I do like to point out the oddness of this generation every once in a while. PS3, the doomed console when it first launched, consistently being the highest selling console on a weekly basis, and also often having the highest software sales of a week.

And of course the number 1 selling console having a precipitous drop well before its replacement is launched

I bet this will be the only generation these two things happen. Though I think maybe next generation the strongest starter may also not be the strongest finisher, but I doubt the console in 3rd place for the first half of the generation will climb to the top.

Binary Domain? Never heard of it, what's with Sega? And why are they stealing part of my name? >:

These sales + the sales from the week the 250$ version launched will give us the most fair 1st week numbers methinks.

Will be interresting to see.

I don't know how Binary Domain bombed since its not out anywhere but in Japan.

Infact how the hell did it get sales numbers in USA for both 360 and PS3? Anyone at VGchartz HQ screw up release dates here?

I don't know why some of you are saying that the term pre-launch is wrong. As far as I can tell from this article, Sony themselves are calling it a pre-launch so the argument should end right about here.

http://playstationlifestyle.net/2012/02/23/sony-sells-out-of-ps-vita-pre-launch-bundles/

"Guy Longworth, Sony’s senior VP of PlayStation marketing shared the company’s excitement over the successful launch of the Vita. With regard to initial sales, he said:

It went great. We sold out our prelaunch bundles, so we’re excited about that. We got a great response to it."

hmm that is odd must be a mistake, 15k/20k did seem appallingly low for the game 

GT5 is going 10M

Uncharted 3 still selling well with full price. Probably a 6-7 million seller. These are the two biggest PS3 exclusives

First edition sales in one week, the next week isnt even a full 7 day week.

lol seems like Sony is determined to make their launch Vita numbers as unappealing as possible. If they were smart theyd launch it ALL on a monday

Sounds like Sony fueled propaganda. 

Sony made the move to sell the vita outside its official launch. The 2 weeks are separate and will be treated as such. Not our fault Sony launches things on weird schedules 

Your hate about Sony is so obvious that's just funny.

In the end what matters are sales.
About possible other purposes of the pre-launch, maybe Sony is experimenting to use also in the future special editions and bundles to delay as much as possible price cuts. After all bundles worked very well for XB360 and Kinect last BF and Xmas, it makes sense to try.