thoughts, thanks for the responses. I'm looking at the gamelists and thinking it might be good to wait, especially with the new version releases on the way of the different handhelds.

I've heard that the new Vita slim has a weaker screen than the classic vita

I'm not overly thrilled with either system's game selection right now, though there are definetely some games that look tempting.

I did look up a couple of the recommended games and found Kid Icarus is running 90 dollars atm, That's really steep for any handheld game, I've never paid more than 40 for any handheld game. Is it really that good?

Playstation tv sounds like a standalone super gameboy for playstation. I hadn't looked into that one at all, as I saw it and thought it was just for television

According to what I've read the 3DS maxes out at 32 gigs for music (which isn't bad at all) but I do know the vita can hit 62 gigs if not more than that. But as noted above it seems the vita memory cards are substantially more expensive, as the 62 gig runs over $100 where I've been looking

Regarding PSP and PSVita, PSP downloadable games are supposed to be backward compatible, but the Vita doesn't have the same kind of drive as a PSP so disk based games will not work on Vita.

After checking wikipedia, I found out Playstation TV uses HDMI for tv, which my tv can't support ;\

Yeah, the Vita Slim screen is LCD vs. OLED on the original. OLED looks better but can be prone to burn-in. Although the new screen shouldn't look any worse than a 3DS screen.

Where do you live that Kid Icarus Uprising is $90? I just checked Ebay and found it for $30 new, although the 3DS stand and AR cards aren't included (not really necessary).

And 3DS SD cards can go beyond 32GBs. I have 64GBs in my 3DS. You just have to format the SD card to FAT32.

I was checking amazon for Kid Icarus, someone on there is selling it for 90 > Standard edition

I did read that the new LCD screen will run a little longer on battery life which is an acceptable tradeoff I guess, I just really hate not having a strong screen

Kid Icarus Uprising ranks as the #1 carpal tunnel-inducing game I've ever played (even when using the stand). I absolutely hate the controls (imo, it should have been a Wii U launch title instead, just sayin'), but the game itself is very fun and humorous. When I got it a year ago, it was $35 new with everything included: cards, stand, and game. $90 is absolutely ridiculous, and no, the game is not that good lol.

I own both, and to be honest, the Vita gets more usage.

I will play the 3DS for all the AAA releases to do with Pokemon (incl Smash Bros) and that's it.
I have a great library of games on my Vita digitally, which I am happy to jump in and out of any time (including Vita, PS1, PS2 & PSP classics, I have over 60 great games to choose from!) I only have three games on actual game card - Persona 4, FFX and Rayman Legends.