If there were really any question before this, let's go ahead and settle it right now: The PlayStation Vita is a much better piece of hardware than the Nintendo 3DS . That doesn't necessarily mean you'll enjoy it more, but in terms of hardware specs, there is really no comparison.

The PlaySation Vita is Sony's latest attempt to take portable gaming to new heights, and it finally hit UK shelves last week. With quad-core smartphones waiting in the wings and gaming apps aplenty, the company's refreshed PSP has its work cut out.

After my affair with lovely Vita, what is clear to me is that dedicated handhelds will be around for some time. PS Vita doesn't try to replicate a smartphone's convenience and that is where its strength lies.

Sony's PlayStation Vita represents the company's second entry into the volatile handheld gaming market. The original PlayStation Portable found reasonable success as a largely traditional system,...

Amazing screen; Excellent controls; Well-designed OS; Good launch lineup; Amazing screen; Excellent controls; Well-designed OS; Good launch lineup

Inconsistent apps; Multiple accounts are a no-go; Expensive proprietary memory; Inconsistent apps; Multiple accounts are a no-go; Expensive proprietary memory; Limited 3G use not worth price of admission

Should you buy a PlayStation Vita? If you want the best overall portable gaming experience, yes. Sure, the cost of getting started is probably more than you thought, but the Vita's fantastic launch line-up, laundry-list of features, cool apps, silky smooth OS and promising future definitely make a...

Amazing visuals on the 5-inch OLED touchscreen that look almost as good as PS3 graphics; Launch line-up is very impressive and allows for downloading of some games (including all first-party titles) over the PlayStation Network; Operating system is smartly designed; easy to use and ultra responsive,

Proprietary media and connections across the board; and even requires the purchase of a separate memory card to play most games and use most apps; Battery life could be better; and there's no way it can be replaced by the user; No video out; Anti-piracy implementations are a bit cumbersome to deal

Sony has finally come out with its replacement for the PlayStation Portable, and it's impressive. The PlayStation Vita takes the PSP's signature design and adds more processing power, optional 3G, dual analog sticks, and an amazingly bright, colorful OLED screen.

Powerful graphics; Beautiful screen; Dual analog sticks

Short battery life, and battery isn't removable; Proprietary memory card; Clunky media manager

It's game on for the Sony PlayStation Vita. The first portable gaming system to offer dual analog sticks, the Vita also delivers a quad-core ARM processor, a stunning OLED capacitive touchscreen and breathtaking graphics.

Most powerful portable gaming device ever; Tight dual analog controls; Fantastic OLED display; Fast charge time

Lacks multitasking capability; No Flash Support; Proprietary PlayStation Memory card; Only supports 3G data

When the Sony PlayStation Vita arrives in North America on February 22nd, it'll face stiff competition.

Light and durable design with excellent controls; Rear touchpad works well; permits unique

Overpriced proprietary memory cards; Onboard 0.3 megapixel cameras are

With gaming on the go becoming ever more smartphone-shaped, some would say it was foolhardly to release a new dedicated handheld, such as the Sony PS Vita. The full-fat and full-price Nintendo 3DS struggled against the cheap yet powerful thrills offered by more versatile and ever-present platforms...

Five-inch OLED touchscreen; Quadcore processor; Launch games line-up; Five-inch OLED touchscreen; Quadcore processor; Launch games line-up

Expensive; Fiddly card ports; Focus on core-gamers; Expensive; Fiddly card ports; Focus on core-gamers

When the Sony PlayStation Vita arrives, it'll face stiff competition. Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have become powerful, cheap and ubiquitous. And with great, inexpensive games readily available on a device that you're already carrying every day, is there any reason to spend...