As Game Informer's Jim Reilly posted earlier, the launch numbers are in for the PlayStation Vita. 

321,407 Vita units were sold over the first two days of release. Initial shipment allocations from Sony were between 500,000 to 700,000, leading to a maximum sell-through number of 64.28%. The number fell about 50,000 units short of what the 3DS pulled during its first two days (371,326 units) on the market, or about 13.5% less. 

The numbers can be spun in a couple of different ways:

On the positive side, the launch number is respectable for a $250 platform. More than half of the shipped units were likely sold (as long as the alleged 700K number wasn't the case) and pulled in over 8 billion yen in revenue for the hardware alone. 

On the negative side, despite having hardware superiority over the 3DS and more available games at launch, the Vita fell short of the 3DS launch number. The numbers also add fuel to the perception from Japan that there's just not a lot of excitement for the Vita right now, for whatever reason. Perhaps it's money, perhaps it's an issue with different software title preferences, or perhaps it could be something else altogether. 

Launch numbers aren't always indicative of the future of a given platform, but they can be used as an indicator of consumer interest and perception. There's no reason to panic or declare the Vita in any sort of trouble, but numbers in the weeks to come bear watching. Rapid dropoffs could lead to analyst doubts about the Vita, which is already being considered an underdog by several. 

In short, the Vita launch in Japan can be viewed as solid, but unspectacular. We'll see where it goes from here.