PlayStation Vita weekly sales flagging in Europe, less than half 3DS

European PlayStation Vita sales have settled into a slump since Sony's machine launched earlier this year.

That's according to new figures released by Nintendo as part of its financial report. The data reveals that in Europe weekly 3DS sales are regularly more than double that of the Vita - sometimes far more.

And, just like in Japan, Vita is being outstripped sales-wise by ageing predecessor the PSP.

3DS sales figures have been particularly robust this year, nearing 100,000 weekly sales around the launch of the 3DS XL and New Super Mario Bros. 2. At a glance, the handheld appears to be selling as well in Europe as the Xbox 360, outmatched only by the PlayStation 3.

Last year it was a different story. In 2011 the 3DS struggled to match DS sales until its summer price-cut turned the machine's fortunes around. This year, 3DS has outstripped the DS every week by some margin.

European sales data is hard to come by and Nintendo's charts, shared online for investors yesterday, are the company's own estimates based on sales information provided by market research companies in each European country.

Nintendo also provided sales date for portables in the US, where Vita is similarly behind 3DS.

For its part, Sony has asked analysts to wait until after the important Christmas period, during which Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty games will launch for Vita, before passing judgement. Speaking with Eurogamer, Sony UK boss Fergal Gara said the company will back Vita with marketing to give it every chance in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Nintendo also published home console data, which shows Wii sales sinking throughout the year ahead of the Wii U launch. PlayStation 3 is most popular console in Europe (although Xbox 360 traditionally has the edge in the UK).