The Vita is in more of a precarious position than some people realize though, Sony is being crushed by Samsung on the TV front, they lost millions in the gaming department this past gen, and now their handheld is selling quite poorly.
These times are when both the advantages and the disadvantages of having multiple incomes start to show. Unlike Ninty, Sony and MS can make up for losses in the game department through other sources, however on the other hand, Sony has to allocate resources into other "failing?" departments and quite frankly just don't have the resources to support their gaming division as well anymore.
Combined with diminished brand power over the past gen, and the fact that the PS4 is releasing soon and the 3DS's dominance in JP, I don't blame people for saying stuff like "Vita is doomed!" "Dreamcasted!" because if you look at it from a financial perspective, there is almost no profit to be gained from supporting a weak platform when the market as a whole is shrinking and your direct competitor is sweeping the floor with you.
If I were Sony, truthfully, I would try to get all the Vitas off store shelves fast and then decrease support for it, they're not gonna go anywhere with the impending 3DS monsterkillstreakbatman sales coming on in 2013.
As for me as a consumer, I don't really want that to happen because a Nintendo monopoly has proven to be bad, and would decrease the amount of effort Ninty would place in their games. (Competition!)
What was so odd about the Ps3's position was that there was a lot of demand for the console riding off the back of the PS2, just that the price was wayyy too high. With the price drop and the new slim model, that changed. But what about the Vita? The demand just isn't that strong. It isn't just about the pricing, as is proven by how terrible sales were even as they matched the launch price of the 3DS. It isn't strictly because of the games either, because from what I've heard, there are some fantastic games out and upcoming.
It's how they decided to completely screw over the consumer from day1. Even the "gamers" think that the mem cards pricing is too high, the 3G is useless....so then what about the average consumer? They're not that stupid, it's the same reason why the basic WiiU is selling so terribly. Sony marketed "Console quality OTG" without console quality games and console quality value. This isn't about marketing anymore, this thing needs a miracle. It has earned the distrust of many gamers and other consumers alike.
It's still too early to judge. Still far far far to early to judge how well it will do lifetime. But as time starts to pass and I see less and less sales figures, more promotion of mediocre games and Sony's financial struggle in other businesses, I wonder if we may ever see another handheld from them again.
Edit: I just had another scary thought. Like how the 3DS might be eating up some of the WiiU sales, what if....the release of the PS4 (Which I don't see selling worse than Vita my god) effectively kills off interest and sales in the Vita? Oh wow both Ninty and Sony need to come up with killer app cross-funtionality like realll soon, if this "eating into" thing is true.
