Hand Held Game Systems: Reviews

CNET: Taking a long, detailed look at the Sony PlayStation Vita, Jeff Bakalar is among the many who speak disparagingly of Sony's decision to use required proprietary memory.

CNET: A video "prizefight" puts a Sony PlayStation Vita in the ring against the Nintendo 3DS. Through six rounds comparing aspects including performance, value and design, Sony wins the decision for the site's panel of three judges.

DigitalTrends.com: The Sony PlayStation Vita earns an Editors' Choice award here.

PCMag.com: The Sony PlayStation Vita gets an Editors' Choice award.

Engadget.com: Sean Buckley gives the Sony PlayStation Vita a generally positive review, saying it outclasses the Nintendo 3DS in many ways.

Amazon.com: Roughly 170 mostly happy Sony PlayStation Vita owners team up here to grant the portable gaming console a 4.4 rating out of 5.

Wired: The Sony PlayStation Vita handheld gaming system gets a rating of 7, which means "very good but not quite great." Chris Kohler is fairly impressed with game play and notes that the inclusion of two analog controllers means PlayStation 3 users can play their games the same way they do on bigger, stay-at-home consoles.

Gizmodo.com: Sam Biddle questions if people really need a dedicated portable gaming system.

The Washington Post: The Verge's Joshua Toplosky says of the Sony PlayStation Vita: "Playing games on the Vita is as close as you'll get to holding an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 controller in your hand when you're out and about." But while he calls it the best portable gaming system he's ever used, he says that it's not enough of an improvement over the gaming experience you can get on smartphones and other devices to make it worth lugging around.

Time magazine: The title of this review pretty much sums up Matt Peckham's take on the Sony PlayStation Vita.

The New York Times: Seth Schiesel calls the Sony PlayStation Vita "the finest mobile gaming system yet made for adults." The OLED screen is the best he's seen in a mobile device (though this review was written before the release of the new iPad).

Arstechnica.com: This is a multipage and highly detailed report on the Sony PlayStation Vita.

CNET: Jeff Bakalar says the Nintendo 3DS "successfully offers a glasses-less 3D experience that needs to be seen to be believed." He notes the high price tag and weak launch lineup of 3D titles, but says "the future certainly looks bright." He gives it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

CNET: CNET pits the Nintendo 3DS against the Sony PlayStation Vita in this head-to-head video "prizefight" that compares features, design and performance across six categories.

PCMag.com: Will Greenwald notes that the 3D gaming "works surprisingly well" on the Nintendo 3DS, calling the screen bright and beautiful and the analog thumb pad comfortable and pointing out the gaming system's compatibility with previous generations of DS titles.

Wired: Chris Kohler raves about the Nintendo 3DS's display, saying "it's the way the small screen's 3-D effects make every 3DS game look like a little animated diorama in a shoebox that impresses me the most." He notes that the 3D adjustment slider makes the viewing angle requirement more forgiving.

TrustedReviews.com: Ardjuna Seghers gives the Nintendo 3DS an 8 out of 10 score.

Arstechnica.com: The title of this review almost says it all, though it's still worth it to check out Ben Kuchera's review of the Nintendo 3DS if only to enjoy his engaging writing style: "I never lost the feeling of magic from that first demo, flying around in Pilotwings Resort in full 3D, taking in the scenery.

Amazon.com: Most users posting at Amazon.com like their Nintendo 3DS systems very much; it earns a 4.3 out of 5 rating following more than 600 reviews.

PC World: Matt Peckham gives the Nintendo 3DS 4 out of 5 stars, giving it kudos for the device's social networking features with other 3DS users, 3D camera and the 3D display itself.

TechRadar.com: Tom Pakinkis gives the Nintendo 3DS 4.5 out of 5 stars, saying that it provides "the best DS graphics yet" and suggesting that the augmented reality shows potential.

DigitalTrends.com: Ryan Fleming says the Nintendo 3DS has "an incredible amount of potential," also giving the device credit for the 3D display.

Engadget.com: Tim Stevens calls the Nintendo 3DS's 3D screen compelling, the new games interesting and the analog thumb stick (Nintendo calls it the Circle Pad) comfortable.

CNET: Jeff Bakalar calls the Nintendo DSi an "ambitious and solidly designed portable gaming system." Although he notes that a lack of backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance titles and a shorter battery life are downsides, Bakalar gives it a very good rating overall.

CNET: CNET pits the Nintendo DSi against two Sony portable gaming systems and the Apple iPod touch in installments of its popular "prizefight" video series, which pits competing products against each other in head-to-head evaluations of features, design, performance and more.

TrustedReviews.com: Stuart Andrews says he thinks some of the Nintendo DSi's features are more gimmicky than useful.

PC World: The Nintendo DSi isn't rated in this review, but the write-up offers some helpful details.

Arstechnica.com: Ben Kuchera says the online game store DSiWare is the biggest selling point for the Nintendo DSi.

Choice magazine: Choice magazine, the Australian version of ConsumerReports.org, enlists the help of a 10-year-old boy to test out the Nintendo DSi.

PCMag.com: Daniel S. Evans has a detailed look at the Nintendo DSi, complete with helpful testing details on battery life and other areas.

DigitalTrends.com: The Nintendo DSi is called a "welcome upgrade." The online game shop and new multimedia options are listed as highlights.

Gizmodo.com: Mark Wilson says the Nintendo DSi is far more comfortable to hold than its predecessor, and he finds the interface easier to use.

Amazon.com: More than 450 owner reviews combine to give the Nintendo DSi a very strong overall rating.

Buzzillions.com: Roughly 575 users give the Nintendo DSi an overall rating of 4.6 stars out of 5.