Sony's new handheld is up against stiff competition in the form of the ever strengthening and cheap 3DS, though perhaps more potent is the news that its older relative the PSP continues to sell more units.

The total number of PS Vita units sold in its debut week in Japan hit 325,000 though that figure fell drastically to 72,479 the following week.

Sales charts provided by Media Create, according to 4Gamer, show that Vita sales continue to slump in its home territory, falling to 42,648 sold in the week ending January 1.

Top of the softs

The 3DS topped the hardware charts that week, shifting 197,952 units, followed in second place by the PS3 with 67,199.

The PSP managed third place with 62,746, while the DSi LL was the highest of the old DS family handhelds taking sixth place with 3,356 sold.

In terms of software, the 3DS was predictably leagues ahead, with Mario Kart 7 (109,000 sold) and Monster Hunter Tri G (100,000 sold) taking the lion's share.

The complete sales lists are included below.

Hardware sales for week ending Jan 1

3DS: 197,952

PS3: 67,199

PSP: 62,746

Vita: 42,648

Wii: 33,208

DSi LL: 3,356

360: 2,453

DSi: 2,418

PS2: 1,659

DS Lite: 28

Software sales for week ending Jan 1 (total sales to date)
Mario Kart 7 (3DS, Nintendo) - 109,000 (1,160,000)
Monster Hunter Tri G (3DS, Capcom) - 100,000 (985,000)
Warriors Orochi 2 (PS3, Koei Tecmo) - 73.000 (274,000)
Super Mario 3D Land (3DS, Nintendo) - 68,000 (1,080,000)
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3, Square Enix) - 61,000 (704,000)
Inazuma Eleven Go: Shine / Dark (3DS, Level 5) - 48,000 (269,000)
Just Dance Wii (Wii, Nintendo) - 33,000 (453,000)
Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii, Nintendo) - 24,000 (537,000)
Wii Party (Wii, Nintendo) - 23,000 (2,224,000)
SD Gundam G Generation 3D (3DS, Bandai Namco) - 20,000 (111,000)

[source: 4Gamer (Japanese)]