To be really frank I think it'll be a less of a surprise if MediaCreate missed out adding a "0" to the back of the Vita numbers.
I think the real issue here is between PSP and PSV themselves. PSV clearly had a pretty strong launch lineup, though a little inferior to Nintendo's offerings at this point in time.
But I think the real thing which killed the PSV (other than consumers being afraid of another 3DS situation earlier this year) was its predeccesor, and PSV's rather obvious lack of backward compatibility when physical media is concerned.
The PSP had a bloody impressive range of games for consumers to choose from (which were still largely based on physical media), but for old owners they can't really play these old games on the Vita, so they might have decided to hold on for a while (till the Vita lineup gets impressive) before they jump the wagon.
If they jumped now, to play those old games, they'll have to lug around 2 consoles OR to rebuy them in digital format at discounted prices. Plus not all PSP games can be rebought on the Vita (major publishers didn't join in the Passport program thingum).
Till then, they still have their PSP to tinker with (together with that library of games).
Frankly speaking, the lack of backward compatibility killed the Vita. This'll probably last till Vita's library grows to a decent size. Furthermore, other than the so-called killer app Uncharted 3, nothing really is a must-buy-or-die game. As fanciful as the Vita's other apps and functions are, the main core mechanic which drives a console is its games.
So that being said, Vita's graphics and a few killer apps VS PSP's plethora of games, well that gives little reason for owners to switch to the Vita atm.
Price wasn't really an issue, since the 3DS also launched with the same pricing and sales weren't this screwed up for the first few weeks (Week 2 for 3DS was 200k), unless the phobia (all because of the 3DS) still lingers...
It all boils down to PSP vs Vita, and how Vita can kill off its predecessor who's still stealing its limelight. Not really of a 3DS VS Vita issue here imo.
