Difference Between 3G and WiFi PS Vita

3G vs WiFi PS Vita

Over the years, Sony has managed to refine their portable gaming platform, more commonly known as the PSP or Playstation Portable. The latest version, the PS Vita has a lot of new different features that set it apart from previous models. The PS Vita also comes in two versions, the WiFi only version and the 3G version, which also comes with WiFi. The main difference between 3G and WiFi PS Vita is the ability to go online by using the cellular network. The usability of this feature varies quite widely. If you live in an area where there are multiple of accessible WiFi hotspots, 3G isn’t that much useful. But if WiFi hotspots are few and far in between, 3G becomes more valuable.

But even if you can connect to the Internet using 3G, it still isn’t the same as connecting via WiFi. First of all, majority of multiplayer games cannot be played by using 3G. Sony does not allow this because the latency of 3G connections can be pretty bad. What you can play over 3G are only turn based games. Then when it comes to downloading, WiFi is the way to go since you get speed and unlimited bandwidth. You can also download new games via 3G but it is limited only to games that are 20MB in size or less. For most games, that is way too small and still requires a WiFi connection for you to download.

Although it seems like having 3G is quite useful, it also has its own cons. Since connecting to a 3G cellular network isn’t free, you need to have a 3G plan with a carrier. But the data plan adds another recurring bill. The amount may be negligible to some, but is quite significant to most. Using WiFi only is much cheaper since you can get a WiFi signal pretty much anywhere for free. You don’t get as much mobility but you still get 95% of the functionality at a much cheaper cost.

Summary:

1. The 3G Vita can connect to the cellular network and WiFi while the WiFi Vita is only limited to WiFi
2. The 3G Vita allows you to download and participate in some multiplayer games even without a WiFi hotspot
3. The 3G Vita often comes with a data plan that is not needed on the WiFi Vita

Sharing is caring!