The Vita VS Android/iOS – What should you get for gaming?

Aurora

I'm a girl that's liked technology from day 1. Mostly interested in the PSVita/PSP scene but I've always modded my stuff when it's possible, that is :) Contact me via DM at @KawaiiAuroraA on Twitter if you have any questions/concerns about my articles or if you have any article requests.

53 Responses

  1. fidosy says:

    I think when there is a head to head tuff comparison like this “Power” is a major decider too

    • Chdonga says:

      You can’t really debate power when comparing operating systems. A 1st gen Droid won’t hold a candle to the Vita but the latest Samsung smartphone blows the Vita out of the water.

      • Natalie says:

        In terms of Hardware, I’d agree, but try and run anything close to a vita game on a Samsung and the OS just isn’t optimized enough, It’ll choke on the game and not play.
        Handheld consoles work because the games only need to be played on that one hardware configuration.

        • Gamr13 says:

          Not true, I’ve seen plenty of games that look as good as a PS Vita game on my Android devices, heck, even my Samsung Galaxy S4 mini (and S3 mini) were able to play a game whilst looking like – if not better than a PS Vita game. And now that I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone, with a 1080p display, games like Real Racing 3, and both Dead Trigger games look – in my opinion, better than what the PS Vita could produce graphically, etc.

          • Natalie says:

            But they aren’t on the same level as Vita games lol. heck, an iPhone 3G can play a real racing games lol Why do you think the PPSSPP emulator chokes on PSP games but would somehow manage to run an equivalent of a Vita game? It just wouldn’t

          • hmm says:

            Looks like a vita game and being graphically the same as a vita game is 2 different things. Example look how restricted you are with android games like real racing and other games.
            Real Racing 2 apparently looks good on phones but would it be even classed as a full game on a Vita? no. It just lacks.
            Btw i used to own a Galaxy S4 and its poor for gaming, even clash of clans was not buttery smooth until i switched to Redmi Note 3 Pro

          • Gamr13 says:

            They certainly are on the same level as Vita games, as stated in my previous post, graphically. The iPhone 3G cannot play Real Racing 3, the previous games in the series, sure, like Real Racing GTI etc. PPSSPP runs perfectly on my devices with no stuttering and choking on any of the games I play, such being Little Big Planet, Kingdom Hearts: BBS, Gran Turismo, and more, now, you’re going into emulation here which I will disregard because that is not my point and is unrelated to anything I have mentioned. I’m talking native games, which absolutely destroy the PS Vita.

          • nraudigy2 says:

            They look better because of 1080p screen. Most mobile games are designed for touchscreen and have short gameplay. I just prefer playing on Vita, where the games actually tailored to multiple buttons and dual analog sticks.

  2. Chdonga says:

    I am one of the six people in the world who owns an Nvidia Shield Portable and I don’t regret that purchase. It did things that the Vita can only do through homebrew.

    I’m leaning towards AndroidOS simply because it has a working N64 emulator.

    • Dmaskell92 says:

      I’m currently writing a article about the build quality in the Nvidia Shield Portable being sub par.

    • Natalie says:

      I kinda want the new Shield TV. Dunno if it’ll get used more than my PS4 though… Emulators do sound nice xD

  3. Stranno says:

    You will get some games with years of development and thousands, if not millions, of dollars of budget.

    Instead of millions of Unity games with hours of development and thousands of ads.

    You will never get a proper -new- Uncharted or Killzone. Instead you will get a crappy mid-west game called Unhearthed and a really good but very limited Gameloft game called Modern Warfare that that looks far better in Windows 10 UWP.

  4. altemecya says:

    almost no native games on android that I attracted to, most of them either repetitif, boring or need you to be online to play. I only use my android for its large collection of emulator.

  5. lio says:

    Vita is supperior in gaming experience. The biggest issue for Android is freemion and advertising with a lot trash software or games.

  6. subhaGamer says:

    This is from my point of view:
    Graphics of android games are better than vita
    Multiplayer gaming in android is more better as it even supports local WiFi/BT gaming to play with nearby friends.
    Some games in android are indeed targeted for gamers…say Bully for example
    Memory cards of android are cheaper
    Emulators on android are easy to get while on vita it is not(for 3.63,3.61 users,it is harder)

    • Natalie says:

      That’s not really true at all.. Developers have gotten stupidly good at faking graphics on mobile games. Take Infinity blade for example. During a fight, there is really only 2 models going on. You, the player, and the enemy, the ground and scenery are a flat image wrapped around a dome. It looks REALLY nice but it’s a fake. The Vita can actually create 3D worlds on a similar level and still be able to move around in the space.
      Mobile phones can in reality are only capable of true 3D graphics of that in the GTA SA game released not too long ago.
      I agree with everything else tho. Damn Vita memory cards were what cut of it’s legs lol

      • Gamr13 says:

        In the eyes of the player, this is very true. How does one “fake graphics” graphics are graphics, you just cannot fake them. Console games are also very guilty of performing the same tricks, this is not in any way at all limited to mobile games. It’s not fake, it’s a trick on the eyes and mind, console does it too. Mobile devices can also create 3-D worlds too, and better than the PS Vita as demonstrated by Black Ops: Zombies for Android and iOS, and Minecraft: Pocket Edition being infinitely better than Minecraft on the PS Vita.

  7. lol says:

    Is there any handheld around yet which can beat psp ?
    we are all stuck to the vita because of its oldbrother
    i myself love it dont know or care about others

    • Orange Peel says:

      The PSP for me is the best handheld still out there for me, got thousands of games on my PSP and PSP’s are cheap to buy.

      • nraudigy2 says:

        PS Vita is best because it can play PSP games also. Emulators are flocking in to Vita.. Dual analog sticks for games are much better than touchscreen games on phones.

  8. xiadow09 says:

    Hey

  9. AC says:

    Could always make your own handheld, I’m working on a ortanle steam machine. http://Www.Instagram.com/specializationisoverrated

  10. Salar says:

    I love my vita , i just love it so simply , but i really want to see some androids on it 😀 i use my vita for gaming and i have an old smartphone just for phone and texting , i mostly play on the go with my vita because of PSP and PSVita games and Touch screen support , music videos , music , etc etc , but the pricy memory cards is not an availble option to anyone , most people can offer it but its too much for this kind of device , i hope that we can some how manage any kind of available social media on it , like instagram or telegram or viber or anything like that , even skype that was available got removed

  11. nebu_187 says:

    i dont care about social media i trew away my acount of facebook, just garbage who needs friends anyway hahaha.
    Seriously to me there is no comparison possible, I just want dedicated devices like 3ds psp and vita to game REAL games on.
    Mobile gaming is just not my thing i actualy think its a new generation thing.

    • psxvita says:

      +1

    • hmm says:

      socialization has become pathetic, i refuse to use facebook these days due to how they use your data and I get classed as having no friends……so people did not have friends before facebook was invented? lol
      Why must everyone have everything in 1 device, I am happy taking my phone and my Vita with me. All problems solved.

  12. Paolo says:

    if i had to buy a new portable console, now i would buy the gpd win

  13. yao says:

    I am pretty nearly the same view that article except that for number 2, you have forgotten that the ps vita can launched skype

  14. TehCupcakes says:

    Not a bad article, but point 4 negates itself. You say “PSN is currently inaccessible”, which is misleading. It’s only inaccessible if you plan on hacking the system. And if you plan on hacking the system, the “monetary commitment” is kind of optional…

    Also, in point 5, it should be noted that iOS is substantial harder/worse to run emulators on than Android because they are not allowed on the official store. You either have to use a web-based emulator (which often sucks) or jailbreak your device. Installing HENkaku is easier than jailbreaking an iOS device, so I would say the ease of use is: Android -> Vita -> iOS

  15. Laci says:

    This topic coming 2 years late? 🙂 Vita is good, but games is craps, *** and indie games. I buy Vita 1 year and i have no games to play:-) On classic psp is besser games… 🙂
    Android games is just freemium, buyin to playin 🙂

  16. blah says:

    Actual buttons, and less battery draining cruft on the OS? There’s no comparison.

    Honestly, I download one or two phone games a year to check out, but then I just never end up playing them because they inevitably want me to buy something, lock things behind a treadmill, want me to ‘socialize’ and share things.. So I just play phone games any more, ever.

  17. EJ says:

    I don’t consider tablets/phones a gaming device. It may have games, but it doesn’t count unless buttons are built with the device.

  18. Tribolin says:

    I don’t know why anybody has not mentioned it yet, but back in Black Friday I got myself a Linx Vision 8 tablet with Win10, I can swiftly play half life 2, portal, the bioshock franchise, mass effect, the stick of truth, and pretty much anything older that I have in my steam account natively. Emulators go without saying of course. I also tried ps4 steaming but it needs some tweaking but needs some tweaking because of the xinput controller, xbone streaming runs excellent, plus lots of crappy mobile games run on it no problem. I played 5 hours of bioshock with a full charge.

    Linx Vision 8 inch Tablet with Xbox Controller – Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0187U2M1O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_H1hGybQ3ZECHT

  19. Hei Wiper says:

    U had to mention The PS VITA battery !! I play like 4-5 hours

  20. Franky says:

    I guess Android since I’ve touched my phone far more than my Vita.

  21. Pask says:

    N64 emulator is coming on Vita retroarch!

  22. Rouge says:

    “virtually non existent” my A__.

  23. DrRetro says:

    There are two things that speaks for a platform like the vita and stop for me any discussion: 1. designed for playing 2. true games that make use of the hardware.

    iOS and Android games are mostly designed for touchscreen input, not many games support controllers and a extra controller makes not a handheld out of a iOS/Android device.

    Both together ruins it for me.

  24. SmurfSmasherGaming says:

    It would be really dope if one of these awesome devs find out how to install android on the vita

  25. udkultimate says:

    I love both. I have my PS Vita recently purchased and installed Henkaku on it. I played and beated Killzone Mercenary, Uncharted Golden Abyss, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, and now I am playing God of War Collection (if you don`t mind the poor cutscenes quality) you get some of the two best action hack and slash games. However i love my xperia M5 android phone on which i always play on the go whenever i go on the bus, or waiting something somwhere. I love casual android games, because whenever i am short of free time i can play somthing in my android, and whenever i am with much free time i spend on my psvita. so both android and vita are my companious for gaming.

  26. darksoulflame says:

    I have a GPD XD, an Android device that looks like a 3DSXL. It’s a very powerful and cheaper alternative to the NVIDIA shield portable. The GPD XD does exactly what I need in a portable device (that I really wanted for the vita) and will probably be my go to for emulators/games/etc. I suggest you guys check it out!

    • Paolo says:

      i know that, seems a good console, there is also a windows 10 console that can run windows games , the gpd win, it’s more expensive though

  27. hmm says:

    Hmm enjoy games for 3 hours before the battery dies…or…..ads asking me to download a program every 2 minutes. Hard choice.

  28. Tribolin says:

    Not to spam or anything, but I recently got a Linx Vision 8, and is practically a steam machine, it eats up the nvidia shield, and is awesome with emulation. Look it up.

  29. Hr. Fuchs says:

    .. why do you say PSN is not accessible? It works just fine.
    Also, there is in app purchases for a fair amount of games, the difference is that they never limit the full game experience if not purchased, but they are there (just to be exact).
    It is also important to mention the hardware differences in more detail as well as battery time.
    An accessory game pad makes the device non-portable, so that leaves the Vita as the only portable system where you can play with normal buttons (without taking into account devices like the shield – just phones and pads).
    These are rather important things to not mention or misinform about.
    Nonetheless, I love the site!

  30. Ethan Weegee says:

    I use an iPad Pro with my PS Vita as a bluetooth tablet so that I get only the best touch screen capabilities.