Gamasutra reports that Japanese tracking firm, Media Create, has revealed a fairly lacklustre start for Sony's PlayStation Vita, which went on sale in Japan in December last year, selling just 42,915 units for the week ending January 8. This number is only slightly up from the week prior which saw only 42,648 units moved.

Nintendo's 3DS on the other hand continues to impress, with sales figures for the same week ending January 8 at some 240,819, up from 197,952 the week before. These numbers are bolstered by solid software for the handheld with Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land and Monster Hunter 3G leading the retails sales charge.

Software for the Vita, however, seems almost non-existent in the tracked Japanese charts, though as Gamasutra points out said charts do not include digital downloads on the devices, only physical retail copies, so it's tough to pinpoint exactly what's moving on the Vita software-wise.

The PlayStation Vita is due to hit Western store shelves at the end of February, so there's still a strong likelihood it'll find its audience. Stay tuned for more on Sony's new device as we near its local launch of February 24, right here on AusGamers.