I haven't seen anyone at Sony say anything like that.
I never suggested they did. I just hope that behind closed doors they don't have the same defence mechanism as some on GAF. Thankfully, nobody in this thread works for Sony.
Actually it's bang on. If people are looking at the Vita library as sequels, spin-offs and ports, it would be daft to omit the fact that the exact same criticism can be levelled at a far more successful direct competitor.
It does stand on its own two feet, it's just that not many people care. The 'swipes' aren't 'petulant and childish', they're perfectly accurate.
Accurate or not, they're irrelevant to the success of the Vita.
The 3DS has ports and sequels just like the Vita does, and the 3DS has new exclusive content just like the Vits does. But only one of those systems is selling. The decreasing market for a dedicated handheld console is showing it is prepared to support the current trend of established franchises and ports, to an extent, but only on one platform, leaving the other to sink.
Saying its unfair to criticise the Vita lineup unless you also do so for the 3DS is entirely pointless. Nobody needs to worry about the 3DS. That's doing fine (not extraordinary, but fine) irrespective of the criticisms you or anybody else labels at it. The Vita might share some of the same issues as the 3DS, but it isn't selling or performing through those issues. The Vita isn't doing fine.
The fact that the 3DS is propped up by ports and sequels isn't even remotely the same thing as the Vita being propped up by ports and sequels, as things stand right now.