Opinion: Who won the pre-TGS press conference battle - Nintendo or Sony?

After brushing my desk clear of 37 empty energy drink cans, it's time to consider that age-old, fanboy-baiting, pub banter-inducing question.

That's right: it's Nintendo versus Sony time.

Nintendo pre-empted Sony by a whole day with its (5am UK time) conference on Tuesday announcing a veritable glut of upcoming 3DS games to make our mouths water.

Sony, meanwhile, got TGS off to a flying start by unveiling a release date for the PS Vita and loads of games for its forthcoming handheld, including several HD updates of PS2 classics.

Let's look over what was shown and see who came out on top.

Post-launch, a console lives or dies by its games.

Nintendo had been criticised by many for the 3DS's tepid launch line-up, but as this press conference shows, there's ample content on the way for what is now the least financially-punishing portable console.

A whole bunch of Mario games and trailers surfaced and with each subsequent title announced, Ninty fanboys (me included) were given a reason to squeal with delight.

Along with info on the much-anticipated Kid Icarus: Uprising, there was news of a 3D reboot of the excellent Fire Emblem, not to mention Mario Tennis making its first appearance.

In terms of brand spanking new IP, however, Nintendo's 3D-toting machine fell short of the PS Vita.

Nintendo may have announced the oddly-titled Bravely Default: Flying Fairy RPG from Square Enix and a couple of very unsellable-in-the-west-and-girly-looking rhythm-action titles, but Sony managed to mix it up with both new and old content.

While the Vita headlines during Sony's event may have been dominated by the remakes of Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, Zone of the Enders HD Collection, and the distinctly un-Final Fantasy VII-shaped Final Fantasy X rehash, this writer was looking out for those intriguing games which promise new ideas and broader variety.

First off, Square Enix mentioned new franchises Lord of Apocalypse and Army Corps of Hell. Konami gaming icon Kojima then weighed in with the revelation that he's working on a new secret title for PS Vita. There's also a 26-game longlist full of other titles we've never heard of floating about.

A few indecipherable social games reared their heads, too, based on Japanese video-sharing networks, all of which look like they are trying something entirely new (though what it is, who knows?).

Throw in the promise of some serious social network integration via Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare, and Vita definitely takes the anticipation biscuit.

Perhaps that's how it should be. After all, it's the more expensive console and it's the one yet to launch. It's Sony's duty, therefore, to make us excited about Vita.

That said, we'll have more idea about whether these new Vita games are as promising as they sound once TGS gets started proper. That's tomorrow, by the way.

Disagree with my opinion? Keep it clean and let us know in the comments box below!

And we didn't even mention that awful 3DS joypad accessor... D'oh!