While the Vita has had less than stellar sales after launching, Sony maintains a positive outlook thanks to the sales of it’s competitor, the Nintendo 3DS.

SCEE president and CEO Jim Ryan says that “One of the encouraging things about 3DS’ sales performance at Christmas is that it is confounding the naysayers who say that there is no room in the market for a dedicated handheld gaming device. And to that extent we were encouraged by how 3DS did over the last month.”

Ryan also said that “There are two distinct markets” when asked if the appetite for 3DS poses a danger to Vita.

While Sony’s statement maybe a tad confusing (cheering on the success of it’s competitor), it does make a lot of sense considering the PlayStation Vita is an updated version of the PlayStation Portable just as the Nintendo 3DS is an updated version of the Nintendo DS.  The success of the 3DS simply means that gamers are willing to buy new hardware following their favorite franchise — something that’s quite evident after the boom of Nintendo’s sales when Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land and Monster Hunter 3G released.  In hindsight, this also explains the slow sales of the Vita, something that the 3DS encountered early in it’s lifetime –there simply isn’t enough games to convince thrifty gamers to make the switch.

source MVCUK