[quote name='pjb16']Personally, I just want it for the games. I have a laptop, tablet, and pc to do other tasks on.[/QUOTE]
Exactly. Aside from games, this doesn't do anything different (or, more importantly, better) than what I already keep with me at all times. I picked up a case for when I go on business trips, nothing more. I guarantee 99% of my Vita playtime will be at home.
That's the one thing that I feel Nintendo got really, really right with the 3DS... StreetPass. It's an incentive to take the system with you when you leave your house. I've thrown mine in a coat pocket all winter, still rarely playing it outside of my home, if only because I always get excited to see that little green notification light pop up. On top of that, even without the notifications, you get the PlayCoins. They've given owners a reason to have the system with you, which will inevitably begin to make it feel like a thing you don't think twice about grabbing as you leave the house. Not to ascribe any emotion to it, but it makes the owner closer to the technology. It will never be to the level of a phone, but it's also managed to get people to carry around a device that they honestly don't need to have with them. That's a huge win for Nintendo. Not every consumer will care about those things, but even managing to make any extra percentage buy into is big.
Near, so far, makes me feel none of those things. I wake up, I realize I won't have time to play the Vita while I'm out... and it stays at home. It's bulky, too, which is another down point. It's an interesting idea, I just don't like the execution. Plus, after the debacle last year, I'm wary of broadcasting my PSN ID. Since I don't want to do that, most of the important features of Near are useless to me. I don't know what they need to change, but it reminds me a bit of PSHome at this point... a decent idea that was released half-baked.
Anyway, I apologize for the rant, but it was just something that occured to me this morning. I like the Vita, I really do... but the 3DS is what will go with me 99% of the time. Then again, it seems that Sony was aiming for a not-so-portable portable, so maybe that's the point. I don't know. The big battle for companies with portables right now is to get consumers to not only purchase them, but also to keep the device with them. Nintendo made that happen (not in all cases, obviously), but I can almost guarantee that the majority of Vitas will rarely leave home.
It's a fascinating little device from a design standpoint, really. It's a 50/50 split between brilliant ideas and things that just make me scratch my

ing head.