PlayStation Vita Store Vs Nintendo 3DS eShop

Mon, 23 Jun 2014, by Josh Maines

I've had the original model of the 3DS for a while and recently invested in a slim model of the PSVita.  What I've learned is that both systems have their own quirks which could prove to be major headaches.  Below are the biggest headaches I've had with each system's store applications.

Nintendo eShop

The Nintendo eShop system is horrible in my opinion, because it has a very inefficient navigation system and the sales prices on the games are nowhere near as affordable as the physical copies of the games.  The eShop also did not have much to offer in terms of indie games.

Worst issue with eShop: Hard to budget your purchases.  Cannot buy multiple items at once. (Same issue as PS Store.) eShop-specific issue that gave me a headache: No 3D videos! Redeeming factor: I like how the eShop front page looks.  Very flashy! Also, memory expansions are cheap, because the system uses SD cards.

PlayStation Vita: PlayStation Store and Plus Membership

PS Store on the PSVita is a little bit dull.  It doesn't give you that wow factor when you first use it.  The system feels very technical and hard to understand.  However, once you use the system for a while and if you have plenty of space to work with, navigating the store is fairly easy.  It is very difficult to figure out space requirements for games at times, and memory cards are extremely expensive.

PS Plus membership isn't really worth the money unless you also have a PS3 or PS4 because not many games are offered for just one system and the prices on games drop fairly quickly anyway.  You can find better deals on the physical copies of games at retail stores than you can find for Plus members on the online store.

Worst issue with PS Store: Hard to budget your purchases.  Cannot buy multiple items at once.  (Same as eShop.) PS Store-specific issue that gave me headaches: Finding space for all the free PS Plus games was maddening!  I don't like deleting the games, because I play them off-and-on, and if I can only have 1-2 games at a time, that makes the system less portable. Redeeming factor: There really isn't one!  The system is mediocre at best and not really worth using except when you're trying to take advantage of the free games.