Ever since yesterday's Apple announcement, the formidable sizes of both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus have been compared side-by-side with the other hefty smartphones out on the market again and again. But how do the new smartphones compare with other handheld game platforms?
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As it turns out, they compare fairly well. Judging by the MOBA demonstration during yesterday's presentation, Apple is interested in reiterating the iPhone's place as a legitimate game platform, and its specs mean it could go toe-to-toe with the gaming world's current handheld options, at least in terms of dimensions. Let's break it down. Note that dimension comparisons are taken for iPhone 6s in landscape mode and 3DSs with the lid closed.
Sony has been marketing the PS Vita as offering the full PlayStation experience in a handheld device. Armed with a 5-inch screen, the Vita has a larger display than the iPhone 6 but still falls short of the iPhone 6 Plus. Both Apple smartphones, however, outpace the Vita in terms of resolution. The Vita only clocks in at 960 x 544 resolution, while the smaller of the two iPhones sports a 1334 x 750 display at a denser ppi.
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Further, the Vita comes in a bulkier package than the new iPhones. With a width of 182 mm, the Vita takes up more legroom than either iPhone (the Plus only reaches 158 mm) and is both taller and thicker to boot. If you've been able to carry your Vita in your pocket before, you'll be able to handle either iPhone 6, no problem.
Moving to the 3DS, the iPhone 6 is even more of a success in the screen size department. The 3DS XL just barely ekes out a larger screen than the iPhone 6 but can't compare to the Plus, and no 3DS system can come close to either in terms of pixel resolution. As for the size of the device as a whole, the 3DS stacks up a bit better. While the XL's casing makes it bulkier than both Apple devices, the standard 3DS ends up being narrower than both iPhone 6s and between the two in height. Of course, a closed 3DS is about three times as thick as the slim iPhone 6, not to mention weighing more.
In terms of both graphics and portability, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus weigh in fairly well against the market's current handheld game device options. Of course, what really matters is what kind of games they receive (I can't quite picture the new Pokémon coming to iOS), but the iPhone seems to be a heavy hitter in the war of specs.
