I don't think they can be compared like that. I mean, what does it mean "which is better"? Both genres have great books, movies, video games, I think it will always come to personal preference. Personally, I prefer sci-fi, because I'm more a scientist-type guy in real life.
It's all science-fiction, technically. That's the umbrella term fantasy falls under. ^^
If you really twist my arm, I'm a bigger fan of science-fiction in the sense you're getting at. Fantasy is great, don't get me wrong, but there's just something about science-fiction settings that's always clicked with me...
One day I hope to write a science-fiction story.
...Scratch that. I have to write one. It's going to happen.
I prefer science fiction for the most part. In my experience, science fiction is too often driven by setting, which in some ways it must be. Without the uniqueness of the fantasy setting, it's sometimes ends up as more of a historical fiction than anything. I feel that science fiction can be more about plot, but benefits just as much from a unique setting.
The best fantasy is better than the greatest science fiction. The average science fiction is better than the average fantasy. I think most fantasy is complete shite, but then you get Tolkien or G.R.R. Martin and they change the genre. I haven't really read any bad science fiction I can think of.
It's at least fitting to pit the greatest authors of their genres against one another, but alas Tolkien is superior. We have only to establish a means by which to judge them, so I can make it explicitly clear why this is so.
I suggest influence upon their genre, book sales, and adaptations to start with.
Fantasy is my favourite, tbh. But, even though that's true, Star Wars is still my favourite film series ever. However, I prefer the fantasy settings e.g. Usually medieval, mystical lands, larger than life landscapes etc. Generally though I'm torn between the two, and am very close to loving the genres equally.
Star Wars is really more science fantasy. Too much magic and space opera for science fiction, too much technology and aliens for fantasy. I think the blend is nice, it only needed someone more creative in charge.
It's really a sliding scale sort of thing. It's got its own TVTrope: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness
Most of it requires reading through the books, and it becomes more apparent every time you read it again. G.R.R. Martin sets these characters up as what you expect from fantasy; the noble and honorable lord, the beautiful queen, the prince charming, the valiant king, and then you start to see why every one of these things is a façade. Ned Stark puts his honor before reason, Cersei is truly one of the ugliest people in the books, Jaimie/Joffrey are vile human beings (though Jaimie gets better), Robert is a complete failure as a king despite being loved and a great warrior. I like this quote from Sir Jorah Mormont, and it's the quickest thing I can think of for a direct example lifted from text.
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I see magic in skyrim as a birth defect caused by the divines 'ahem' aliens or the daedra aliens as well. The dragons are also alien creatures created by the alien daedra and divines through biotechnology. The ability to shout? the dragons birth human beings called the dragonborn who also have the shout ability. The oblivion realms? alien worlds for the daedric princes.