If Sony releases an update that enables vita to shadowclone itself.

Edit: Ah it's what nintendo has to do...Sony should still research it tho

Releasing miiverse on it is a good start. Look at what it's doing to Wii U and Vita.

but I love MiiVerse ):

They already have. They never purchased enough developers. Other than the major 3 titles already in the pipeline(MH4, POKEMON, LoZ) they cant really support 3DS cause they need to focus on expensive, time consuming HD dev for Wii U. It would make sense if they abandoned 3DS and wii U software wise the same way they did GBA and Gamecube to produce DS and Wii in 2014. This will allow Vita to gain a larger foothold in Japanese software that may not be able to destroy as Im sure that Vita can compete with their gen 9 handheld specwise.

I should mention that I don't believe it will overtake the 3DS hardware sales while 3DS is still considered relevant but that it still may do so.

even then...

There's absolutely nothing that can happen to make the Vita overtake the 3DS unless they stop making and selling them, even then it's going to take years for it to happen.

Release a re-disgned version that cuts of your fingers when you play it and then sets your balls on fire. Then release all of their software on Vita.

This would be a wrong decision, and could also lead to the Vita selling more.

I have a Vita and I love it a lot.. but I'm sure that at the rythm of sells of 3ds ritgh now Vita wouldn't be able to catch up.. unless SONY make something so great that would make Vita sell twice what the 3DS sell.. and then wait 3 years to catch up... by then nintendo would announce a new portable console... :/

And about third parties... even if they stop developing games on 3DS... mario, zelda, animal crossing, pokemon, monhun, dragon quest would suffice to keep good selling on Japan and worldwide